Candid Creation

A New Chapter

2010-10-04T09:46:00.001-07:00

Sadly, this chapter of my life is closing, but another is opening. (No pun intended!) Continue following me at Open Book Reviews!

Make an Eye project!

2010-06-30T15:38:00.000-07:00

(My deepest apologies for being so long on posting!) One of my readers gave me a recipe that she and her sons used to make their own model of the eye after reading about it here. Kim M. is the homeschooling mother of three boys and said they use this cornstarch recipe for many kinds of school projects (solar system for example.)

For their eye project Kim found a simple picture online and they molded the parts out of the cornstarch clay. For color they used food dye.

"The human eye project I used with the boys was a simple unit study. They are young boys with short attention spans, but they loved this study.

We learned the parts of the eye, how the eye works, watched some Youtube videos, and made a funny model out of cornstarch." Kim

Cornstarch Clay

1 cup cornstarch

2 cups salt

1 1/3 cups cold water

Put salt and 2/3 cup water in pan and bring to a boil. Mix cornstarch with 2/3 cup water and mix well. Blend 2 mixtures together and knead into clay. The dough has to be heated as it is combined to set. Makes about 3 cups. This clay can be air dried and then painted. Store unused clay in airtight container in the fridge.

Thanks for the recipe Kim! I'm sure my readers and I will have fun with it!

Made in God's image part 2

2010-05-24T09:26:00.003-07:00

There are so many things to cover in the subject of the human that I had a difficult time choosing our next subject!

Eye Structure

One of the many things that fascinates me the most is the structure of our eyes. Despite its relatively small appearance, the eye is such a complex organ! Of the five senses of the human: taste, touch, smell, and hear; sight is the most complex.

Our eye balls have three major layers that are called tunics.

The outer fibrous tunic, which has two parts: transparent curved cornea, and the opaque white sclera (the sclera aids in maintaining the shape of the eye)
The middle vascular tunic holds the iris, ciliary body, and choroid (Choroid blood vessels give supply to all three tunics)

PHOTO LINK

The Iris
The iris of your eyes are as unique and different as fingerprints. They are never exactly the same. An iris is the ring of color around your pupil. And each color depends on the amount of pigment in the iris structure. When a baby is born, their pigment process is not complete until they are about 9 months old, the color changes as they ma

ture. This change is determined by a substance called melanin. Once a year old, the baby's color will not change again. Although sometimes it appears tha

t a person's iris color have changed to match the color of

their shirt.

My dad's eyes are greenish/blue, but if he wears a blue shirt, his eyes look sky blue. Very strange, but it is just our eyes that make it seem that way.

Think of the iris and pupil like the aperture of a camera. Remember, the pupil controls how much light enters your eye. The lower the lighting the wider your pupil is to let in as much light as possible. If you step outside into bright daylight

your pupil becomes very small. Absolutely amazing.

Like a camera your eye has to focus. The cornea is your 'focus'. It has to adjust to the objects closest to it. But it happens in a matter of seconds, so fast we hardly notice. As the light comes through your cornea, it is bent and sent to the back of the eye where there is a thin layer called the retina. The retina contains photo receptor nerve cells that change the light into electrical impulses and they are sent to our brain through our optic nerves and then your brain registers what you are seeing and retains that image.

My mother said yesterday morning as I was telling her about my research:

"Just the eye ball alone stand as one of the most remarkable evidences of God's creative brilliance." Kelly Crawford

We will expound further on this in future posts. I couldn't possibly do everything in one!

Did you know...

that an eye is only 2.3 centimeter long on average?
that the eye lens sits within an envelope that is the thickness of a red blood cell? This envelope is what contains the artificial lens after a cataract operation.
that tears are meant to protect your eye? They contain natural antibiotics, they prevent the eye from drying out, they contain certain fats that reduce the evaporation of tears.
that the eye makes an aqueous fluid in side it, so the eye has a certain "pressure"?
that the retina contains 120 million rods for "night vision", and 8 million cones that are colour sensitive and work best under daylight conditions?
that light causes electric activity in the eye, that can be measured, and is sometimes used in tests to find out how the retina and the nerve of sight works?
that modern cataract operations have been made possible thanks to the second world war? Sir Harold Ridley, who was an ophthalmic surgeon in London, found that pilots came back from their missions with little pieces of perspex in their eye(shattered screens of the planes they were flying in), to which the eye did not seem to "object": no inflammation of any significance was found in their eye.This material was modified and further developed into artificial lenses that are used in cataract operations.
that about half of our brain is involved in the seeing process?

FROM EYE FACTS

Made in God's Image- part 1

2010-05-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

Well, as we begin this series I though we should start with one of the major things that keeps our body going.
CellsCells are the tiniest structure of our bodies, but the most capable of carrying out all the processes that enable us to live. Respiration, movement, digestion, and reproduction- but not all cells can do this. 98% of cells are microscopic. The female germ cell which is the largest in our bodies, is the biggest we can see, but it's only as big as the period in this sentence. Try to fathom this---inside the microscopic cell structure, are even more and much smaller substructures. These are called 'organelles' or 'little organs'.

Just four of the many organelles are:
Cell membrane: holds protein receptors which command the in and out flow of substances.

Vesicle: these tiny sacs act as a container to many substances like enzymes that were produced and secreted by the cell membrane.

Peroxisomes: act like a filter that takes out unwanted organisms of toxins. A peroxisome disorder is not good! After absorbing a toxin, it turns it into hydrogen peroxide. But you don't want that drifting around in your body for long. The peroxisoms break the hydrogen down and turn it into water and oxygen.

Vacuoles: act a lot like red blood cells that attach and isolate water substances that might cause damage to the cell. And transporting the unwanted material out. They also contain acid, small molecules.

GIANT!

2010-04-13T14:47:00.001-07:00

Let me assure you as I have been assured that this is not fake! This is the Coconut Crab and the largest arthropod in the world.
I thought getting pinched by a hermit crab was bad! But actually these crabs are slow in movement and don't inflict any harm to people.

The coconut crab has more than one name. Robber crab and palm thief were earned as it is rumored that they steal shiny objects like cookware from tents and houses!

Another very odd thing about these monsters is that unlike crabs that live in the water, these crabs that live on land have a nose! They have aesthetascs on their antennae and they have a wonderful sense of smell!

These crabs are nocturnal and use their nose to find their source of dinner.

Theses giants eat fruits, leaves, tortoise eggs and even shells of other animals. And with their over sized claws they make meals out of coconuts by punching holes and breaking the coconut into smaller pieces in order to eat the contents.

(By the way these pictures are not mine!)

The coconut crab can be found near the Indian Ocean and central areas of the Pacific Ocean, as well as appearing around Seychelles, Astove Island, Aldabra, Glorioso Islands and even on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

When they are young (and very small), they sometimes use coconut shells as a home much like hermit crabs. And the coconuts provide shelter as the crabs go through the molting stage.

During the breeding season which ranges from May to September, the female will lay her eggs in the ocean near the time of hatching when there is a high tide in. After they hatch, the baby crabs live in the ocean for a month and then emerge after they are able to live on land. While they still have a soft shell, this is when the young crabs put coconut shells to use while waiting for their hard abdomen to complete development.

Wow! What an amazing animal. It just shows you how God likes variety in sizes!

A perfect dancing partner- the Blue-footed Booby

2010-03-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

(Picture from 'The Adventure Zone')

This humorous and unusual bird is found on the Pacific Rim and around tropical coasts, but over half of the breeding pairs are found on the Galapagos Islands.

Boobies live in colonies and produce over one brood a year. Both male and female tend to their eggs, and the babies will be born into a very busy and noisy colony.

The boobies sometimes cover their eggs with their large, webbed feet to keep them warm. Once the chick hatches, if it doesn't stay close to mom and dad and the nest, mom and dad let it go and don't retrieve it. Talk about bad parenting! When the chicks are eight weeks old they can pretty well fend for themselves.

The booby's feeding habits are quite amazing to see. Eating small marine animals such as anchovies and small fish, the booby will sip underwater from a floating position or flying in the air at eighty feet they will dive. Their wingspan is almost five feet wide! When it dives it tucks its wings into a tight V around its body and is like a torpedo shaped predator. A booby can live up to 17 years in the wild.

The booby's courting habits are quite amusing. During mating season, the male's blue feet become an even darker and stunning blue because that is what the females pay attention to. The male struts about with beak in the air whistling and making sure he shows his blue feet. He and the female dance in this manner until they decide that they like each other. Once the birds have found a mate they stay with them for life unless one is killed or unhealthy.

The original name of this curious bird may have come from the word 'bobo' which is Spanish for stupid. The birds are not as graceful on land as they are water. Early European colonist, who when they saw this blue footed bird got the impression that they were stupid considering they were easy to catch.

Happy Birthday Bria!!!

2010-03-03T10:20:00.000-08:00

This is Bria's good friend Jessica! I am hijacking into her blog with the help of her good mother because today is a very special day!! As the previous post (by the great lady herself) said, today is Bria's 16th birthday!!! Now... I have a movie her mom made for her and several photos and I am going to be in big trouble when she finds out what I have done!!!

I love you Bria

Jessica
❀✿

Tribute to My Daughter from Kelly Crawford on Vimeo.

16 Things about Bria

She loves music and has a very good ear for it
She plays both violin and piano
She is very sweet, but she can get riled occasionally
She has a true talent for sewing
She loves beauty
She loves femininity
She is a great reader
She is rather athletic and will fight for the football!
She is a firm believer in the Lord Jesus Christ
If you get her laughing she can't stop
She is a patient teacher
She is gentle and kind with all kinds of animals
She has a gift for photography
She is a WILD driver
She has a love for modesty
She has a heart for babies and little kids (a mother in the making)

Reflections

2010-03-03T08:46:00.000-08:00

I can't live without my busy family. Sometimes I could go crazy, but other times in complete silence, I miss hearing my name being called by three different voices.

I have a father who slaves day after day to keep me warm and fed, and when he comes home, he always greets me with a smile; a mother who diligently raises her children according to God's word, who blesses us with wisdom, and is always so sacrificing.

God has blessed me beyond measure.

Today, sixteen years ago I was born into the world. This world of phenomenal creation, and God's richest blessings.

Mom is taking me today to see a long awaited movie-The Young Victoria. After that we are having a Mexican dinner.

Mom and the kids won't let me do anything in the house. It's driving me crazy.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3

Eight Poisonous Animals part 3

2010-02-11T15:52:00.000-08:00

I'm really sorry for being so slack on posts! BTW I am kind of running low on post ideas so if anyone has a question or suggestion that I can put up here that would be great!

The Dart Frog, or Poison Arrow Frog...even it's name sounds lethal!
This colorfully attractive frog is one of the most poisonous land reptiles.

The Strawberry poison dart frogs Dendrobates pumilio, a remarkable species native to tropical rain forests of Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Although their eggs are laid among the leaves, the newly hatched larvae are carried on the backs of the parents to a pool of water or water-filled bromeliad. D. pumilio is especially remarkable because the female parent attends her developing tadpoles by providing them with nutritive, unfertilized eggs. The bright coloration of these frogs is considered by some biologists to be an example of "warning coloration" (aposematic coloration), where would-be predators avoid the frogs because of their bitter, toxic, alkaloid secretions. This avoidance behavior is especially true if the predator has had a previous unpleasant encounter with these brightly colored frogs. From POISON

Eight Poisonous Animals part 2 Marbled Cone Snail

2010-01-19T09:59:00.000-08:00

First off, let me reassure you that this snail lives in the sea, not on land! You have probably picked up the shell of this snail on the beach before. The The marbled snail shell ranged from black and yellow/white to orange and yellow and grows up to nine inches. Now that's a big snail!

The cone snail has an intriguing and very different way of capturing it's prey. Armed with a harpoon (called a toxoglossin radula) like stinger it shoot it at prey passing and the stinger filled with toxic venom, and like a harpoon with a rope; the snail reels in it's dinner. These harpoons are individual teeth attached to the radula in it's throat. Each tooth is barbed and hollow, but filled with poison. After swallowing it's dinner, the cone snail regurgitates whatever it couldn't digest along with the useless tooth. The cone snail can fire it's harpoons in any direction, even backwards!!!

The toxins from the venom cause numbness, swelling and as your blood cells are being invaded and flooded, lots of pain. To people it can cause slurred speech, muscle, and affect your vision.

These cone snails prefer to be around reefs where fish and other snails are plentiful to eat, and safe ground. There are over 500 different species of cone snail! They range from Australia, Caribbean, Pacific, Red sea, and along the coast of Florida.

If you go diving and see a marbled cone snail, don't pick it up! They can sting through a wet suit.

Eight most poisonous animals 1 Blue Ringed Octopus

2010-01-15T10:01:00.000-08:00

Although this little guy looks cute and harmless, he has a deadly bite! The fatal neurotoxins in this golf ball size octopus's saliva is instant in action. If ever bitten by one of these, a painful death follows. They can kill an adult in minutes. And there is no known antidote for the poison. If you are fortunate, after several hours of your heart and body being massaged and the poison worked out of your blood, you might survive.

The poison in the blue octopus's saliva comes from two glands on either side of it's head, both glands the size of it's brain. Poison from one is used for hunting and isn't a threat to people. Poison in the other gland is used in defense against predators.

This octopus gets it's name because of the blue circles that appear when it is about to attack prey or predator. The circles are otherwise invisible. Their color is usually yellowish brown.

Starting it's life out the size of a pea, the Hapalochlaena maculosa, blue ringed octopus lives in shallow pools in Australia.

If you ever go to Australia, watch out for the blue ringed octopus!

A World Unknown

2009-12-29T16:53:00.000-08:00

Two very interesting articles I discovered on National Geographic.

"Mantis shrimp eyes could be the inspiration behind a new way to store and read digital data, say scientists from the University of Bristol who have studied the complex vision system of the stromatopod, which is not really a shrimp.

The mantis shrimp is known to see colors invisible to humans and other animals, viewing the world in 11 or 12 primary colors, as opposed to our humble 3. Humans have been able to see polarized light only within the past decade, and only with the aid of technology, such as digital cameras and polarizers. Blue light oscillates, or vibrates, faster than green, for example, and both of those colors are faster than red. The oscillation's direction is known as polarization.

Many animals, from parakeets to ants, can see linear polarization—what happens when light follows different angles after it's reflected off of water or a transparent membrane such as a fly's wing.

Bees and some birds navigate by polarized skylight, and fish and crustaceans use polarization for navigation and seeing prey.

But mantis shrimp are the first animals known to see both linear polarization and a much rarer type called circular polarization. Anne Minard

"The mantis shrimp can see far beyond what humans are capable of, including ultraviolet, infrared and circularly polarized light. It also sees in 12 colors, as opposed to the cells in human eyes that only detect three colors.

The researchers have determined the mechanism that the shrimp uses to convert polarized light, which they say works better than man-made polarizing filters because it works across most of the spectrum, while man-made filters usually only work for one wavelength of light.
CD and DVD players use a single wavelength of circularly polarized laser light to read the data on a disc. New filters developed from the shrimp's eyes could allow players to use more than one reading laser, allowing more data to be packed onto a single disc.
Why the shrimp need to see in so many colors and different polarizations is unknown, but their eyes could help them find prey (polarized filters are used on cameras to cut through reflections), or signal to each other secretly without predators noticing."

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Home for the Holidays---Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-24T09:29:00.001-08:00

Being home is so relaxing. There is nothing I like better. Snuggling around a good book under fuzzy blankets with eight other pairs of toes touching yours. Sticky fingers touch the window for the fourth time today. I start to huff and puff, but then consider how short a time it will be before those hands are grown men and women.

A poem I wrote ...

Sticky fingers, pudgy nose, batter lingers on the clothes. Icing in bowl, tiny tots glow, coals in the fire, boughs going higher. Gather around, and listen close, for in 'Christmas Carol', there might be a ghost! Strings and ribbons, bling and gibbons. The birth of Christ will come yon night.

As we make ginger bread houses and cookies, and the kitchen cabinet piles quickly with dishes, I consider how blessed I am to have a family to make a mess. How blessed to be one with my family. In joyful unity. I love the holidays because it brings even more family together. I could never imagine life without my siblings. Sometimes I complain about how much I pick up, but that is my job! I am a home keeper, my parent's helper, I am a woman who has a mission in the home.

It shows you how much family can mean. My family, not just mom and dad and the seven siblings, but grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins; all having a good time together.

We have lacked for nothing, just as God promised.

" Matthew 6:25

For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to to his life?"

Christmas isn't about how many presents are under the tree, it's about the enormous gift God gave us. Giving us his son! We were sinners doomed to die! We deserved death; but God chose to preserve us. That is the greatest gift one could receive.

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10 "

Have a Merry Christmas everyone! I won't be on the blog until after new years.

Bria Crawford

Obama on Science

2009-12-16T09:50:00.001-08:00

Sorry to stray to the political side of science, but this video astounded me.

This is from the person who posted this video, called 'The Rational Skeptic' (I am not recommencing you to visit this site)

"This video makes me so very happy. To see our president speak so clearly and intelligently regarding the value of science is almost surreal, considering the past eight years. He mentions the anniversary of Darwin’s birth, and the mere fact that he referred to the occasion says a lot, especially considering the percentage of our country that holds extreme antipathy towards Darwin. So, I think it shows that Obama knows the significance of evolutionary theory, and the enormously positive ramifications it has had on modern science."

I am not going to rant about this like I want to, I will simply say that this man is a tool against Christians and is making the clean waters of Christ polluted and murky. What is your opinion? (Please keep them gentle and without malice)

Evolution vs. Creation: Preparing Our Children for the War Zone

2009-12-08T16:25:00.001-08:00

This article by my mother

“The teaching of evolution has HUGE implications for Christianity and the transmitting of our faith to our children. If you remove Creation you remove the Creator; and if you remove the Creator you destroy all moral constraint….” -
Chip Ingram

The reason evolution continues to win the faith of so many, (despite widely accepted claims that its theories are insufficient), is that if evolution isn’t true, we have to answer to Someone. It changes everything about the way we live; the majority of the world doesn’t want to answer and so they simply choose to believe there is no Author of life.

I’ve heard Christians speak about the subject of evolution as if it were a minor thing; just a small erroneous teaching in the Science department.

Do we not comprehend the implications? They are huge! The theory of evolution creates (no pun intended) the foundational war zone between Christianity and its enemies. Our belief in Creation or evolution changes our entire life philosophy.

Last week we attended the premier of
The Mysterious Islands, a documentary produced by Vision Forum in response to the anniversary of Charles Darwin’s Origin of the Species.

What I appreciate so much about Doug’s efforts regarding science is his fervent passion to explain how fundamentally important it is that Christians understand the war being fought between evolution and Creation, and what it is doing to a new generation of people schooled under the tutelage of the former.

Though I’ve heard all the arguments and have no reservations about the proof that evolution (macro) did not give birth to this world, I want to become a student of the facts and theories so that I am better able to give an answer. And I would encourage parents to make this a vital discussion in your home. Help your children understand that all if life is to be viewed in light of its Creator and that He has not only displayed His glory over all the earth but that He demands our reverence and honor as our Creator.

We must all have faith to believe what we believe; even atheists have faith in order to believe there is no God. (Favorite atheist quote: “Atheist believe there is no God, and they hate Him.”)

Do not underestimate the vital battle for your child’s mind as evolution is propagated throughout our culture. It is NO small thing; it is, perhaps, the biggest insult to God that man ever dared to sling.

The Study of Rocks and Minerals part 1

2009-11-30T13:46:00.000-08:00

Ever wondered after a visit to a cave or Desoto Caverns state park about those wet, funny looking and colorful rocks? I certainly did after Desoto Caverns. If you have ever delved into chemistry and minerals it gives you a desire to find out more about matter.

This is the starting stage for Stalactites and Stalagmites which is what these strange pillars and drippings are called. Stalactites are on the ceiling of a cave usually and Stalagmites are on the ground, both slowly building down and up towards each other. This occurrence is because of limestone. The constant drip of acidic water in a limestone atmosphere doesn't evaporate for the most part, but starts building.

(I took this while in Bath, England in the Roman Bath grounds)

This picture from Caving

Most of the time the Stalagmites and Stalactites become one huge pillar like some of these.

And they don't just occur in caves. In tunnels with water circulation and dripping and lots of minerals together sometimes this happens.

The Mysterious Islands---Phenominal!!!

2009-11-27T09:34:00.001-08:00

We received the great priveledge to go see the premiere of 'The Mysterious Islands' Wednesday night at a very neat, old theatre. It was fantastic! If you love creation, or if you are seeking to know why I believe in creation this is your video. The video walks through Darwin's life and his beliefs and where he obtained his theories, and disapproving his theories. And the huge battle that Darwin was fully aware he was starting. This is worth owning.

Bereshith bara elohim hashamayem ha eretz....

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Genesis 1:1

HERE is the link to the movie.

After the movie there was a Q&A with the cast and crew.

The Lizard that doesn't Drink, or so you think

2009-11-20T10:35:00.000-08:00

This fascinating and frightening looking reptile will have you staring in awe at the way it lives.

Although it appears aggressive this lizard prefers the peaceful way out of things.

Camouflaging with its surroundings
Taking refuge in bushes low to the ground
Tucking their head under their front legs and revealing their 'other' head
They can puff up and appear larger than they are
Jerking like a leaf in a breeze or just freezing in mid stride

It can also drink through its feet. When the dessert sand gets too hot, the thorny devil lifts two of its feet diagnoly and that keeps enough mousture in its body until it has a chance to find another water source. The devil is the only species in its genus.

After mating, the female has 3-10 eggs and lays them underground between September and January and they hatch 3-4 months later. Thorny devils are believed to have a life span of 20 years!

When sleeping, the thorny devil burrows in the dirt to stay warm. And their tounge is sticky which enables it to eat so many ants in one meal. Think about trying to eat ants! I am sorry, but that's a no can do!

God gave us so many amazing animals in the world that never cease to amaze me.

Observing Leonids-Want to see a Show?

2009-11-17T12:08:00.000-08:00

This week we get a chance to see meteors!!! You can go HERE to lean all about them and when they occur. Tonight is one of them!

Fun facts about the Body

2009-11-10T12:54:00.000-08:00

People that use mobile phones are 2.5 time more likely to develop cancer in areas of the brain that are adjacent to the ear they use to talk on the mobile phone.

Two million red blood cells die every second.

There are approximately 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the human body.

Seven percent of a humans body weight is made up of blood.

Many cancer patients that are treated with chemotherapy lose their hair. For some when the hair grows back, it can grow back a different color, or be curly or straight.

A person that is struck by lightning has a greater chance of developing motor neurons disease.

The smile is the most frequently used facial expression. A smile can use anywhere from a pair of 5 to 53 facial muscles.

The slowest growing finger nail is on the thumb nail and the fastest growing is the finger nail on the middle finger.

The same amount of calories are burned by doing 6 sessions that are 5 minutes each of an activity and doing 1 session of that activity for 30 minutes.

The pectin that is found in apples aids in lowering cholesterol levels.

The longest hiccups on record was by an American pig farmer whose hiccups persisted from 1922 to 1987.

The length of a human esophagus is 25 centimeters.

The human liver performs over 500 functions.

The feet have approximately 250,000 sweat glands.

The early occurrence of a fetus yawning is at eleven weeks after conception.

The average ear grows 0.01 inches in length every year.

An Eternal Glow

2009-10-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

You can tell I am a little hooked on Fungi. It is so fascinating! Though I say that about everything.

This new species of mushroom found in the forest of Brazil is always glowing. The tiny specimen is one of 7 new glow-in-the-dark fungi found around the world.

Dennis Desjardin and colleagues scouted for mushrooms during new moons, in rain forests so dark they often couldn't see their hands in front of their faces,
he said---

"When you look down at the ground, it's like looking up at the sky, every little 'star' was a little mushroom--it was just fantastic.

"Mycena luxperpertua mushroom--which translates to perpetual light," part of a verse in Mozart's "Requiem." From National Geographic

How do you think these fungi glow?

2008 Movie 'Knowing'

2009-10-12T15:11:00.001-07:00

I just recently saw this movie. It was in between a very tense action film, and horror. Everyone has a different opinion. Mine was not in the positive genre.

If you have seen this movie, I would love to hear your opinions.

"The movie is about a MIT astrophysics professor (Nicholas Cage) who comes across numerological material that predicts the future. The professor comes across a piece of paper that was kept in a time capsule at a local elementary school about fifty years ago. By using numerology, the professor is stunned by the accuracy of the predictions, two of which he witnesses first hand.
Images are placed in the movie purposely at the ‘end of the world’ showing a Christian Van with a ‘Jesus is the Truth’ sign in the midst of New York, with individuals preaching the gospel yet oblivious to the fact that their end had come.
In the movie ‘Knowing’, the astrophysics professor is stunned at the propinquity of the planet Earth in terms of distance to the Sun to allow for life yet this relationship is not duplicated in the solar system. At the end of his class the agnostic professor shocks students when he tells them how he does not know the answer as to if Creationism, Intelligent Design, and the Big Bang theory are responsible – he does not know…at least humble enough to tell his students that he does not have the answers. I wonder if the Mainstream Media will ‘harass’ Nicholas Cage for that statement as they did to Ben Stein…

However, the movie took synchronized punches at both evangelicals and secular academia to place a point across that none knows what the future holds. To evangelicals, it seems that they were ignorant that there existed some other forces in outer space that seemed superior to God of the Bible…and that they did not have it all together when it came to knowing the future. Yet to the Academia, the movie paints a picture that most have cast aside spirituality and relied on science and reason alone which cannot explain the predictions about the future.

As if to make mockery of the popular Rapture teaching, the professor’s son is among those chosen by some spiritual entities to be “raptured” out of the earth before the destruction. The professor now ‘believing’ in Bible Prophecy returns to his Dad, a Bible Prophecy teacher and they all embrace each other as they are destroyed in the fire – None is Left Behind.

Jesus Christ is put out of the picture and not seen as the Alpha and Omega to all Bible Prophecy – an assailing of the Jesus Christ of the Bible who alone holds the keys to Life and Death. Of course we don’t expect the opposite from Hollywood but have we as Christians contributed to the growing antagonism towards Christianity today?

From Yesu

"Obviously the movie poses great philosophical and theological questions. There is the arbitrary line of dialogue about “sciences” versus “faith” (a false argument set up by secularists) and in an early scene John Koestler discussed the theories of determinism and randomness. He eventually reveals that he believes there is “no purpose” to life.” By movies end John has had a transformation, but the Christian viewer needs to realize that it is not a Biblical one, but a vague (pan)theistic one. I will discuss the theological implications below, but since it will involved spoilers, I will not recite it here. It is an entertaining movie and thought provoking, but seems unevenly paced, plodding at times, and offers an unsatisfactory ending.

Some have called Knowing a secular version of the Bible Code theory, but it is really more like what Von Däniken would have thought of the Bible Code had he heard of it."

This review is by David Criswell, if you want the spoiler article I can give you the link.

Knowing trailer

Lost Sleeping Beauty

2009-10-06T18:10:00.001-07:00

This is a little creepy to me!

January 26, 2009--She's one of the world's best-preserved bodies: Rosalia Lombardo, a two-year-old Sicilian girl who died of pneumonia in 1920. "Sleeping Beauty," as she's known, appears to be merely dozing beneath the glass front of her coffin in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, Italy.
Now an Italian biological anthropologist, Dario Piombino-Mascali of the Institute for Mummies and the Iceman in Bolzano, has discovered the secret formula that preserved Rosalia's body so well.
Piombino-Mascali tracked down living relatives of Alfredo Salafia, a Sicilian taxidermist and embalmer who died in 1933. A search of Salafia's papers revealed a handwritten memoir in which he recorded the chemicals he injected into Rosalia's body: formalin, zinc salts, alcohol, salicylic acid, and glycerin.
Formalin, now widely used by embalmers, is a mixture of formaldehyde and water that kills bacteria. Salafia was one of the first to use this for embalming bodies. Alcohol, along with the arid conditions in the catacombs, would have dried Rosalia's body and allowed it to mummify. Glycerin would have kept her body from drying out too much, and salicylic acid would have prevented the growth of fungi.
But it was the zinc salts, according to Melissa Johnson Williams, executive director of the American Society of Embalmers, that were most responsible for Rosalia's amazing state of preservation. Zinc, which is no longer used by embalmers in the United States, petrified Rosalia's body.
"[Zinc] gave her rigidity," Williams said. "You could take her out of the casket prop her up, and she would stand by herself."
Piombino-Mascali calls the self-taught Salafia an artist: "He elevated embalming to its highest level." From National Geographic.

ATTENTION! Again

2009-10-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I finally got a hold of my Hotmail account. So future emails from me are correct! Sorry for the whole mix up.

Gianna Jessen Abortion Survivor

2009-10-02T12:35:00.000-07:00

This is an amazing story!

ATTENTION!!!

2009-10-01T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers and Friends,

I know many of you chat with me on email. If you receive any emails about me being in England and needing English pounds and any other junk like that, just delete it. Someone has hacked into my hotmail and stolen my password so I am unable to get to it. Hint, you know it's not me if the grammar is horrible. Whoever this person is, they can't spell or write worth a flip. Sorry for the trouble!

Fungi, A Bird nest?

2009-09-28T10:14:00.001-07:00

Bird's nest fungi are a group of saprophytic that have an amazing way of reproducing. They are in the family Nidulariacea.

It uses hydraulic pressure from rain to scatter their peridioles. When it rains, the water hits their splash cup with enough forces to scatter the peridioles up to a meter! When the peridioles land on solid objects they stick to it by one of two ways.

The Nidularia and Nidula have sticky peridioles. The cyathus and crucibulum have a coilded cord with the end being sticky. They attach to the splash cup and when it is catipulted out the end of this coil releases and gives the peridiole a 100mm tail. That grabs hold of any stem or branch near it and wraps around it thus growing a new bird's nest fungi.

Mystery

2009-09-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder why fog settles in the mornings? To me it has always held a fascination. Fog is basically a dens cloud of water droplets that hangs over the ground. This is called radiation fog. After a cold, clear and windless night; the ground releases the heat it absorbed the previous day. As the temperature of the ground gets lower, it cools the air above to a point of dew. The warmer the air around us is, the more moisture it is able to hold in a vapor form. So fog and clouds are formed rapidly when air is cooled.

Chlorophyll health Benifits

2009-09-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes nature does the most obvious things to help us out.
You know how there are certain things in life that just seem so obvious you think that can’t be true! Certain consequences, like removing red wine stains by tipping white wine onto them (I still can’t believe that works!), are in fact, everywhere. And chlorophyll gives us another one of them.
Knowing how important the health of our red blood cells are to our wellbeing, if we’re looking for something to ensure our red blood cells are clean, healthy and plentiful, wouldn’t we look for something that gives our body exactly the tools it needs to do this? Of course we would.
And what is the most essential substance that our body uses to build and transport red blood cells? Hemoglobin.
So it makes sense that we should, somehow, give our body hemoglobin! “But how?” I hear you ask.
“Chlorophyll”, I answer.
The Benefits and Wonders of Chlorophyll - why I love it!
Chlorophyll is miraculous. It has SO MANY health benefits it makes it a true wonder-food. However, the most marvellous and amazing benefit it gives comes from the fact that its molecular structure is absolutely identical to hemoglobin except for the center atom. In hemoglobin this is iron, whereas in chlorophyll it is magnesium. This means that when ingested, chlorophyll actually helps to do the job of hemoglobin (hemoglobin is so vital to the health of our blood - in fact, blood is approx 75% hemoglobin). It helps to rebuild and replenish our red blood cells, boosting our energy and increasing our wellbeing almost instantly.
I know this sounds a bit like the old ancient Japanese legend that eating brains makes you smarter - BUT - eating/drinking chlorophyll doesincrease the quality AND quantity of your red blood cells.
Chlorophyll has the power to regenerate our bodies at the molecular and cellular level and is known to help cleanse the body, fight infection, help heal wounds, and promote the health of the circulatory, digestive, immune, and detoxification systems. Chlorophyll consumption increases the number of red blood cells and, therefore, increase oxygen utilization by the body. Chlorophyll also reduces the binding of carcinogens to DNA in the liver and other organs. It also breaks down calcium oxalate stones for elimination, which are created by the body for the purpose of neutralizing and disposing of excess acid.
Other Chlorophyll Benefits
So in addition to helping to rebuild and replenish our red blood cells, chlorophyll, being highly alkaline, also gives the body the following benefits:
Anti Carcinogenic:Carcinogenesis and Food and Chemical Toxicology clearly display that chlorophyll inhibits carcinogenesis. Chlorophyll protects against a whole host of carcinogens found in fungus-laden foods such as nuts and grains, the toxins from cooked meats, and air-borne carcinogens (from pollution). It blocks the metabolism in the body of harmful chemicals known as procarcinogens that damage DNA. Studies published in the journals

Antioxidant & Anti-inflammatory: containing high levels of the vitamins A, C and E, chlorophyll has strong antioxidant capacity and has also been found to help reduce inflammation.
Chelation of Heavy Metals: chlorophyll is one of the most important chelates in nature. It’s ability to bind to and remove toxic heavy metals such as mercury makes it an extremely powerful healer. I’m about to have four mercury fillings removed, and you can bet that I will be getting PLENTY of chlorophyll into my body after the procedure!
Antiseptic: while chlorophyll doesn’t actually have antiseptic properties of its own, it, quite remarkably, DOES have the ability to aid our body’s tissue in destroying germs. By strengthening tissue, it increases the disease resistance of cells and, at the same time, prevents the growth of bacteria!
Treats Bad Breath: This one is a real bonus and really works! Chlorophyll has a double-action remedy for bad breath. Firstly, as a deodoriser, it will eliminate odours in the mouth and throat, but secondly (and more importantly) it promotes a healthy digestive tract - which is the primary reason for bad breath. And if you need more -here is another blog post on foods for bad breath!
Rapid Delivery of Magnesium: this has a highly alkalising effect on the body and helps to deliver much needed oxygen to cells and tissues.
Contains vitamin K, C, folic acid, iron, calcium, protein: which are all also essential in building and repairing red blood cells and boosting our immune system.
How to Get the Benefits of Chlorophyll
All of the health benefits of chlorophyll are easy to get on a daily basis. The simple way? Eat your greens and drink your greens. I know we are alwaysgoing on about the importance of greens in your diet, but this is one of the main reasons why - it ensures you’re getting plenty of chlorophyll!
Here are a few sources:
Green Drinks: juiced yourself (here is a recipe for you!) or made from powdered greens (such as Dr Young’s pHruits & pHoliage or pH Ion’s Green) - green drinks are a dense source of alkalising, chlorophyll rich greens that are easily assimilated by the body.

Dr Young’s ChloropHeal:liquid chlorophyll supplementsit isn’t refined and highly processed (killing the goodness) or packed full of sweeteners. this is one of my top, top supplements - a concentrated, dense, tasteless (almost) source of liquid chlorophyll that you can add to any drink (water, juice, smoothie) to give your body a constant source of chlorophyll. It is amazing the difference it makes to your energy. Brilliant. And unlike most

Green Food in General: eat loads of greens! Think of great big salads and veggies - spinach, lettuce, broccoli, Asian greens, green capsicum, asparagus, peas, beans, kale etc. Any food that is green is that way because it contains chlorophyll - so eat up!

So the simple message is this: go green. Eat, drink, ingest however you can. The supplement’s mentioned really are fantastic, so if you’re not in the UK, Europe or Aus - you should go direct to Dr Young.
My personal experience suggests that going green, going alkaline and getting a mass of chlorophyll daily does absolute WONDERS for your health and energy. You really notice the difference! So if you want more energy, go get yourself some. It’s really that easy!" From Energise Alkaline

Gimli's Ancestors (Smile)

2009-09-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

No I have not switched over to evolution! (You have to see Lord of the Rings to understand the title)

We are talking about White Dwarfs.

When a star like the sun exhausts all its fuel what is left is an ultra dense core of carbon and perhaps oxygen.

There is not enough matter above the core to get the carbon to burn. The core is inert.

Contraction squeezes the core until it reaches a density of 3x10⁹ kg/m³

A solar mass white dwarf would have the same size as the Sun!

A spoonful of this stuff would weigh as much as a car!

At these densities the electrons are squeezed so tightly that that uncertainty principle comes into play.

The gas is degenerate and the degeneracy pressure provides the support to keep the star (which now just the core and a little bit of H and He above it) against its own gravity.

The carbon nuclei are probably arranged in an ordered crystal pattern.

In a sense the star is a diamond in the sky. From Milky way

A white dwarf is 200,000 times as dense as the Earth! So our white dwarf survives, not by internal fusion, but by quantum mechanical principles that prevent its complete collapse.

Degenerate matter has other unusual properties; for example, the more massive a white dwarf is, the smaller it is! This is because the more mass a white dwarf has, the more its electrons must squeeze together to maintain enough outward pressure to support the extra mass. There is a limit on the amount of mass a white dwarf can have

With a surface gravity of 100,000 times that of the earth, the atmosphere of a white dwarf is very strange. The heavier atoms in its atmosphere sink and the lighter ones remain at the surface. Some white dwarfs have almost pure Hydrogen or helium atmospheres, the lightest of elements. Also, the very strong gravity pulls the atmosphere close around it in a very thin layer. If it were on earth, this atmosphere would be lower than the tops of skyscrapers!

From Imagine

Body Facts

2009-09-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

In one day, a human sheds 10 billion skin flakes. This amounts to approximately two kilograms in a year.
Every square inch of the human body has about 19,000,000 skin cells.
Approximately 25% of all scald burns to children are from hot tap water and is associated with more deaths than with any other liquid.
Every hour one billion cells in the body must be replaced.
The world record for the number of body piercing on one individual is 702, which is held by Canadian Brent Moffat.
The small intestine in the human body is about 2 inches around, and 22 feet long.
The human body makes anywhere from 1 to 3 pints of saliva every 24 hours.
The human body has approximately 37,000 miles of capillaries.
The aorta, which is largest artery located in the body, is about the diameter of a garden hose.
The adult human body requires about 88 pounds of oxygen daily.
It is very common for babies in New Zealand to sleep on sheepskins. This is to help them gain weight faster, and retain their body heat.
An average women has 17 square feet of skin. When a women is in her ninth month of pregnancy she has 18.5 square feet of skin.
The width of your arm span stretched out is the length of your whole body.
By walking an extra 20 minutes every day, an average person will burn off seven pounds of body fat in an year.
The human body is 75% water.

Anyone have any post recommendations? I have been busy with lots of school and I am drawing a blank!

Scripture

2009-09-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

"“Let the children come to me; do not forbid them, for such is the kingdom of Heaven. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them." Mark 10:14

"For the beauty of the earth,

For the Glory of the skies."

Name five things you are grateful for:

My freedom

Waking up to parents and siblings that love me

Knowing everyday that Jesus loved me enough to die for me

Knowing that God is in control of everything (even politics)

Being different, like Jesus

What are some things you are grateful for?

Bizarre Sea Creatures

2009-09-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

I just can't stay away from sea life! You have to admit it is all quite fascinating!

The Icefish
Their blood is transparent because they have no hemoglobin and/or only defunct erythrocytes. Their metabolism relies only on the oxygen dissolved in the liquid blood, which is believed to be absorbed directly through the skin from the water. This works because water can dissolve the most oxygen when it is coldest. Also, their muscles (except the heart muscle) lack myoglobin. These extraordinary properties seem to be an adaptation to the extreme cold of their habitat. (Note that water temperature can drop below 0 °C (the freezing point of freshwater) in the Antarctic sea, but, on the other hand, stays rather constant.)

The tripod fish is a relatively sedentary fish. It spends much of its adult life standing on the ocean bottom on its fins. The fish stands facing the prevailing current, and hunts by extending its unusually long pectoral fins into the current and waiting for the small crustaceans on which it feeds to simply bump into its fins. The fish grasps its prey in the pectoral fins and directs it toward its mouth.

All tripod fish exhibit both male and female sex organs. While this trait (Hermaphroditus) is not uncommon in other animals of the deep sea, the tripod fish is unusual in that the male and female organs reach maturity at the same time, thus allowing the tripod fish to fertilize its own eggs. It is supposed that tripod fish may be so sparsely distributed through the oceans that one fish may not be able to find another to mate when the time comes; thus as a last resort a single tripod fish could still reproduce.From Absolute Astronomy

A graceful creature of the seafloor, this sea pen resembles a
plump, old-fashioned quill pen. Its colors range from dark orange to yellow to white.

Each sea pen is a colony of polyps (small anemone like individuals) working together for the survival of the whole. The primary polyp loses its tentacles and becomes the stalk of the sea pen, with a bulb at its base—the bulb anchors the sea pen in the muddy or sandy bottom. The various secondary polyps form the sea pen’s “branches” and have specialized functions. Some polyps feed by using nematocysts to catch plankton; some polyps reproduce; and some force water in and out of canals that ventilate the colony. From Montery Bay

The ocean sunfish is the heaviest bone fish in the sea known to man. It's average weight is 2,000 lbs!!! It looks like it has been twisted and distorted, but it is just the way God made it! These monsters skin feel like sandpaper, they are silvery colored usually. Curiously, the Ocean Sunfish has a very small brain compared to its size: A 200 kg specimen may have a brain the size of a nut weighing only 4 g. It would explain their quiet behavior and how often they get trapped into fisher nets. They eat jellyfish and swim alone mostly. From Fogonazos

Facts about the Brain

2009-08-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

The human brain has about 100,000,000,000 (100 billion) neurons.

From all the oxygen that a human breathes, twenty percent goes to the brain.

People who ride on roller coasters have a higher chance of having a blood clot in the brain.

Once a human reaches the age of 35, he/she will start losing approximately 7,000 brain cells a day. The cells will never be replaced.

It is not possible to tickle yourself. The cerebellum, a part of the brain, warns the rest of the brain that you are about to tickle yourself. Since your brain knows this, it ignores the resulting sensation.

In America, the most common mental illness is Anxiety Disorders. (Us women have a lot of anxiety going on!)

Your brain is 80% water.

Your brain is move active and thinks more at night than during the day. (This is so true! My mother and I are always waking up with new ideas)

All of your "thinking" is done by electricity and chemicals

If you could harness the power used by your brain, you could power as a 10-watt light bulb

Your brain is capable of having more ideas than the number of atoms in the known universe!

Last day in England: Brompton Cemetery

2009-08-28T11:38:00.001-07:00

Sorry I am so late getting these photos up! Our computer crashed with all my pictures still on it, and I am just now recovering them.

The Brompton Cemetery was my favorite next to Bath. I love history, and really old places.

The Brompton cemetery is where Beatrice Potter's story's came to life. I saw the grave 'Peter Rabbit' which is where she got her lead character's names.

(Bear with me, blogger HTML is going crazy so I can't put the descriptions with the pictures)

Some people were too poor to provide their loved ones with a proper burial marker, so they just piled up stones.(Pic 6)

Some graves where so old the engravings were gone like this cross.

This is the mausoleum of a very famous James McDonald who has been deceased since 1901.(pic 10-11)

This is the house of Parliament(Bottom Picture). We were in the car so I couldn't get a clear shot. But it was huge! And the was it was designed was fascinating!

There were squirrels and pigeons everywhere! And they were so tame. This little guy above let me touch him.

I could go on and on of things I learned and places I've been to, but overall it was the most amazing trip I've had. England sparked a new desire to learn about foreign places. It's a trip I'll never forget. And hopefully I will be able to return someday.

No Chance of Life by Chance (Article)

2009-08-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

"In the 1700's many scientists believed that life spontaneously generated from non-living matter (such as raw meat or sewage). In the 1800's, using careful experimentation, Louis Pasteur proved this concept wrong and verified that life only comes from previously existing life. Ironically, many scientists have once again returned to the belief that life came from non-life...in spite of the fact that there is no experimental evidence to show how that could have happened. The reason this unsupported belief has returned is that science has been defined as to eliminate the consideration of the only other alternative-the creation of life by an intelligent designer.

Even the simplest living cell is an incredibly complex machine. It must be capable of detecting malfunctions, repairing itself, and making copies of itself. Man has never succeeded in building a machine capable of these same functions. Yet most scientists accept the belief that life arose from non-life (in spite of the evidence clearly indicating that it did not and could not happen). This incredible belief is as absurd as finding a complex chemical manufacturing facility on Mars and assuming that it built itself.

One classic experiment which is used to support the belief that life "built itself" is an experiment by Stanley Miller in 1953. In this experiment sparks were discharged into an apparatus which was circulating common gases. These gases reacted to form various organic products which were collected and analyzed. The experiment succeeded in producing only a few of the 20 amino acids required by itself. Furthermore, the dozens of major problems with this experiment as an explanation for the formation of life are seldom reported.

For instance, our early atmosphere was assumed to have no oxygen because this would stop amino acid formation. However, with no oxygen, there would be no ozone shield. With no ozone shield, life would also be impossible. Furthermore, oxidized rocks throughout the geologic record indicate that oxygen has always been present.

In addition to this, the same gases which can react to form amino acids undergo known reactions in the presence of sunlight which remove them from the atmosphere. The required gases would not have been around long enough for life to have developed! In addition, a cold trap was used to keep the reaction products from being destroyed as fast as they formed.

The biggest problem is that the amino acids formed in this experiment are always a 50/50 mixture of stereotypes (L and D forms). Stereotypes are like a drawer full of right-hand and left-hand gloves, identical in every way except a mirror image of each other. Life contains only L stereotypes of these randomly produced amino acids. Yet equal proportions of both types are always produced. How could the first cell have selected only L stereotypes from a random, equally reactive mixture? No answer to this has ever been found.

These are just a few of the problems with the fanciful idea that life generated itself. The linking of these randomly produced amino acids into the required proteins is an even more overwhelming impossibility. No experiment has ever shown that matter has the ability to come alive. The best explanation for life is still that "life only comes from pre-existing life". As you search for truth, perhaps you should consider the possibility that the source of all life... is GOD."

From Creation Science

Deadliest Jellyfish

2009-08-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

The first grand prize winner and world-record holder is the creature known as the sea wasp, or marine stinger. The name sea wasp is misleading because the creature isn't actually a wasp or insect at all. It is a jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri). The "bell" of this box jelly can get as big as a basketball with up to 60 tentacles hanging down as long as 15 feet, which is pretty good sized jelly. Not as big as the world-record jellyfish, though.

Sea Wasps, or box jellies, are not aggressive. They don't have to be. For jellyfish, they are pretty fast swimmers (up to 5mph), dangling their long tentacles in the surf behind them until something, usually a fish, gets caught in their practically invisible tentacles. That's where all their nematocysts (stinging capsules contained within cells called cnidocytes located along the tentacles) are located. (Most people who have been stung are Aussies who were swimming in the surf along with the jellies and never even saw the tentacles.) The poison is used to kill their prey as close to "instant" as possible in order to prevent a struggling victim from thrashing their delicate tissues. Makes sense. Then they can take their time devouring their meal without risking injury to themselves. The Australian box jelly could kill a human in five minutes!

Four leaves, but not so lucky! From 18 Dangerous

Different jellyfish reproduce in different ways. The moon jellyfish, which is common along U.S. beaches, begins life as an egg in its mother's mouth. The male jellyfish releases sperm into the water and it fertilizes the egg. The female lets the larvae go and they attach to something hard. They are now polyps – and look more like sea anemones than jellyfish. Finally these polyps develop tentacles and let go of the bottom to become adult (Medusa.) jellyfish.

Simple Fix

Turns out, something as thin and flimsy as woman's nylon pantyhose worn over the skin will prevent the jellies from stinging. Aussies have known about this trick for years. You'll catch totally cool Aussie Lifeguards wearing woman's pantyhose over their arms and on their legs. It may look funny, but it can prevent them from suffering agonizing pain and can even save their lives.

Deadly Toxins

What's really amazing is how the stinging cells work. They're little tiny poison darts that are buried inside the flesh of each tentacle (like the sweat glands in your skin), along the entire length. They're triggered chemically, by contacting the surface of human skin or the scaly skin of a fish. Scientists have captured box jellies and put them in tanks in the laboratory. Simply by pouring alcohol into the tank they caused the stinging cells to react and release their venom. Hm mm. This means that if the jelly's tentacles don't come in contact with the chemicals on human skin, the nematocysts won't respond and you won't get stung!

Facts:

The jellyfish body lacks any skeletal structure and comprises of a gelatinous substance, which is 95% water. Thus, their bodies are soft and can get damaged easily. Only 5% of the jellyfish body is solid matter.
Aquatic surroundings are vital for jellyfish as they need water to support their bodies. Lack of water in their surroundings causes them to collapse and die.
Jellyfish exhibit a perfectly symmetrical body, wherein the body parts radiate from the central axis. This perfect symmetry not only enables the jellyfish to detect food from all sides, but also helps it to respond to danger from every direction.
One of the interesting jellyfish facts is that they have no blood, brain and nervous system. They possess a neural net and eye spots which are capable of sensing light from dark. Chemo sensory pits help them identify food and prey.
Jellyfish also cause a lot of nuisance to ships and carriers in the ocean. Jellyfish generally live and move in large swarms (billions!), and are often observed to hamper the movements of vessels in the ocean. The water inlets of the vessels get clogged up, and have to be cleared of masses of dead jellyfish on a regular basis for the vessels' efficient operation. From jelly facts
There are certain seasons when jellyfish are able to sting!

Vacation pictures

2009-08-19T18:51:00.001-07:00

I just posted on I love my Siblings! Sorry for the long wait! Blogger is not cooperating!

Hello!

2009-08-18T08:37:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! I am on a vacation with my family right now. I will have pictures HERE tomorrow. Well, going back to the pool!

Bria

Lions, Tigers and Ligers???

2009-08-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

This very strange and mutated breed of cat is called a Liger.

"The striped, shaggy-maned creatures are the offspring of male lions and female tigers, which gives them the ability to both roar like lions and chuff like tigers—a supposedly affectionate sound that falls somewhere between a purr and a raspberry.
Weighing in at about a thousand pounds each, they typically devour 50 pounds of raw meat in a meal.
"For the most part they're really laid back," said Jason Hutcherson, vice president of Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain, Georgia. "They like to swim and play in the water."
The drive-through wildlife park is believed to have the country's largest concentration of ligers, housing ten of the massive cats.
Since 1999 the park has bred its male lion and female tiger many times, producing about 24 cubs.
Not all of them have been healthy, though.
"We've had 3 out of 24 that, for all practical purposes, were normal but developed as they grew older some kind of neurological disorder," Hutcherson said.
Autopsies didn't reveal what caused the cubs to develop "head shakes," so park staff "chalked it up to a genetic defect," Hutcherson said" From National Geographic

This is a female Liger. Notice this liger's face and whole body, very distorted. I just don't agree with creating things that weren't meant to be. If God had wanted a liger, he would have created one. But it would be interesting to study how well this animal can survive.

I am sorry, but I wouldn't want to be that creature's keeper to save my life! That is just one big cat. I prefer the ones that fit in your lap.

So what do you think about this?

The Phenomenon of Jellyfish

2009-08-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

Jellyfish are always amazing to me! And it is so unbelievable that they live with no brain, no heart, and no blood and are 95% water. So what makes their color? What makes them move so gracefully in the water? How are there so many different kinds? I know the answer is God, but it's so amazing!

"Here are many, many kinds of jellyfish. Some are tiny; others are as large as half a grapefruit; a few rare ones are as large as a bushel basket and have been known to be seven feet in diameter. Some are transparent; others are brown, pink, blue or white; and some are phosphorescent. The common kinds are shaped like a bell or like an umbrella, with a fringe around the edge, and some of them have numerous long streamers that trail behind.

The mouth and stomach are where the handle of an umbrella would be. The animal slowly swims by contracting the bell or half closing the umbrella, thus forcing it forward, and then leisurely expanding it. Ocean bathers avoid the big ones because their tentacles, used to paralyze smaller marine animals, cause a painful sting." From Jellyfish and their kin

(If I were both of these divers, I would be swimming as fast as my little flippers could go!!!)

I am flabbergasted at this one!!! You would need a war ship to fight this guy off!!! This phenomenon monster could not have 'evolved' as evolution says!!! There is just no way.

I will get on some good posts! I apologize for the lack of them. Summer is busy for me right now.

Medecine Helpful or Harmful???

2009-07-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

Side Effects
I have always been somewhat of a health fanatic. I am always worried about the things in food and what they will do to me. Turns out, I have a right to be!

How funny is it, that when you take medicine for one symptom, it has about ten things you don't want. Side effects.

Aspirin (This is what the back label says)

WARNING! Children and teenagers should not use this drug for chicken pox or flu symptoms before a doctor is consulted about Reyes syndrome, a rare but serious illness reported to be associated with Aspirin. Aspirin may cause a severe allergic reaction which may include:

Hives

Facial swelling

asthma

shock

Stomach bleeding

high blood pressure

heart or kidney disease

Is all that worth relieving a fever and some pain?

My grandmother didn't use the Flector Patch for back pain because of the numerous and serious side effects:

Chest pain

shortness of breath

slurred speech

swelling of the face or throat

nausea

more tired or weaker

itching

your skin or eyes look yellow

stomach pain

flu-like symptoms

vomit blood

unusual weight gain

skin rash

swelling of your limbs

This is what else it says after those: These are not all the side effects with NSAID medicines!

Oh great! So I have to worry about those side effects plus other unknown symptoms! Why make a drug that is 'supposed' to help, but only does damage. Granted, it may ease pain, or make a bothersome symptoms temporarily disappear; but when you get down to the base, it does a lot more damage than you think.

Little Miracle

2009-07-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

We are enjoying our little miracle so much! Ellia gave me this priceless photo yesterday . Sorry I have been so un-active on the Science! I feel terrible posting non-Science on a Science blog. I will get back to it shortly! In all my busyness I am dry on the Science.

Pardon the no straps dresses! I just love this song, and mom listened to this while she was in labor. It really makes you cry. Half of the song is seeing the babies in the video.

The Fruit of the Womb is indeed a Reward

2009-07-18T11:21:00.001-07:00

My dear, sweet, sister Ellia is home and well. It is so wonderful having another blessing in my arms. I am overflowing with joy as I happily gaze at this miracle, this precious reward from God.

Precious one,
So small,
So sweet

Dancing in
on angel feet
Straight from Heaven's
brightest star

What a heavenly miracle
you are! (Author Unknown)

"Lo Children are an Heritage from the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hands of a mighty warrior so are the children of one's youth." Psalm 127:3

Ellia Brynn

2009-07-17T06:30:00.001-07:00

"Jehovah is my God"

Here is the new addition!!! Ellia and mom are doing very well, mom got some good rest today.

She went into labor with Ellia Tuesday at 3:00am. She didn't have her until 9:45am Wednesday. I witnessed the birth so I was up all that time as well. It was an amazing thing to see!!! Although it scared me to see mom in so much pain. She went natural. Ellia is coming home sometime this morning. Mom had gained 50lbs altogether with Ellia. A surprising 25 more lbs than she usually does. We thought this baby was going to be huge. Turns out, Ellia is only 8lbs and 7oz!

Right after she was born, they laid her under a heating lamp and I stood by. I was looking at Ellia's hands and she suddenly grabbed my finger and held on for five minutes. I thought my heart was going to burst with joy. I had to fight back tears over mom and the baby. I will never forget that moment I heard Ellia cry.

The baby has arrived!!!

2009-07-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

I am a new big sister! Ellia Brynn Crawford has made her appearance into this world July 15, 9:45 am!!! She is so beautiful! My mom and Ellia are both doing well, although very tired. It was an amazing first experience to see a new life enter God's creation. You may go HERE for details and LOTS of pictures to come!

Charles Darwin-Father of Evolution part 2

2009-07-13T02:00:00.000-07:00

"Darwin did not lack religious influences in his youth. Baptized an Anglican and steeped in his mother's Unitarianism, young Charles was brought up to pray." From Christian Answers

Darwin was a brilliant man, and we must remember he was created by God. But those brilliant ideas were pointed in the wrong direction. A majority of this 'wrong direction' had to do with Darwin's influential atheist father.

Throughout Darwin's life, he was adamantly against Christianity and most religion. His dominant and atheistic father advised him to hide his unorthodox beliefs from all society and even his wife. Darwin's spouse Emma, though not too religious herself, kept her husband's secret after learning about it and never told anyone about his unbelief's. If you have read some of Darwin's works, it is obvious what his goal held. The goal, or hidden agenda; was to completely drive any doubt away from scientists and society that there is a divine creator in this world. Redefining the meaning of science and creation was like a weapon against Christianity.

I found this article interesting and exiting. It may be that Darwin met his maker, on the right side of things. August 19, 1915

"It was one of those glorious autumn afternoons, that we sometimes enjoy in England, when I was asked to go in and sit with the well known professor, Charles Darwin....
He waved his hand toward the window as he pointed out the scene beyond, while in the other hand he held an open Bible, which he was always studying.
'What are you reading now?' I asked as I seated myself beside his bedside. "Hebrews!" he answered - "still Hebrews. 'The Royal Book' I call it. Isn't it grand?"

Then, placing his finger on certain passages, he commented on them....

He seemed greatly distressed, his fingers twitched nervously, and a look of agony came over his face as he said: 'I was a young man with unformed ideas. I threw out queries, suggestions, wondering all the time over everything, and to my astonishment, the ideas took like wildfire. People made a religion of them./'

Then he paused, and after a few more sentences on "the holiness of God" and the "grandeur of this book," looking at the Bible which he was holding tenderly all the time, he suddenly said: "I have a summer house in the garden which holds about thirty people. It is over there," pointing through the open window. "I want you very much to speak there. I know you read the Bible in the villages. To-morrow afternoon I should like the servants on the place, some tenants and a few of the neighbours; to gather there. Will you speak to them?"

"What shall I speak about?" I asked.

"Christ Jesus!" he replied in a clear, emphatic voice, adding in a lower tone, "and his salvation. Is not that the best theme? And then I want you to sing some hymns with them....

How I wished I could have made a picture of the fine old man and his beautiful surroundings on that memorable day!" From Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry

Although Charles Darwin is known as the 'Father of Evolution' and for his hostility towards Christianity and religious beliefs, ( and critics are slow to believe this account from one lady); but who knows? Darwin just might have recanted from his firm decisions that there is no creator. He might have met his Maker on the right side of things!

It's Time!/ Now not time

2009-07-06T03:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it is 5:00 in the morning. Mom woke me up at four to say she is in labor!!! So we are about to head to the hospital! Pray that everything goes alright. And for the new little girl/boy. Don't worry, I am the photographer so you will have plenty of photos to look at!

7:30
Well, mom's regular labor had stopped a bit. Although she has done this with the last three babies. Pray that she progresses quickly. She is really ready for the baby!

Ok, false alarm!!! I will let you know when it's the real thing!

Book giveaway!!!

2009-07-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

There are some great giveaways at The Quest for Truth! You will see several posts telling you how to enter! If you leave a comment or follow the blog, tell them I sent you please!

Charles Darwin-Father of Evolution part 1

2009-07-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

"Darwin's theory of evolution says that over millions of years simple life

forms (one celled creatures) slowly evolved into complex life forms (fish), and
that one kind of animal evolved into another kind (ape to man).The creation
model, on the other hand, says that all life forms were created in six, 24 hour
days. If the creation model is wrong and man actually did evolve in small
graduations over a long period of time, we should find ample fossil evidence of
links in intermediate stages of transition. For decades, evolutionists have
searched for fossils of these links to prove the creation model wrong. Although
millions of fossils have been unearthed, even evolutionists acknowledge that the
links have not been found." From DARWIN WAS WRONG

Darwin also thought that animals and humans should be treated equal as he says: "Animals, whom we have made our slaves, we do not like to consider our equal." "

There is something wrong with this sentence. God gave us control over the earth when he created man did he not? They are not slaves, nor are they equal to man. God put them on this earth for our use. They are not as smart as man, and they do not have feelings.

"His theory stated is that life on earth is simply the result of billions of years of adaptations to changing environments. This theory implied, and what Darwin emphasized in his book The Descent of Man, is that humans, like every other organism on earth, were the result of evolution. In short, Darwin's idea was unflattering. In fact, it caused an immediate uproar in the religious community. Christian leaders vehemently opposed Darwin’s theory because it went against the belief that things are not created by God. These controversies are still alive today although Darwin theory has been recognized.

Born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, on Feb. 12, 1809, Darwin was the fifth child of a wealthy and sophisticated English family. His maternal grandfather was the successful china and pottery entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood; his paternal grandfather was the well-known 18th-century physician and savant Erasmus Darwin. After graduating from the elite school at Shrewsbury in 1825, young Darwin went to the University of Edinburgh to study medicine.

In 1827 he dropped out of medical school and entered the University of Cambridge, in preparation for becoming a clergyman of the Church of England. There he met two stellar figures: Adam Sedgwick, a geologist, and John Stevens Henslow (1795-1861), a naturalist. Henslow not only helped build Darwin's self-confidence but also taught his student to be a meticulous and painstaking observer of natural phenomena and collector of specimens.
After graduating from Cambridge in 1831, the 22year-old Darwin was taken aboard the English survey ship HMS Beagle, largely on Henslow's recommendation, as an unpaid naturalist on a scientific expedition around the world.

You may read further about Darwin's beliefs on Christianity in his autobiography of religious beliefs

Photography results

2009-06-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I had a VERY hard time deciding winners for this contest! Everyones photography was great. It was a lot of fun getting to see so many different kinds of photography!

First place winner is... 'Center of Attention' by Keilah

Second place winner is... Hannah

Third place winner is... Rachel

Another contest!

2009-06-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

Hannah at Farm girl in Flipflops is having a photo contest as well!!! Her photography is amazing!!! You may go HERE to enter. I think we need to take every chance we get as photographers!

The Masters of Disguise

2009-06-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how many colors this one changes!

"It's camouflage is still a mystery to scientists." Not to us! God created these animals to blend in with their surroundings. If he hadn't, the octopus would find it hard to live. These invertebrates even inspire the military in their camouflage strategies

This one is awesome! Now if you try to tell me that creature came from an explosion in space, you have lost your marbles!

These are very interesting!

This gives you a look at several different sea animals that God gave camouflage. And we know they didn't evolve!

The big bang ---yes more

2009-06-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

I just can't quit reading 'God doesn't believe in Atheists'! It is an excellent book!!! This exert is from the chapter 'I'll resurrect Her for you'.

The "Big Bang" Theory

"Try to think of any explosion that has produced order. Does a terrorist bomb create harmony? Big bangs cause chaos. How could a big bang produce a rose, apple trees, fish, sunsets, the seasons, humming birds, polar bears--thousands of birds and animals, each with its own eyes, nose, and mouth?

Here's an interesting experiment: empty your garage of every piece of metal, wood, paint, rubber, and plastic. Make sure nothing is there. Nothing. Then wait for ten years and see if a Mercedes evolves. Try it. If it doesn't appear, leave it for 20 years. If that doesn't work, try it for 100 years. Then try leaving it for 10,000.
Here's what will produce the necessary blind faith to make the evolutionary process believable: leave it for 250 million years.

Professor Louis Bounoure, Director of Research, National Center of Scientific Research, so rightly stated: "Evolution is a fairy tale for grown-ups. This theory has helped nothing in the progress of science. It is useless." The Bible tells us that animals are created "without understanding" (Psalm32:9). Human beings are different from animals. We are made in God's "image". As human beings., we are aware of our "being". God is "I AM," and we know that "we are." We have understanding that we exist. We have a choice: to be, or to not be...that is the question. "

Mr. Comfort puts it so legible! Look at what used to be the twin towers. A really, really really big bang. And what did it do? CHAOS! Total damage! It makes no sense to say that everything on this earth, every detailed leaf, bug, mammal, tree, the cycle of life, and our intricate and complicated design that to this day we are still trying to figure out, came from an explosion! This world has too much paragon to come from such fluff and nonsense.

And Dr. Kent Hovind talking about the 'big bang' that is taught in school text books.

"Look at this one. I could not believe how smart this author was. He said, Boys and girls, “nothing really means nothing.” You got to be at least that smart to write a textbook. He said, “Not only matter and energy would disappear, but also space and time; however, physicists theorize that from the state of nothingness, the universe began in a gigantic explosion.” What? Nothing exploded, and here we are? Explain that to me, would you please?

"I would call that a fairy tale and put it in the garbage. ‘Yes, boys and girls, we all came from a dot and the dot came from nothing.’ That is ridiculous! But, that is what they believe. They do not have another choice except, “God created the heaven and the earth".

"I said, “Hold on just a minute. Where did this dot come from and what happened to it?” He said, “Well, all the matter, all the dirt in the universe, was drawn into this dot and it was spinning, it spun faster and faster and faster. Finally it exploded! Big bang, and the pieces flew off and became the galaxies, sun, moon, stars, and finally you know, people - here we are.”

“Sir, could I ask you a few questions please?”
He said, “Sure what would you like to know?”
I said, “Well, first of all, you told me 20 billion years ago, all the dirt in the universe got into the big dot, for the big squish, in the big spin, in the big bang. Where did all the dirt come from?”
He said, “Well, we don't, we don't know about that.”
I said, “Okay, now hold on sir, just a minute, if I tell you that I believe about 6000 years ago, God created the heaven and the earth, you are going to say ‘where did God come from.’ Uh, I don't know. But, you said, ‘20 billion years ago, there was a Big Bang,’ and you don't know where the dirt came from. So basically, I believe ‘in the beginning God…,’ and you believe ‘in the beginning dirt!’ Do not tell me my theory is religious and yours is scientific!"
The Biblical Big Bang
Now I do believe in the Big Bang, folks. I mean the Bible teaches the Big Bang. II Peter 3 says, “The heavens shall pass away with a great noise.” In the original Greek, that is big bang. So there is going to be a big bang, but it did not happen yet. So kids if you go to school and some teacher says, “Do you believe in the Big Bang?” You could say, “Yes I do, and you better get saved and get ready for it! The Big Bang is coming soon!”

Photography Contest!

2009-06-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

Who is ready for a photo contest!

This is my first contest, so there won't be a 'real' prize. If enough people enter this time, the next contest will have three Science-related prizes! The prizes for this contest will be: I will publish you and your photo on my blog, and do a review of your blog, and link to you. There will be three winners. The categories are edited and UN-edited. Please specify your photos in the categories. You are limited to two photos. Give me your name and your blog address/web site in the email with your photos. I would appreciate it if you would put this on your blog!

You have until June 27 to enter. I will determine the winners June 28.

You may email me your photos at Briasavana@hotmail.com

Atheists and Science: Ray Comfort

2009-06-10T10:56:00.000-07:00

I have been reading Ray Comfort's book "God doesn't believe in Atheists." A wonderful book!!! I strongly encourage you to read it. He has such a way of making you want to delve into all knowledge. The way Mr. Comfort explains things, it is so easy to understand! Yet so difficult to grasp his subjects. Here are some excerpts from the chapter in his book 'Banana in Hand'. (BTW HERE is Mr. Ray Comfort's blog)

What about Science?

"Professing atheists often point to science as if it provided evidence for their cause. For example, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the founding president of American Atheist, Inc. once said:

The indestructible foundation of the whole edifice of atheism is its philosophy-materialism, or naturalism as it is also known. That philosophy regards the world as it actually is, views it in the light of the data provided by progressive science and social experience. Atheistic materialism is the logical outcome of scientific knowledge gained over the centuries.

However, did you know that the word "science" means "knowledge"? The building/builder reasoning is scientific, simple thought it may be.

In a recent article published by American Atheist, Inc., the heart of atheism in America was laid bare, and it was observed to have a terminal disease. This article was written by a particularly zealous (but somewhat discouraged) atheist, who is a graduate of the University of Texas and the president of American Atheist. He related the five basic coronary problems that plague contemporary atheist in the U.S.

The first dilemma he cites within the stricken body of unbelievers is a lack of unity. He begins by noting how unified Christians seem in their stand against abortion, and in the fact that they don't openly criticize one another.

Then he says history has shown atheistic attitudes toward each other have consisted of "outright hostility...the Atheist [he uses caps] hate the agnostics, who hate the humanist, who cannot stand the rationalists, who keep their distance from eh realists, who will not speak to the Unitarians, and on and one it goes...They cannot even agree on the simple concept that 'there is no god'" (as is the normal practice with professing atheists, he uses lowercase for God).

The second symptom of the diseased heart of atheism in America, as mentioned in the article, is a lack of zeal. The author says, "Atheists will simply not get involved with the promotion of their chosen lifestyle. I cannot think of a group harder to motivate...Atheists seem to feel that their position with regard to religion is a deeply personal thing that does not need to be shared with others."

How can an atheist share with others something he doesn't have? I suppose it is hard to be an enthusiastic atheist, when the word "enthusiasm" come from the Greek words en and theos---meaning "In God."! The third dilemma he mentions is a lack of faith. He admits, "I have met many atheists who cannot surpass the 'What if I am wrong?' stage. They doubt their doubts.

The fourth ailment of the society of atheist is a lack of boldness. The author remarks about an incident where a newspaper reporter approached him to do an article on the subject of atheistic lifestyles. However, he found nothing but the "Fear of man" in those whom he contacted. He said he called "from person to person" and encountered "such deep-seated fear that I could hardly believe my ears...In short, most of the atheists I contacted were petrified with fear at being found out...It was a climate of total fear."

Finally, he found that the average atheist was bound by a lack of giving. He speaks of generous Christians and then protests, "I know that certainly there are persons of great means who are atheist, but they simply will not assist in the struggle against religion...And I know you are out there..."
It seems that the heart of atheism in the United States has been surviving on a wing and a prayer. Now the beat has stopped. Sadly for their leader, unless some sort of revival takes place, his frantic efforts at CPR will be futile.
Another exert from the chapter 'Atheist Obstacles'.
A favorite argument of the atheist is that God's existence cannot be disproved. This is true. As mentioned earlier, one needs to be omniscient to disprove God's existence. However, one should also be omnipresent (dwelling everywhere at once) to be absolutely sure that God doesn't exist (although it could be argued that one who is totally omniscient wouldn't have to be omnipresent). It is because the atheist is neither omniscient nor omnipresent that he then takes an illogical leap by concluding that there is no God, because it cannot be proven that he doesn't exist! Why would anyone try to prove that God doesn't exist when it can be proven that he does?

Excellent point!!!! If you want me to post more on this , let me know!

Natural Foods Containing Iron

2009-06-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

The human body requires Iron for the construction of several proteins in the blood, and it is also found in many proteins in the body, where it performs many different roles. Iron deficiency is a relatively common affliction, and often results in iron-deficiency anemia. Iron-deficiency anemia is characterized by a low number of oxygen carrying cells in the blood stream. Because Iron is essential for the production of these cells, iron deficiency can limit their production, which in turn limits the amount of oxygen the blood can carry.

While there are a few limited situations where iron supplementation can have health benefits, most scientific evidence suggests that excess iron is generally harmful for the human body. In one study, researchers found that diluting the amount of iron in the blood by donating blood once a year actually lowered the risk of cardiovascular & heart disease by an astonishing 86% in men. The researchers caution that people who donate blood also lead generally healthier lifestyles, so at least some of that 86% cannot be attributed to reduced iron levels. FROM

I wrote this post for my mother who is suffering from anemia, she is also eight months pregnant. Her doctor put her on some iron pills, but I have a feeling they are not all natural. So I started researching NATURAL resources of Iron. Here are a few things. You might not like all these things, but I like beef, clams, shrimp, turkey and oysters. And also vitamin C is an iron enhancer.

Iron Rich Foods containing Heme Iron


	Excellent Sources		Good Sources

	Clams Pork Liver Oysters Chicken Liver Mussels Beef Liver		Beef Shrimp Sardines Turkey

Also cooking in an iron skillet greatly improves the doses of iron your body needs. But there is such a thing as too much Iron.

"The absorption of Non-heme iron can be improved when a source of heme iron is consumed in the same meal. In addition, the iron absorption-enhancing foods can also increase the absorption of non-heme iron. While some food items can enhance iron absorption, some can inhibit or interfere iron absorption. Avoid eating them with the iron-rich foods to maximize iron absorption." FROM

Iron Absorption

Inhibitors
Meat/fish/poultry
Fruits: Orange, Orange Juice, cantaloupe, strawberries, grapefruit etc
Vegetables: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, tomato, tomato juice, potato, green & red peppers
White wine
Red Wine, Coffee & Tea
Vegetables: Spinach, chard, beet greens, rhubarb and sweet potato
Whole grains and bran
Soy products

I have been trying to eat really healthy now that I am constantly researching all the bad stuff in food. D-) We live in the country and do a garden every year, but this year we went extreme. I'm talking eleven rows of corn, eight rows of beans, and these are 100 foot rows. It makes you feel a whole lot more healthy when you get the privledge of reaping what you sow.

Just felt like it

2009-06-06T17:45:00.000-07:00

Who am I in the Fellowship

You are most like Elrond. Although you are very serious, you are not above having a good time. It's just that your definition of a good time is pretty different from other people's. You are very smart, so use your knowledge to help others! At least you are not pessimistic. People may think you are hard-nosed, but your friends know better.

So what do you think of me doing LOTR mood icons? I have a program that makes stuff like that super easy. Something like this. They would be a bit smaller.

Alert

Sad

Exited

This is about how big they would be. I think I will put them on my blog designs as bloggy extras.

So what is everyone doing on this glorious day? Any thoughts about things? Oh! A question. Awel, might I ask what your fascination is with Star Trek?

Aspartame: What you don't know CAN hurt you

2009-06-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

Aspartame, a common sugar replacement, could be called a poison.

Aspartame was not properly introduced until 1981 in dry foods. It was approved for carbonated drinks in 1983.

"For over eight years, the FDA refused to approve it because of the seizures and brain tumors this drug produced in lab animals."

Some scientists are connecting aspartame with many diseases such as brain tumors, brain lesions and lymphoma.

"Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. It was discovered by accident in 1965 when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company, was testing an anti-ulcer drug."

"Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death.(1) A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain." From What you don't know CAN hurt you

"Aspartame and glutamate act as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. Too much aspartame or glutamate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals, which kill the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartame and glutamate is why they are referred to as "excito toxins." They "excite" or stimulate the neural cells to death.

Aspartic acid is an amino acid. Taken in its free form (unbound to proteins) it significantly raises the blood plasma level of aspartame and glutamate. The excess aspartame and glutamate in the blood plasma shortly after ingesting aspartame or products with free glutamate acid (glutamate precursor) leads to a high level of those neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain.
The blood brain barrier (BBB), which normally protects the brain from excess glutamate and aspartame as well as toxins, 1) is not fully developed during childhood, 2) does not fully protect all areas of the brain, 3) is damaged by numerous chronic and acute conditions, and 4) allows seepage of excess glutamate and aspartame into the brain even when intact.

The excess glutamate and aspartame slowly begin to destroy neurons. The large majority (75 percent or more) of neural cells in a particular area of the brain are killed before any clinical symptoms of a chronic illness are noticed. A few of the many chronic illnesses that have been shown to be contributed to by long-term exposure to excitatory amino acid damage include:

Multiple sclerosis (MS)
ALS
Memory loss
Hormonal problems
Hearing loss
Epilepsy
Alzheimer's disease
Parkinson's disease
Hypoglycemia
AIDS
Dementia
Brain lesions
Neuroendocrine disorders

From 'What you don't know can hurt you'

Amazing Variations of Galaxies

2009-05-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

Space, the galaxies, our planets; they all fascinate me! And why shouldn't they? Space and all that it contains blow me away. To think God created the whole earth, and it's zillions of wonders (which scientist probably haven't discovered 5% of them) in just six days!!! And the galaxies in particular. They have so many shapes, different gas forms, and all colors of their own. They are all uniquely shaped, each one having no likeness to the next one. Many hold more stars than gas and dust, making it all the more brighter and beautiful.

First, there is our own! The Milky Way, in the spiral category. The milky way's name is always an interesting subject. There are so many stories of its name. The word galaxy actually comes from the Greek word, galactos for milk! The Latin version of Milky Way is Via Lac tea, with "Via" meaning "Way" or "Road" and "Lac tea" meaning "Milk".

My personal favorite. Unusual and probably not heard of as much, is the barred spiral galaxies. These are made up of numerous amounts of gas and dust. As well as old and new stars.

This odd shape is in the irregular category. An irregular galaxy. Galaxies that share odd likeness, don't have any other name. Galaxies that do not share a common shape. The majority of these galaxies are populated mostly by young stars. Old ones do appear from time to time.

This is an elliptical galaxy. Elliptical galaxies have the shapes of ellipses, or stretched-out circles. Some are egg shaped, round as a ball, or flat as a pancake. Edwin Hubble created a scale from 0-7 to designate the roundness of an elliptical galaxy. An elliptical galaxy that is not quite round is called E0, while one that is almost flat is E7. Elliptical galaxies are mostly made up of old starts, with very little dust and gas.

This is a spiral galaxy. Spiral galaxies look something like pinwheels. The galaxy in which we live in; the Milky Way, is a spiral galaxy. Most spirals look like a cloudy mass with arms going all over the place from he center.

Science is so Neat!!! So are these Videos

2009-05-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

I do not endorse Ellen's lifestyle, nor do I watch her show; I just found these clips of Steve Spangler I thought were neat. Sorry for the immodest woman! But she puts a coat on in a minute.

Contest for Photographers!

2009-05-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

Sarah Grace at Teens for Jesus is doing her first photo contest. So hurry and get your photos to her!!!

What you didn't know, and probably don't want to know about your Mattress

2009-05-14T10:49:00.001-07:00

What are dust Mites?

House dust mites are harmless microscopic bugs that feed on dander! They do not carry harmful diseases, but they cause a lot of allergic reactions.
Where do they live?

Unfortunately, on you! We are the ones that keep these disgusting insects alive. They feed on the dead skin your body gets rid of. Why do you think we dust in the house so often? Because most of that dust is from our body's. Human sloughs off 1/3 ounce (10 grams) of dead skin a week. That gives dust mites a lot to eat. And it only increases the amount of mites if you have house pets. I wasn't to happy to find this out, because we have a house dog!

Dust mites make their homes in furniture, mattresses, and they love carpet! Thankfully most of the floor in my home is tile.

Oh boy. Here comes the nasty part. Your mattress can contain tens of thousands of mites! It is the main habitat of a house mite. A typical used mattress may have anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million mites inside. And that pillow you've used for years, has thousands of dead mites. (Ten percent of the weight of a two year old pillow can be made of dead mites and droppings.) Mites like warm moist places, that is why they prefer your mattress. Especially when you are on it! Mites are crawling all over you while you sleep! I think I am going to take a shower twice a day now!

Nearly 100,000 mites can live in one square yard of carpet. And all the teddy bears and soft furry stuffed animals harbor many mites, so wash those frequently! The good thing is that house mites have a life span of about 1 to 3 months.

How to prevent House Mites

Clean your floor weekly starting with a damp cloth mop. Dry sweeping only stirs up mite allergens.
Weekly wash pillows, their cases and your sheets in HOT water. Cold and warm have no effect on mites
Wash stuffed animals and toys regularly
Encasing your mattress and pillow in special plastic covers can discourage mites from staying in your mattress
Dusting often with a hot rag and opening your windows while you dust
Freezing stuffed toys also kills dust mites
If you don't want plastic on your bed, you can take your mattress outside and beat it for a few minutes, then let it air out. Mites hate being in cool areas

What harm can they do?

Thankfully, house dust mites unlike other types of mites, are not parasites because they eat dead tissue. You could say they help us keep the house clean. They are our microscopic cleaning agents! Now that I think about it, I don't want to know what my house would look like if dust mites weren't around. But it is still very disgusting.

Did you know that dust mites are 10% of allergies and asthma attacks? Their dead bodies and droppings are a cause of allergies, fevers and allergic reactions.

Well, I didn't want to know that either! But they are a useful part of God's creation.

Helium--A Squeaky Voice Could Be More Dangerous Than You Think!

2009-05-12T09:31:00.001-07:00

This post was spurred after I helped my grandmother cater a banquet last night. Balloons were the center pieces. All around young boys were sucking the gas out to sound like Donald Duck. I just wondered, is helium dangerous?

I am sure you are familiar with the gas called Helium that children think is such fun! But would you go as far as to say it can be dangerous?

"It can be. Breathing in pure helium deprives the body of oxygen, as if you were
holding your breath. If you couldn't breathe at all, you'd start to die in
minutes—as soon as your body exhausted the supply of oxygen stored in the blood.
But helium speeds up this process: When the gas fills your lungs, it creates a
diffusion gradient that washes out the oxygen. In other words, each breath of
helium you take sucks more oxygen out of your system. After inhaling helium, the
body's oxygen level can plummet to a hazardous level in a matter of seconds."
From Stay out of that Balloon!

As you inhale helium, it replaces the healthy oxygen in your body. If done long enough, all of your oxygen is replaced with gas; therefore, suffocating your body. And as oxygen is being cut off, your dying brain cells are screaming for air. Once brain cells are killed, there is no recovering them.

Helium is not a man-made gas. It is a natural source drawn from the earth.

" There is helium all around us in the air, but it is not a good source for helium collectors. There are only about 5 parts of helium for every 100,000 parts of air! People have discovered much richer sources of helium underground. Some radioactive elements, such as uranium, release alpha particles when they decay. An alpha particle is just a helium atom with no electrons. Deep in the Earth where these radioactive decays take place, the alpha particles capture electrons and become helium. As the radioactive deposits age, large quantities of helium become trapped in underground caverns. To collect the helium, people drill down into the caverns and capture the helium as it escapes." FROM

It is only the depletion of oxygen that can harm you. Helium is a gas with not enough oxygen. If some children have a problem with weak lungs, inhaling helium could kill them.

"On June 3, the bodies of two college students were found in a giant helium balloon in Florida. The week before, a 10-year-old in New Jersey collapsed at a birthday party after sucking helium from a balloon."

It may be fun to sound like a cartoon character for a few minutes, but it's not worth the risk!

Mother: The Hand that Rocks the Crandle

2009-05-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

"Blessings on the hand of women!
Fathers, sons, and daughters cry,
And the sacred song is mingled
With the worship in the sky—
Mingles where no tempest darkens,
Rainbows evermore are hurled;
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world."

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." ~Tenneva Jordan

I find this quote so accurate. My mother is forever sacrificing things for the sake of her children. My mother is so selfless, and giving all she has. My mother is the Proverbs 31 woman.

"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her saying "Many women have done virtuous things, but though excellent them all." Proverbs 31:28

My dear mother, and handsome youngest brother.

We have so much fun with mom as you can see! (yes, it is an inflatable mattress)

Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.

~Marion C. Garretty

If it were not for mothers, nine of America's most influential men and our presidents, would not be here. And they were HOME educated by their MOTHERS. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Quincy Adams, William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin D. Roosevelt

(My mother is going to have something to say for posting these pictures!

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. ~Honoré de Balzac

I love this one~~~If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands? ~Milton Berle

My mom is a never ending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune. ~Graycie Harmon

I am a daughter, very undeserving of my mother. I am not half of what I should be for the amazing mother the Lord gave me. I am at fault in so many areas of respecting, and serving mom. I love you mom!!!!

Happy Mothers Day to all the Moms!!!

MSG!

2009-05-07T07:37:00.001-07:00

OK, now for the food poison known as MSG.

MSG stands for Monosodium Glutamate. And it also has about 45 other different names that factories use to disguise this unhealthy product. It is in almost everything unfortunately. At first, it was used in Chinese food as a flavor enhancer; today even baby food contains it. Some other names are: glutamate, aspartame, broth, casein or casein ate, textured protein, hydrolyzed or utilized yeast.

MSG has a lot to do with causing obesity in humans and animals.

"In hundreds of studies around the world, scientists are creating obese
mice and rats to use in diet or diabetes test studies. No strain of rat or mice is naturally obese, so the scientists have to create them. They make these morbidly obese creatures by injecting them with a chemical when they are first born. The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, causing rats (and humans?) to become obese They even have a title for the race of fat rodents they create: "MSG-Treated Rats" FROM Slowly poisoning America

So why is MSG in so may of the foods we eat?
It is added to make foods addictive so that people will eat more, and buy more. How terrible is that? A company manager that makes a product with no concern for the buyer's health, only how big his wallet is. "The Love of money is the root of all evil."

MSG links to diabetes. People that are protesting against it call MSG an excitotoxin.

What is an excitotoxin? This descriptive term is actually composed
of the words excite and toxin. A 'toxin' is a poison. An excitotoxin is a poison that excites. Excitotoxin describes a class of toxic chemicals that literally 'excites' any brain cell it encounters until it dies. This is why I am trying to garden as much as I can right now. We need to be growing our food, not buying it. We would probably live a lot longer.

You want to know why your mom always tells you to wash the fruits and vegetables? Because it is sprayed with washes containing MSG.

And why can't you stop drinking Soda? Because it has an addictive product called MSG!!! Even though you know how bad it is for you "It is just sooooo good!"

One way to avoid MSG products is to read ingredients of dressings, mixes, chips etc. We have found a numerous amount of non-MSG dressing and some chips. My family LOVES salad, but we hated eating that dressing with poison. Or you can talk with your family about what foods you can live without with large amounts of MSG.

MSG destroys brain tissue, has a large hand in obesity, destroys the inner layer of your retina, tumors, headaches, vomiting. And in cokes it can increase your chances of getting lymphomas or leukemia. Basically, it kills you over a long period of time.

This article made me sick.

If neonatal rats were given a single exposure to MSG, the neurons in the inner layer of their retina were killed. It was also reported that certain parts of their brains were injured as well (the hypothalamus). When considering various findings of MSG exposure in the rat, remember that humans are some 5-6 times more sensitive to MSG than humans. FROM Bad for your Brain

Well, we just all need to go start growing our food like our ancestors did. They probably lived thirty more years than the average american today.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

2009-05-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

Photo of my sister by Evan Travers

As most of you know my mother is six months pregnant with number 8!!! She is due in July. (Mom is almost sure the doctors have it wrong on her due date, at least, she is HOPING they did) I am ecstatic! There are five of us girls and two boys. My five year old sister said when she found out we were havng anothe baby " What ever God gives us is fine with me!" And it's the truth. God knows exactly what he is doing when he places children in familys. We don't know what this one is! My first sister was a suprise, it was so much fun. I can't wait to see what this one is!

If it is a girl, we will name her Andylin Kate or a boy Sage Caedmon. It is funny because mom already had the name Sage picked out, and it means Wise. Well reading a Celtic book I found the name Caedmon, and it means Wise Warrior. So if it's a boy we will have a Wise, Wise Warrior!

I love this picture done by Anne Gedes. It looks like God's hands holding one of his children.

"For you formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth, your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, and in your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them."

Psalms 139:13-16

Anne Gedes

I know, none of these are mine. But I have no baby available yet for snapshots!

" Lo Children are a heritage from the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is a reward."

Amy Blackburn

Baby Brighten by Alyssa Welch

I just LOVED this one! Isn't it hilarious? It's even more funny to me because we raise bull dogs. Which have a lot of skin like this little pooch. Done by Anne Gedes. (I love her work as you can tell!)

I promise I will get busy on some infant photos once my new little sibling gets here! Children are blessing to me and will always be to me. Some people in public say "I bet you get tired of taking care of all those kids." No I don't. Although being the oldest can be a bit trying sometimes; God put me in this family for a wonderful reason.

I hope the Lord gives me a Leigon of children!

Soft Drinks-The Compleate Opposite of Good for You

2009-04-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

Just read this list and see if it sounds like it's healthy.

Carbonated Water

High Fructose Corn & Syrup

Caramel Coloring-burnt sugar

Phosphoric acid

Artificial flavors-Aspartame

Caffeine

Sodium benzine is used as a broad spectrum antimicrobial, inhibiting bacteria, molds, and yeasts.

Potassium Sorbate

Ascorbic acid

From Ingredients

High Fructose Corn Syrup, now used in preference to sugar, is associated with poor development of collagen in growing animals, especially in the context of copper deficiency. All fructose must be metabolized by the liver. Animals on high-fructose diets develop liver problems similar to those of alcoholics.

Aspartame, used in diet sodas, is a potent neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor.
Caffeine stimulates the adrenal gland without providing nourishment. In large amounts, caffeine can lead to adrenal exhaustion, especially in children.

Phosphoric acid, added to give soft drinks "bite," is associated with calcium loss.

Citric acid often contains traces of MSG, a neurotoxin. (Post on MSG coming up!)

Artificial Flavors may also contain traces of MSG.

Water in coke may contain high amounts of fluoride and other contaminants

According to the National Soft Drink Association (NSDA), consumption of soft drinks is now over 600 12-ounce servings per person per year. Since 1978, soda consumption in the U.S. has tripled for boys and doubled for girls. Young males age 12-29 are the biggest consumers at over 160 gallons per year-that's almost 2 quarts per day. At these levels, the calories from soft drinks contribute as much as 10 percent of the total daily caloric intake for a growing boy-Soft Drinks

What happens to your Body if you drink a coke now?

In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.

20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat.

40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.

45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.

60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to step in the bathroom.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.

60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, gotten rid of all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth From Healthbolt

8 Ways Soda fizzles your health

PH of vinegar-soda is the most acidic drink you can buy with a pH of 2.5
Drink Soda, Leach Calcium
Soda will dissolve your tooth enamel
Each Additional Soda Increases Risk for Obesity by 1.6 times
Children Who Drink Soda Break Bones More Easily
Diet Soda Isn’t Any Better, but worse!
Watch Out for Asthma and a Rash
Once coke with Caffeine reduces chances of conception 50% a month

From Water for life

OK that list alone is enough to convince me! But did you know that Mountain Dew has enough acid to consume metal? Now that is scary!!! I will have to do a separate post on that subject. I hope you enjoyed this! I just love researching about ingredients and what they can do

A Bit of Shakespeare

2009-04-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

I thought it was time for a lighter subject. Yes, I know I am off the subject of science once again; but I cannot help myself! My friends call me a hopeless romantic, and that I am. The Elizabethan Period (1485-1625) is what Shakespeare's time was called.

Here are two of my favorite sonnets from W. Shakespeare.

Sonnet 116

Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments. Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove- O, no! It is an ever-fixed mark that looks on tempests, and is never shaken; It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Sonnet 18
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, and summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, and often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines, by chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, when in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this and this gives life to thee.

The former abode of William. This is almost the original house. It has had some moderation's. Isn't it so quaint and romantic?!

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

W. S. is considered to be the greatest writer of all time because of his effective portrayal of human nature and the universality of his themes. Shakespeare's achievements are a result of the genius God gave him combined with the peculiar characteristics of his age, Renaissance England. Not only did Shakespeare know the classical books, but he was thoroughly familiar with the English Bible and indebted to it for his vocabulary and his understanding of human nature and universal truths. Shakespeare has written 154 sonnets. From 'Introduction to English Literature'

(Sunflower by Evan Travers)

Cloning

2009-04-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

Cloning is the creation of an organism that is an exact genetic copy of another. This means that every single bit of DNA is the same between the two!

You might not believe it, but there are human clones among us right now. They weren't made in a lab, though: they're identical twins, created naturally. God was the first one to create cloning.

In nature, twins occur just after fertilization of an egg cell by a sperm cell. In rare cases, when the resulting fertilized egg, called a zygote, tries to divide into a two-celled embryo, the two cells separate. Each cell continues dividing on its own, ultimately developing into a separate individual within the mother. Since the two cells came from the same zygote, the resulting individuals are genetically identical

You have heard of Dolly the sheep from 1996? To make Dolly, researchers isolated a somatic cell from an adult female sheep. Next, they transferred the nucleus from that cell to an egg cell from which the nucleus had been removed. After a couple of chemical tweaks, the egg cell, with its new nucleus, was behaving just like a freshly fertilized zygote. It developed into an embryo, which was implanted into a surrogate mother and carried to term.

The lamb, Dolly, was an exact genetic replica of the adult female sheep that donated the somatic cell nucleus to the egg. She was the first-ever mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell. Six year old Dolly died in 2003. Her stuffed body remains at the Royal Museum of Scotland.

Perhaps you have seen 'The Attack of the Clones'? Yes, I know it is Star Wars, but the cloning plant in that movie was quite interesting. There you had thousands of Jango Fett's, all from one somatic cell.

Somatic cell: A somatic cell is any cell in the body other than the two types of reproductive cells, sperm and egg. These are also called germ cells. In mammals, every somatic cell has two complete sets of chromosomes, whereas the germ cells only have one complete set.

Nuclear: The nucleus is like the cell's brain. It's an enclosed compartment that contains all the information that cells need to form an organism. This information comes in the form of DNA. It's the differences in our DNA that make each of us unique.

The Big Bang

2009-04-21T14:43:00.001-07:00

The big bang. We are all familiar with it, and its lies. And what always daily encourages me is the fact that we Christians have more proof than the atheists. Proof that is straight from the Lord! Creation!!! Usually when a creationist asks an atheist to prove his theories, he is stumped!

If an atheist were to approach me and try to convince me that the 3 million DNA cells in my body came from the 'Big Bang' I would laugh my socks off! (A Note on DNA
As a proof of macroevolution, many scientists turn to a lengthy, yet sophisticated discussion about changes in DNA from generation to generation. Be aware that this is still a jump in logic, since DNA changes are a microevolution topic—not scientific proof of abiogenesis, macroevolution, or the theory of evolution.
From Creation vs evolution)

It is not possible that all the phenomenal things in this world just 'exploded from nothing'.

(If you are wondering the difference between Macro and Micro evolution you can catch up HERE)

I am not going to post all 11 of these videos, but I would encourage you to watch them on youtube with your family. Even my eight year old siblings love Dr. Hovind. Great videos for family night! I pray more of us Christians in this world will stand up for GOD'S creation like Dr. Hovind does.

Saying the big bang is real is like saying "There was an ink bottle sitting on a desk, it spilled on a large piece of canvas, and do you know--there was Mona Lisa!!! Baloney!!! We know that Mona Lisa had an artist, Leonardo Da Vinchi, even if we can't see him. Just like that painting, everything must have a creator.

Let me use Mark Cahill's example from 'One Heartbeat Away' (Wonderful book! You should read it!) He was conversing with an atheist about the big bang and creation vs. evolution. Mark said to the atheist, "Prove to me that that skyscraper has a builder!" The atheist responded "That is easy. The building itself is proof that there is a builder!" BINGO! 100% correct! A building requires a builder! The creation requires a Creator.

"How did humans (and everything else) come into existence? The only explanation you will find in public school and university textbooks is the theory of evolution. Yet, no scientific, provable evidence supporting the theory of evolution has emerged since Charles Darwin popularized it in 1859".

Genesis Chapter 1
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was[1] on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament[2] in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.

17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth,18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”

21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so.25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Facts of the Cat!

2009-04-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

Did you know?.........

This post is for Jonine!

The nose pad of a cat is ridged in a pattern that is unique, just like the fingerprint of a human.

There are more than 500 million domestic cats in the world, with 33 different breeds.

A cat's heart beats twice as fast as a human heart, at 110 to 140 beats per minute.
25% of cat owners blow dry their cats hair after a bath.

If your cat is near you, and her tail is quivering, this is the greatest expression of love your cat can give you. If her tail starts thrashing, her mood has changed --- Time to distance yourself from her.

Cats wag their tails when it is in a stage of conflict. The cat wants to do two things at once, but each impulse blocks the other. For example: If your cat is in the doorway wanting to go outside, and you open the door to find it raining, the cat's tail will wag because of internal conflict. The cat wants to go outside, but doesn't want to go into the rain. Once the cat makes a decision and either returns to the house or leaves into the rain, the tail will immediately stop wagging.

Don't pick a kitten or a cat up by the scruff of its neck; only mother cats can do this safely, and only with their kittens.

Cats knead with their paws when they're happy.

Your cat loves you and can "read" your moods. If you're sad or under stress, you may also notice a difference in your cat's behavior.

The domestic cat is the only cat species able to hold its tail vertically while walking. All wild cats hold their tails horizontally or tucked between their legs while walking.

An average cat has 1-8 kittens per litter, and 2-3 litters per year.

During her productive life, one female cat could have more than 100 kittens.

In 1952, a Texas Tabby named Dusty set the record by having more than 420 kittens before having her last litter at age 18.

The largest known litter (with all surviving) was that of a Persian in South Africa named Bluebell. Bluebell gave birth to 14 kittens in one litter!

A single pair of cats and their kittens can produce as many as 420,000 kittens in just 7 years.

Cats have 290 bones in their bodies, and 517 muscles.

A cat has five more vertebrae in her spinal column than her human does.

There are three body types for a cat. Cobby type is a compact body, deep chest, short legs and broad head. The eyes are large and round. Muscular type is a sturdy body and round, full-cheeked head. Foreign type is a slender body, with long legs and a long tail. The head is wedge-shaped, with tall ears and slanting eyes.
Sir Isaac Newton, discoverer of the principles of gravity, also invented the cat door.

A cat will almost never "meow" at another cat. This sound is reserved for humans.

If your cat is 3, your cat is 21 in human years. If your cat is 8, your cat is 40 in human years. If your cat is 14, your cat is 70 in human years.

The average age for an indoor cat is 15 years, while the average age for an outdoor cat is only 3 to 5 years.

The oldest cat on record was Puss, from England, who died in 1939 just one day after her 36Th birthday. (We wish we could have them all that long!)
The weirdest cat on record was a female called Mincho who went up a tree in Argentina and didn't come down again until she died six years later. While treed, she managed to have three litters with equally ambitious dads.

A cat's normal body temperature is 101.5 degrees. This is slightly warmer than a humans.

People who own pets live longer, have less stress, and have fewer heart attacks.

Cats love to chew on grass, catnip, parsley or sage. Become a green thumb and plant an indoor garden for your cat!

A cat will kill it's prey based on movement, but may not necessarily recognize that prey as food. Realizing that prey is food is a learned behavior.

The greatest number of mice killed by one cat? 28,899! Towser, a tortoise-shell tabby in charge of rodent control in Scotland, killed 28,899 mice in her 21 years. This is about four mice per day, every day, for 21 years. Towser died in 1987.
The first cat show was held in 1895 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.

A falling cat will always right itself in a precise order. First the head will rotate, then the spine will twist and the rear legs will align, then the cat will arch its back to lessen the impact of the landing.

"Sociable" cats will follow you from room to room to monitor your activities throughout the day.

What kind of "mood" is kitty in? Her eyes, whiskers and ears will tell you. Learn to read the signs she gives you.

Give your cat a quality scratching post to deter her from scratching your furniture. Still scratching? Try putting lemon scent or orange scent on the area. Cats hate these smells.

Cats get their sense of security from your voice. Talk to your cats! And be mindful of your tone of voice. Cats know when you're yelling at them (though they may not care).

FROM AMAZING FACTS

Tell me!!!!

2009-04-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

OK, how about you tell me what you want to learn? My mind is drawing a blank for once! So, anything under the sky about Science. Science is the study of all life. Humans, chemicals, animals, microscopic life. You name it!!

Volcanoes!!!

2009-04-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

When lava hits water it turns to rock and settles at the bottom of the ocean, or forms more rocks on shore.

Eruption that have happened in my time--- Mt Etna of 2006, Fernandina Volcano, Galapagos Islands April 2009, Llaima Volcano, Chile April 2009, Rabaul Volcano, Papua New Guinea April 2009, Krakatau Volcano, Indonesia April 2009, Chaitén Volcano, Chile April 2009!

One of the most remembered, Mt St. Helen, May 18Th, 1980, 8:32 am. The Eruption was triggered by a 5.1 earthquake centered beneath the mountain. The massive ash cloud from the mountain grew to 80,000 feet in 15 minutes and reached the east coast in 3 days.

Although most of the ash fell within 300 miles of the mountain, finer ash circled the earth in 15 days and may continue to stay in the atmosphere for many years. 57 people were killed as a result of the eruption. Of these, 21 bodies were never recovered from the blast zone.

Notice the sudden different between these two shots of St. Helen. The one on the left was taken the year of its eruption. The one on the top is from 2005. Shows you how much a mountain can change after lava reshapes it!

You might think it very strange, but I am terrified of Volcanoes! Even though I live billions of miles aways from one, even these pictures make me shiver. I think what did it was when I saw part of the movie 'Volcano', and a man was 'eaten' by the lava. Strange? Silly? I can't help it!

And did you know there are even underwater volcanoes in the ocean? And bacteria that live in the boiling water where the fiery lava seeps out of the ocean floor! Now tell me don't we serve a mighty God? Lava is a substance which nothing but water can defeat, but stands to be defeated. And yet there is life that can abide with it? Only the Lord could orchestrate life living with liquid fire the temperature of 1,160 degrees Celsius (2,120 degrees Fahrenheit).

Volcanoes are still somewhat of a mystery even in our technological world today. Only God knows all their mystery's!

"And the third day he rose from the dead."

2009-04-12T05:01:00.000-07:00

I thought this song was appropriate for today. The Lord is risen!
Mark 16:6 " And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him."

Good Friday

2009-04-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

Let us ponder the meaning of this day. The day that Christ gave us new life. The day that the greatest sacrifice was made. It is something to truly be thankful for!!! Have a great Easter weekend!

The Honey pot Ant?

2009-04-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

This odd looking storage ant and many other comrades provide food for their whole colony when food is scarce.

"Honeypot ants are a highly valued source of sugar for the Aborigines of central Australia. Honeypot ant workers gather honeydew from scale insects and psyllids (jumping plant lice) and feed it to other workers called 'repletes' whose role in the colony is to act as living food vessels. The repletes develop enlarged abdomens and are kept safe in deep underground galleries where they hang from the ceiling. Repletes will regurgitate some of their nectar for other workers." FROM HPA

Honey pot ants are very well adapted to their desert environment. Because God created them that way! Doesn't it just blow you away to think that these tiny insects, with a microscopical brain, know even more than we do about surviving in different climates? They are so smart, that God tells use to go to the ant to learn how to work.

"Go to the ant you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest."

Proverbs 6:6

There are the worker ants that go out and collect nectar from insects and sweet plants. Then they come back to the colony and give the pot ants the sweet liquid through their mouths. Eventually these pot ants receive so much liquid that their abdomen expands and they attach themselves onto the ceiling of their nest and wait for hard times, when the colony needs extra food

This is a nurse ant that cares for the eggs. Aborigines will dig up the nests of honey pot ants, sometimes digging five feet to rake dozens of pot ants into a basket to cook or eat raw. They go for the ants with clear/yellow pots, these are sweeter and cleaner. The ants with darker abdomens, well the nectar might have come from decaying animals.

Introducing.....

You may go HERE to explore! I am still doing some work to it so bear with me!!!

Chemical Reactions part 2

2009-04-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

Here is an experiment that you can do on your own. After you try this, tell me why you think the Alka-seltzer pill packs this much pressure. Study the ingredients of the pill!

3rd day in England-Kensington Palace and V&A Museum

2009-04-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

The next day in England proved to be equally interesting and very educational. Above is an example of street art. Some livelyhoods were made by this. Think Bert from Mary Poppins.

There were many monuments in Kensington. I forget who this was.

This is called the 'Eye' of London. Exploring Dulwich at night was pretty neat.

The third day it rained quite a bit. You never knew what to expect with the weather.
This was a neat little bookshop, started by a woman and her husband because they had too many books in their house! It was a tiny place, but packed with books.

All the buildings and the fences were so unique! Nothing about England is small. All the houses are huge. This one hundred year old fence captured my interest. Kensington was pretty gigantic too.

Some of the rock and granite work on houses was enamoring.

Kensington Palace, V & A Museum
This is the monument of Prince Albert of England. Husband to Queen Victoria, who was the daughter of Edward, the Duke of Kent and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg. She was born in Kensington Palace in London on May 24Th, 1819. Their marriage story is very precious.

This is the museum that Queen Victoria dedicated to her beloved Albert on May 17th, 1899.

This is the world's greatest collection of decorative arts. There are amazing works of art, craft and design from around the world from 300OBC to our day. Some of what we saw: the largest collection of Italian Renaissance sculpture outside Italy; paintings and drawings by John Constable; the sparkling Glass Gallery; the Dress Gallery, covering over four hundred years of fashion; and the superb Canon Photography Gallery. In all, there are over 140 galleries.

This is the front side of the museum. The stone work on the pillars was so neat, and very old.

And the entrance.
I just loved all these antique phone booths.

This crazy art is blown glass. Very unique! This was only a fraction of the size of this thing. It was about twelve feet tall! And then this one was at the back in the middle of a fountain. When I saw them I though "Wouldn't those be fun to shoot at!"
This museum was full of strange art.And the clothing gallery was my #1 favorite! I got sewing fever!I fell in love with this dress!This dress is made of real silk. Very popular in Victoria's day!This is an English hunting outfit. Men would wear this to go fox hunting, which is now banned.
There were many foreign articles. Actually, the majority of the museum contained Asian antiques.
All of these stone figures are, or were the tops of coffins in the days of the crusades. The tops were carved in the most possible likeness of their entombed occupants. This knight, has his legs crossed. Do you know why? In the crusade days, knights that died on their quest or in battle, their legs were crossed. Where as this knight died after the crusades.
This is George the 3rd prince of Waled in 1751. It was a very beautiful oil canvas.

Chemical Reactions part 1

2009-04-01T11:20:00.001-07:00

In advance I apologize for the music! These were the only videos I could find. I wouldn't turn it up unless you wanted to hear the reactions.

Eliphant's Toothpaste

A classic chemistry demonstration, also known as Old Foamy.
Hydrogen peroxide is decomposed to form oxygen gas and water. When potassium
iodide is added as a catalyst, the oxygen forms bubbles and creates a large volume of foam.

2H2O2 --> O2 + 2H2O
This would be an OK one to try at home!

Oxidation of Sugar

Potassium chlorate is a strong oxidizer. When sugar is added, it is oxidized in a violent reaction. Any suggestions as to why sugar would cause this reaction?

Well, Sugar is made up of 12 atoms of carbon, 22 atoms of hydrogen, and 11 atoms of oxygen. Sugar is not just those sweet crystals that we love, but it is a carbohydrate.

Under a microscope, you can see that sugar crystals aren’t cubes, exactly, but oblong and slanted at both ends.
What happens when you heat a sugar solution?
When you add sugar to water, the sugar crystals dissolve and the sugar goes into solution.
But you can’t dissolve an infinite amount of sugar into a fixed volume of water. When as much sugar has been dissolved into a solution as possible, the solution is said to be saturated. From SCIENCE OF CANDY

Oxidation means: The addition of oxygen to a compound with a loss of electrons; always occurs accompanied by reduction

Amazing facts of Life

2009-03-30T11:45:00.001-07:00

A mother bird will not reject her eggs if humans have handled them. Why? Because birds can smell only a little. Only birds with very poor eye site have the ability to smell humans.
50,000 of the cells in your body will die and be replaced with new cells, all while you have been reading this sentence!
No two zebras have stripes that are exactly alike! That's amazing considering how many Zebras there are in the world!
A chameleon's tongue is twice the length of its body.
A typical bed usually houses over 6 billion dust mites. OK! I am getting a new mattress ASAP!
Your left lung is smaller than your right lung to make room for your heart.
A woodpecker can peck twenty times a second.
A chimpanzee can learn to recognize itself in a mirror, but monkeys can't.
The world's smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat of Thailand, weighing less than a penny.
The average human body contains enough: Sulphur to kill all fleas on an average dog, Carbon to make 900 pencils, Potassium to fire a toy cannon, Fat to make 7 bars of soap, Phosphorus to make 2,200 match heads, and enough Water to fill a ten-gallon tank. OK, that makes me feel really unhealthy!
The grizzly bear can run as fast as the average horse!!
The female lion does more than 90% of the hunting while the male simply prefers to rest. !!
At birth, a panda is smaller than a mouse and weighs about four ounces.
Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails!
A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.
A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue!
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
Ants don't sleep.
More people are killed annually by donkeys than die in airplane crashes. I wish I had known that before I flew!
The average person walks the equivalent of twice around the world in a lifetime.

WOW!!! Our God is amazing!

PLEASE PRAY!!!!

2009-03-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

My dear friend and sister in Christ, Taylor White and her family are going through a very hard time. Mrs. White was 7 months pregnant with a little boy, William T. White. The baby went to be with the Lord late last night or early this morning. The umbilical cord had gotten wrapped around the baby's neck.

This is Mrs. White's 5 or 6 miscarriage. The White's are having a really hard time coping with this. Please pray for Taylor who is at home with her 6 other siblings, and for Mr. and Mrs. White who are at the hospital right now. It is a shock to everyone. I just got off the phone with Taylor, it's really rough. I was crying the whole conversation with her. I am crying while I write this. This dear family, our wonderful friends; need to be lifted up to the Lord. We can all rest and know that the Lord works all things out. It is Well with my soul.

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

For Pepper's Inkwell

2009-03-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

Awarded again!

2009-03-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

My dear mother gave me a blog award!

"Granted to blogger ladies who display 'great attitude or gratitude' in their writing".

Award 4 of your friends! Thanks mom! Love you!

I award:

And tell them! (Link to the person who awarded you!)

3 part of Bath

2009-03-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

Me testing the temperature of the spring. It was surprisingly very warm.

The earliest people were to gather around the spring were the stone age hunters. In prehistoric times there were no buildings around the springs. When the Romans arrived they erected massive stone buildings around the spring. The Romans considered the springs very sacred and powerful and would worship the water goddess, Sulis.

This is where the hot springs bubbled above ground.

Get this. Curses were inscribed on pieces of pewter or lead. A discovered curse "I curse him who has robbed Deomorix of his house, whoever stole his property, the god is to find him. Let him buy it back with his own blood or his life." Curses were folded or rolled before they were thrown in the spring. "To Minerva the goddess of Sulis I have given the thief who has stolen my hooded cloak, whether slave or free, whether man or woman. He is not to buy back this gift except with his own blood." People actually cursed others! And they thought if they threw it in the sacred spring, the gods would pay attention to them!

The names of those who were suspected of theft were sometimes written.
"May he who has stolen VILBIA from me be turned as liquid as water. He or she. Velvinna, Ilumas, Jovina, Catus."

This is one of the recovered curses.

This is the head of Minerva, one of the Romans gods. Gilt, bronze head from the cult statue Sulis Minerva from the temple. Found in stall street in 1727.

The only preserved part of the floor in the changing room. Inch by inch tile pieces were laid by hand.
"A splendid city, raised by the Romans, adorned with all the elegancies of architecture, supplied with all the means of luxury." Rev. Richard Warner 1801

This is the 'sacred and powerful' spring of the Romans. Only one word can describe that water and it ain't sacred. GROSS! This water was a disgusting lime green and brown slime and debris floating everywhere. People must have been desperate for healing to touch in that slime.

There were women reenacting what a day in the baths looked like.

Underground flow.

Me again next to the main pool. (Thanks again Mrs. Chancey!)

This is a secondary pool inside the baths. This is the pool where people offered sacrifices. In OUR day! All this at the bottom of the pool, is Britain money! In ancient times it was normal for people to offer the gods, but throwing in money in today; is so strange.

I will have to do a lesson later on Stalagmites and Stalactites! Very interesting!

This is called the pump house. This is the 'miracle' water that everybody drinks when they visit. Basically it is purified water from the underground springs. No one was there to serve us water, but I didn't really care to anyway. It looked pretty nasty. The fish had collected lime on them and were green.
There were some very beautiful statues of mothers and their children. Of course these were not from the Roman days.
I thought this was a neat building. It reminded me of Elizabeth Bennet's house in the BBC version.The lilies in London were uncommonly beautiful, the golden and orange colors very vivid.

I just loved this street!!! It was so cute! Bath was definitely my favorite of the whole trip!

Second part of 2nd day in Bath!

2009-03-18T06:37:00.000-07:00

Well, after the Jane Austen centre we went to the Abbey Cathedral. This is the front door.

The ceiling was so high! The men that built this church had to carve the ceiling laying on their backs.

This is a carving of the good Samaritan.
This front part of the sanctuary wasn't even a fraction of what the whole thing was! This Abbey is huge!The stained glass windows with bible story's on them were beautiful! So detailed.

Huge stone women and angel statues guarded the entrance. The stone work in this Abbey was amazing! Just about everything was stone.
This is actually a tombstone. The floor walls and some ceilings were covered with them.
Just because the tombstones were in this church didn't mean the person was buried there. I couldn't really keep up with who was buried where! I was overwhelmed with all the tombstones around.This is the baptismal bowl. The small intricate designs are stunning! And to know that these men just had hand tools to do this! Hammer, rock and chisel.

This is the top of a tomb house which a man made for his wife. It is a monument for him, and she is buried here. There is a lot of significance in tombs and what the people appear to you. In this case, the man is looking at his wife and not laying down. That means he was not buried here. Nor did he die at the same time she did. This is the description of the tomb. Their spelling was different from ours!
And there was a child on either side of the monument. I don't know if they were just decoration or their children?
Here is an example of walls of stones!

THE ROMAN BATHS!
I think the Roman baths and the Abbey were my favorite of the whole time in Bath.

The chandelier in the entrance of the roman baths museum was crystal! These were in all kinds of buildings.
This is the ceiling to the entrance as well. A lot of buildings in England had tall and dome shaped ceilings like this.

This is on the top deck overlooking the main bath pool. Statues like this were all over the rails. Some of the faces were indistinguishable, after being there hundreds of years I would think they would be!
The Temple and Baths were built around the hot springs, stood at the center of the roman town. It was named after the Celtic goddess of the waters, Sulis. The geographer Ptolemy (2ND century AD) called it Aquae Calidae, 'Hot waters'. All roman towns had temples and a bath house. Bath was different. The unique hot springs were a source of healing and a powerful focus for native British and Roman beliefs.
The centural carving is the 'Gorgons Head' encircled by wreathes of leaves and supported by winged victories. This staring face combines many ideas. The Gorogon, a symbol of Minerva, resembles other Roman water gods like Oceanus and Neptune. It's sun-like apperance may refer to the heat of the sacred spring.

This is all the pieces left from the original entrance stone that looked like this whole.

And I am sorry, but I will have to do yet a third post on the Roman baths! I am only halfway through the pictures and history! Enjoy this while I get the third post ready!!!