two guys, a girl and ever after
Thumbelina (c) Don Bluth Film
Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for.
-- Job 6:8
fairy tales, cynics say, are for naïve, flighty airheads. well, they wouldnt dare talk like that about the brothers grimm or hans christian andersen. i grew up in an environment where imagination ran high and creativity was encouraged. children's classics and [lots] of cartoon-watching molded my personality, so by the time i was in kindergarten, i was telling my classmates my own version of the princess and the pea. it was also in kindergarten that i met my first crush who i believed was the "right guy" for me. yup. that was in kindergarten, alright. so you could just imagine when i grew up...
(let's go said he
not too far said she
what's too far said he
where you are said she)
i have two first-rate best friends i truly care for. they're ardent pursuers who know me from head to foot and would go anywhere with me in a heartbeat. i had huge (godzilla) crushes on both, but some time last year, i found out that i was in-love with one of them. as alluded to here, here and here, i've messed up.
may i stay said he
(which way said she
like this said he
if you kiss said she
-- e.e. cummings
my other best friend is willing to pack up and move closer to me. i used to imagine him doing exactly that years ago.
but now, i realise this is who i need.
happily ever-afters happen, often with twists and turns. i'm twisting and turning now.
And while Cinderella and her prince did live happily ever after, the point is, gentlemen, that they lived.
-- Charles Perrault and Susannah Grant
my girl?!
 Lady and the Tramp (c) Walt Disney Coi got a kick out of one of the singles ads that appeared in the atlanta journal. i heard it on a tv show, bashing the men who responded to the ad:
SBF seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant. I'm a very good looking girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire. Candelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. Rub me the right way and watch me respond. I'll be at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me. Kiss me and I'm yours. Call (404) 875-6420 and ask for Daisy.
Over 15,000 men found themselves talking to the Atlanta Humane Society about an 8-week old black labrador retriever. Men are easy.
in 1996, another ad like this appeared in a peoria shopper, an illinois newspaper reported. nobody could tell if it was just another urban legend or the works of a desperate person(s) who wanted to find shelter for an ownerless dog.
While the Peoria version quoted above simply works this gag into the common technique of catching a reader's eye with an ad that initally appears to be one thing but is eventually revealed to be something else (such as the common scheme of printing of SEX in big, bold letters at the head of an ad, followed by copy reading: "Now that we've got your attention . . ."), the version quoted in the example block at the head of this page is an out-and-out deception.
Pets should be adopted by people making informed choices after due consideration and forethought, not by those jumping into spur-of-the-moment decisions after having an idea sprung on them by surprise (or by those making hasty choices in attempts to save face or spite those who made them look foolish).
but let's admit it, whether the story's true or a gag, it's riotously, absurdly, laughably creative! the poor suckers (15,000 of them) must've adopted thousands of pets to save face that day.
I am not a cat man, but a dog man, and all felines can tell this at a glance -- a sharp, vindictive glance.
-- James Thurber
life lessons:
1) you get enough exercise just pushing your luck.
2) dont date outside your species.
3) boys will be boys, and so will a lot of middle-aged men.
merry mazeltov
 By the 1850s, the greeting card had been transformed from a relatively expensive, handmade and hand-delivered gift to a popular and affordable means of personal communication, due largely to advances in printing and mechanization.
This trend continued, fuelled by new trends like christmas cards, the first of which appeared in published form in London in 1843 when Sir Henry Cole hired artist John Calcott Horsley to design a holiday card that he could send to his friends and acquaintances. Technical developments like color lithography in 1930 propelled the manufactured greeting card industry forward.
-- Wikipedia
greeting cards are great voice-overs. they say what we feel without distorting the words. personally, i love getting a greeting card -- whimsical or sentimental, it's always an unexpected source of joy to open one. it is also an excellent way to open up to someone (without feeling geeky or awkward), bridge (communication) gaps and enhance relationships.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Every December, Zack and Hilary Rudman used to send out nonsectarian cards with winter scenes and generic holiday greetings.
Now, however, Zack Rudman, a Kansas City lawyer, has found a variety that seems to better suit a Jewish man and an Episcopal woman with two young children as familiar with the menorah as with a manger scene.
These cards proclaim: "Merry Chrismukkah!"
"I'm all for holiday cards but I want to make sure when we send something it respects both sides of our family," Rudman said. "I always like to deal with religious differences with humor. These were right up my alley."
-- Mark Sedensky, AP Writer
Happy Chanukah to my Jewish friends!
Twas the first night of Hannukah and all through the house
Pleasure was spreading, as quick as a mouse.
The children played dreidle and ate with such glee,
Oh latkes, and donuts, a pleasure to see!
-- The Night Before Hannukah ("A Visit from Judah Maccabee") by Melinda Bell. Based on a classic poem by Clement C. Moore.
two guys, a girl and black friday
 (c) Laura Gibson
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in the United States, is historically one of the busiest retail shopping days of the year. It marks the official beginning to the Christmas shopping season. The "black" in the name comes from the standard accounting practice of using red ink to denote negative values (i.e., losses) and black ink to denote positive values (profits). Black Friday is the day when retailers traditionally get back "in the black" after opening "in the red" for the previous months.
-- Wikipedia
"there's a lot of fish in the sea," i told my cousin as we sat back to gain our breath after greedily and voraciously ingesting the delectable treats laid on the table. between the creamy cheesecake factory original cheesecake and the two guys persistently in my head (i could almost swear they're camping somewhere within the folds of my left brain), i had a moment of indecision. the cheesecake won -- but only momentarily (it disappeared in under 3 minutes). my cousin readily sympathised with me while i went on and on about my dilemma. i vowed i wouldnt wait for stupid calls anymore even if it's the last i -- oops, the phone's ringing gotta reach for my bag, quick!
afterwards, we all went to the movie theatre to watch the incredibles. there were a good number of people (thanksgiving night, 1° freezing weather and all), and we went in armed with popcorn, nachos and diet coke. the movie was "incredibly" hilarious (if i were not so left-brain-drained, i'd say it presents a challenge to flesh out our identity and come out of uniformity. edna mode really cracked me up, by the way), i recommended it to my other best friend, but that's getting ahead of my story. on the road toward home, i marveled at the beauty of the night and started to count my blessings. God has indeed been good to me and my family. it was a peachy thanksgiving.
I am a big, fat turkey
You can't have my head.
I'll sit with you at dinner.
We'll eat a duck instead!
1 am and i still couldnt sleep. nothing to watch, all 300 channels and there wasnt anything remotely interesting... might i remind the cable industry that it's the holidays?? tired of flipping through channels, i decided to check whether my other best friend was still up. yup! still working at half past 2! he said it was scheduled (i hate the word), so i kept him company for a little while. i did the talking of course, complaining that i'd have to starve for the next few days or i wouldnt be able to fit in my jeans again. he made me shut up when he talked about his best guy friend's wedding and that he's going to be the best man and i might be his date if i were with him before the event.
i thought about my best friend that i havent talked to yet, whose best guy friend just bought a house for his soon-to-be wifey (??). isnt it funny, not only are those two guys the same in every way -- same age, same height, same frame but have best guy friends with names that start with a D? how ironic. i should be excited that i have two boyishly goodlooking best friends i equally like, so why do i feel confused and empty?
anyway, today is d-day for all shopaholics, bargain-hunters and early christmas shoppers. my cousin promised to wait outside bestbuy a quarter to 6 (doors open at 6).
B oulevards lined with pretty shops,
U p and down the pedestrians stroll
Y et every now and then one darts
I nto a shop whose window is
N ot unattractive, an attention
G etter...
T he person then emerges,
R eturns to the thoroughfare
I n continued dedication to
N ot going anywhere special, not
K nowing what next store,
E ven next moment, will
T ake their fancy. Afterwards,
S how and Tell is what is all about.
-- John B. Moss
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Americans stormed the nation's shops the day after Thanksgiving, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, lured by cut-price toys and consumer electronics.
Shoppers flooded into shops as doors opened at 5 a.m. on Friday and logged onto Web sites with retailers offering big markdowns, hoping to win customers on one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
Early-bird specials lured shoppers into long lines outside malls as early as 2:30 a.m. One man in Texas slept in his car outside a store to be the first in line.
"Video games and movies are the No. 1 seller with a lots of new games out this year," said Patrick Gates, senior vice president of e-commerce at America Online, a unit of Time Warner Inc.
A survey by the leading U.S. retail trade group, the National Retail Federation, estimated that up to 130 million consumers -- from a population of about 290 million -- would go shopping over Thanksgiving weekend.
The Thanksgiving-to-Christmas holiday shopping season accounts for 23 percent of annual retail revenue, with sales seen reaching $220 billion this year, according to the NRF.
i sure cant wait for christmas (presents)! or maybe, i should just ask santa to choose for me -- blue eyes or green-flecked brown?
the family chef's night before thanksgiving
 Bugs (c) Warner Brosoohhhh... the aroma coming out of every open door... it's the smell of holiday food. tongue, come out and play...
as i said, i love the holidays! it may be stressful, but oh-so-worth-it. pay homage to the hero of the day -- the "chef" who would defrost the turkey for hours (days even, depending on how much the turkey weighs), meticulously prepare all the necessary ingredients the night before thanksgiving, then start up early before everyone else to cook everything on the long menu list in time for thanksgiving dinner. i wouldnt volunteer for the job for safety reasons (the guests' esp), i can be a spoon-licker, however (arent we all?). this is why it is important that we count our chefs as blessings.
i'm sharing a yummy recipe that may be served this thanksgiving, and it's also a great favourite of mine.
Autumn Potato Gratin
4 pounds mixed baby potatoes, such as Red Bliss, Peruvian Purples, and Fingerlings
2 cups heavy cream, plus some to cover
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
2 sprigs each fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary
2 garlic cloves, cracked
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Halve the potatoes and toss them into a large baking dish and season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, put the cream, butter, herbs, and garlic in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, to infuse the cream with flavor. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour the hot cream mixture through a strainer over the potatoes, (discard the herbs and garlic), if there is not enough cream to go 3/4 of the way up the potatoes then pour some additional cream on top to make up the difference. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and top begins to brown. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.
(courtesy Rachael Ray)
happy thanksgiving!
I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.
-- 1 Corinthians 1:4
dinner with the mob
 Asterix the Gaul (c) René Goscinny & Albert Uderzo
about 37 million people will be traveling today, and as much as people are looking forward to going back home and spending time with loved ones, airport security can be an added stress and here's why:
Ava Kingsford says the new airport security checks go too far. She, her husband and their three-month-old baby had to drive home to San Diego all the way from Denver, Colorado.They were supposed to fly home, but Ava ran into a problem during a security check.
Ava describes what happened: "I thought I was done being patted down, and she says, ‘I am going to feel your breasts now.’ I said, ‘I am uncomfortable with that.’ I said, 'that's crossing the line.’"
But Ava says the transportation security officers insisted.
"They were yelling the same thing: ‘If you don't let her continue the search - and that entails feeling your breasts - you will not board your airplane home to San Diego.’"
The Kingsford family opted for the 15-hour drive home.
Ava experienced what many Thanksgiving travelers may experience this holiday season: an extended use of physical pat-down searches.
U.S. News and World Report says TSA officers may now feel the private regions of both sexes during searches.
The Federal government okayed the measures after two Chechen women smuggled bombs on to two Russian planes in a terrorist attack.
Back in America, the Transportation Safety Administration is testing machines that would hopefully get rid of the need for frisking.
But officials say it will be a long time before they're ready to use. Until then, Kingsford says get ready to be uncomfortable.
"I think people need to know what is happening now at the airports and be prepared," she said.
To avoid being pulled out of line for secondary screening, TSA officials suggest:
Make sure you have a valid ID.
Remove outer coats and jackets for x-ray before going through the metal detectors.
While you aren't required to take off your shoes before going through the x-ray machine, taking them off anyway makes things go faster.
hopefully, this pain in the butt wont acetify those holiday smiles. think of it this way: you'll be having dinner with a crowd of people you havent seen in months (or years!) ... yikes! have a safe journey, everyone!
home sweet homeless
 Asterix & Obelix (c) René Goscinny & Albert Uderzo
i live in a city of two tales. cosmopolites, skyscrapers, power lunches, concerts... the city is thriving. is it, really? look closely. i could ignore displays outside the upscale shops, but i couldnt ignore the homeless. one time, there was this person quietly holding a sign which read, "just plain hungry." it was a very cold night. i'd be going somewhere warm and cozy -- my home. but what about him? all i could do at the time was give him warm food. he turned out to be blind. another time, a man with an amputated leg was asking for change outside a pharmacy. a lady passed by and said, "you dont have to give them anything, there's a place for them, you know." i know. but have you stopped by to hear his story? lady, your megaphonic voice was so audible. he isnt deaf, he's maimed.
my mind is
a big hunk of irrevocable nothing which touch and
taste and smell and hearing and
sight keep hitting and
chipping with sharp fatal tools
in an agony of sensual chisels I perform squirms of
chrome and execute studes of cobalt
nevertheless i
feel that i cleverly am being altered that i slightly am
becoming something a little different, in fact
myself
Hereupon helpless i utter lilac shrieks and scarlet
bellowings.
-- e.e. cummings
Homelessness and poverty are inextricably linked. Poor people are frequently unable to pay for housing, food, child care, health care, and education. Difficult choices must be made when limited resources cover only some of these necessities. Often it is housing, which absorbs a high proportion of income, that must be dropped. Being poor means being an illness, an accident, or a paycheck away from living on the streets.
Two factors help account for increasing poverty: eroding employment opportunities for large segments of the workforce, and the declining value and availability of public assistance.
Love and business and family and religion and art and patriotism are nothing but shadows of words when a man's starving.
-- O. Henry
Welfare caseloads have dropped sharply since the passage and implementation of welfare reform legislation. However, declining welfare rolls simply mean that fewer people are receiving benefits -- not that they are employed or doing better financially. Early findings suggest that although more families are moving from welfare to work, many of them are faring poorly due to low wages and inadequate work supports. Only a small fraction of welfare recipients' new jobs pay above-poverty wages; most of the new jobs pay far below the poverty line (Children's Defense Fund and the National Coalition for the Homeless, 1998).
Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.
-- Norman Vincent Peale
People with disabilities, too, must struggle to obtain and maintain stable housing. In 1998, on a national average, a person receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits had to spend 69% of his or her SSI monthly income to rent a one-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent; in more than 125 housing market areas, the cost of a one-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent was more than a person's total monthly SSI income (Technical Assistance Collaborative & the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Housing Task Force, 1999).
Presently, most states have not replaced the old welfare system with an alternative that enables families and individuals to obtain above-poverty employment and to sustain themselves when work is not available or possible.
One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.
-- Virginia Woolf
Particularly within the context of poverty and the lack of affordable housing, certain additional factors may push people into homelessness. Other major factors which can contribute to homelessness include the following:
Lack of Affordable Health Care, Domestic Violence, Mental Illness, Addiction Disorders.
Homelessness results from a complex set of circumstances which require people to choose between food, shelter, and other basic needs. Only a concerted effort to ensure jobs that pay a living wage, adequate support for those who cannot work, affordable housing, and access to health care will bring an end to homelessness.
before passing judgment on other people, let's put ourselves in their shoes... not a pretty picture at all, huh.
If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you.
-- Leviticus 25:35
the great caruso and the student prince
 four ages of love, fondly do we remember (c) Norman Rockwell
"The Great Caruso" and "The Student Prince" are among my comfort-classics. i associate them with my grandparents. the great caruso was 109 minutes of bonding time between my grandfather and i. the movie traces the life of enrico caruso, the 20th century's greatest tenor and my grandfather's favourite. the student prince is a fairy tale musical which my grandmother and i used to watch 9 times a day... it made me cry (i loved the movie, but 16 hours was just pure torture). my grandmother, however, is just too adorable, and i'd do anything for her.
today would have been my grandparents' 69th anniversary (they almost reached their 65th). i know my grandmother misses my grandfather very much. she married him at 17, bore him 13 children, and accepted that she would have to outlive him. he would not have been able to bear it, had the reverse happened. i love their love story.
If ever two were one then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;
If ever wife were happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor aught but love from thee give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay,
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let's persevere
That when we live no more, we may live ever.
-- Anne Bradstreet
two guys, a girl and a birthday suit
 (c) Norman RockwellMay he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
-- Psalm 20:4
no. it isnt what you think it is. there'll be no undraped bodies here. i'm referring to the act of courting and its aftermath. i'll be wearing an off-the-shoulder A-line gown with grosgrain ribbon trim at empire waist, of course. isnt that just divine? anyway, i had to hold off that thought to put on my favourite outfit, levi's and a pink benetton shirt. i was preparing to go out and have dinner with my mum and sister at the hard rock café to celebrate my birthday. definitely nothing fancy -- no naked chef to cater to our taste buds -- but it was exactly what i liked, cool and understated. the potato skins and chocolate chip cookie pie (which came with a couple of candles, courtesy of our server D) were worth those 1200-happily-consumed-calories.
earlier (past midnight, actually), i talked to my other best friend who greeted me a happy birthday, dear. i thought it was sweet of him to stay up for me.
i love that my birthday falls on thanksgiving season. i love the nippy weather, and the anticipation of good things to come. when i got home this evening, i stood by the piano to look at the flower that someone from church gave me, and started to make a wish list. it included franck eggelhoffer & howard weinstein, my fabulous chef friend, jesse fitzgerald, and passage along the northeast corridor.
My heart is like a singing bird
Whose nest is in a watered shoot;
My heart is like an apple-tree
Whose boughs are bent with thick-set fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all these,
Because my love is come to me.
Raise me a dais of silk and down;
Hang it with vair and purple dyes;
Carve it in doves and pomegranates,
And peacocks with a hundred eyes;
Work it in gold and silver grapes,
In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;
Because the birthday of my life
Is come, my love is come to me.
-- Christina Georgina Rossetti
two guys, a girl and someone better
 I have a suprise (c) Kim Andersontwo guys -- same age, same height, same frame. equally boyishly goodlooking. equally unquestionably faithful. both the best friends you could ask for. temperamentally, one is impetuous and high-spirited, and the other, laid-back and composed. geographically, you could take either the acela, to see one guy, or the adirondack route, to see the other.
but now, things arent going well. friendships have been sorely tested. the waiting exacts its toll. to whom will you go?
there are various routes within the northeast region. each one offering nonreversible destiny turns. you could go, but there are no multi-city trips. or, you could just wait for the real right guy with his non-refundable, non-transferable, one-way ticket to you. advance happy birthday to me!
Maybe he believes me, maybe not.
Maybe I can marry him, maybe not.
Maybe the wind on the prairie,
The wind on the sea, maybe,
Somebody, somewhere, maybe can tell.
I will lay my head on his shoulder
And when he asks me I will say yes,
Maybe.
-- Carl Sandburg
me no ape!!!
 Jungle Book (c) Walt Disney CoKing Louie [the ape]: Ha-ha, so you're the mancub? Crazy.
Mowgli: I'm not as crazy as you are, put me down.
-- Jungle Book
God doesn't play dice.
-- Albert Einstein
an excavation site near barcelona, spain was reopened due to the discovery of a 13 million-year-old animal that bridges the gap between earlier, primitive animals and later, modern creatures. the newest ape species, Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, is a vital discovery to scientists "who puzzle through the mysteries of early human history."
another recent finding was the "hobbit" (or LB1 of the new species Homo floresiensis) on flores island. according to anthropologist desmond morris, "the existence of 'mini-man' should destroy religion."
People have always been fascinated with this question, in particular what makes humans different.
Some have tried to separate human beings in terms of physical, mental or genetic characteristics.
The trouble with this, as LB1 demonstrates, is that these are simply often different points on a spectrum rather than absolutes.
Within the Christian tradition, some have suggested that the key to being human is our ability of rational thinking, freewill, our moral sense or our capacity to face our own death.
However, the overwhelming view which can be found in the early chapters of Genesis is that human beings are defined in terms of relationship, and in particular their relationship to God.
Being made in the image of God is about being given the gift of intimate relationship with God, and a certain kind of responsibility in the natural world.
That human beings are special in terms of relationship allowed early astronomers such as Huygens to speculate about other worlds without having nightmares about his Christian faith.
The fact that God may have created many other species in the Universe does not diminish the relationship he has given to human beings.
Further, as many historians have pointed out, the Christian worldview encouraged the growth of empirical science - the Universe had to be observed to see what God had done.
The diversity and unpredictability of the cosmos or natural world was therefore a reflection of a God who gives the Universe the potential for extravagance.
Finally, the gift of responsibility brought with it the need for care and compassion to others, the animal kingdom and the environment. -- David Wilkinson
it angers me that more schools in america are becoming more intolerant toward the belief that there is a Creator who is responsible for giving life to the world. they supposedly encourage free-thinking and yet, are averse to scriptural exegeses.
while i am an animal rights advocate, i cannot accept the stupidity of darwinism.
A major reason why evolutionist arguments can sound so persuasive is because they often combine assertive dogma with intimidating, dismissive ridicule towards anyone who dares to disagree with them. Evolutionists wrongly believe that their views are validated by persuasive presentations invoking scientific terminology and allusions to a presumed monopoly of scientific knowledge and understanding on their part. But they haven't come close to demonstrating evolutionism to be more than an ever-changing theory with a highly questionable and unscientific basis. (The situation isn't helped by poor science education generally. Even advanced college biology students often understand little more than the dogma of evolutionary theory, and few have the time [or the guts] to question its scientific validity.)
It would be wrong to say that creation hasn't been observed. Evidence isn't limited to seeing something happen before your eyes. Creationism makes predictions about what we would expect to see in the fossil record, comparative anatomy, genetic sequences, geographical distribution of species, etc., and these predictions have been verified many times over. The number of observations supporting Creationism is overwhelming.
It is noteworthy that the concept of natural selection was first suggested in the published observations of creationist scientist Edward Blyth in 1835 (24 years before the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species). Blyth's work is not likely to have been unknown to Darwin, who appears to have "borrowed" the concept from Blyth, ever since which time natural selection has been erroneously attributed to Darwin and cited as evidence of evolution.
Charles Darwin's contribution amounted to advancing the imaginative (and still highly popular) notion that an abundance of time was the only missing ingredient for a plausible theory of evolution. Modern science has come to seriously question this simplistic approach, however, returning us to a place in which Blyth's observations remain valid, while Darwin's speculative -- but unfounded -- extrapolations come under ever greater suspicion.
-- Timothy Wallace
science is against evolution, and this is why:
Life Happens According to the theory of evolution, at some time in the distant past there was no life in the universe -- just elements and chemical compounds. Somehow, these chemicals had to combine to form Frankencell, which came to life somehow. (Presumably, a lightning bolt and a deformed assistant were involved.)
The notion that dead material can come to life all by itself is not consistent with scientific observation.
Under normal circumstances, creatures give birth to the same kind of creatures. One does not expect a lizard to hatch from a chicken egg. Chickens have baby chickens. It is established scientific fact that like begets like.
On rare instances, the DNA in an embryo is damaged, resulting in a mutant child that differs in some respect from its parent. Only a few mutations have been scientifically observed that are arguably beneficial. It is well known that mutations produce inferior offspring. For the theory of evolution to be true, there must be a fantastic number of creative mutations that produce new kinds of offspring which are better suited for survival, and therefore are favored by natural selection.
It is claimed that the reptile-to-mammal evolution is well documented. But for reptiles to evolve into mammals, scales had to have mutated into hair, breasts had to have evolved from nothing, hard-shelled externally laid eggs had to evolve into soft-shelled eggs that were nourished by an umbilical cord and placenta in a womb etc.
None of these transformations have ever been observed in a laboratory. The notion that random genetic changes can produce creative mutations is not consistent with scientific observation.
The theory of evolution is not believed because of scientific evidence. It is believed DESPITE scientific evidence. Science is against the theory of evolution.
on september 24, 2001, 100 scientists have come together to declare their skepticism of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. [They suggested that a] careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.
relatedly, 12 leading evolutionists have been quoted to say that evolution is admittedly unobservable, lacking fossil evidence, dependent upon scientific consensus, and essentially a belief system about past life on earth.
"The absence of fossil evidence for intermediary stages between major transitions in organic design, indeed our inability, even in our imagination, to construct functional intermediates in many cases, has been a persistent and nagging problem for gradualistic accounts of evolution."
-- Stephen Jay Gould (Professor of Geology and Paleontology, Harvard University)
i dont know about you, but i'm sticking to my guns. God is real and that is a consistent fact.
For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible... everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him.
-- Colossians 1:16
a very goofy thanksgiving
 Goofy (c) Walt Disney Cothanksgiving is just around the corner (so is my birthday!). holidays usually bring out the best and the worst in people. personally, i love the holiday season... lots of food, beautifully wrapped cute presents, shop-til-you-drop exercises with fellow shopaholics, and other activities that we dont do on ordinary days. but there's also that little devil known as fear worming its way into our minds... and stomachs. no time to calorie count, with a tantalizingly delicious 12 meal course set before us. who could resist gobbling down dead animals and pounds of sugar? jones soda co. has something for the harassed health buffs who would like an alternative to a 500-calorie-per-slice pecan pie.
there are five thanksgiving soda flavours that jones soda co offers: the surprisingly popular turkey & gravy soda, cranberry soda, mashed potato & butter, fruitcake soda and green bean casserole.
the only soda that doesnt make you swallow a whole tube of colgate is the cranberry soda. amazingly though, people are pushing bidding on auction site ebay up to $63 for a two-bottle set of turkey & gravy.
Five tasters were assigned to the task of perfecting the holiday flavors, although van Stolk said most other employees ended up trying the sodas sooner or later.
In the early stages, the staff grew deeply divided over mashed potato versus sweet potato. "It was like red vs blue," van Stolk said, referring to the recent presidential election.
-- Allison Linn
so why are folks clamouring for these appetite killers? exactly the point... they are appetite killers without carbs, calories or caffeine. i guess, that's the price you have to pay to be mr/s buff.
but why not loosen up and nurse your marred taste buds for a change? after all, it's the holidays.
Perhaps it takes a purer faith to praise God for unrealized blessings than for those we once enjoyed or those we enjoy now.
-- A.W. Tozer
the true meaning of the holidays shouldnt be buried in the hustle and bustle of activities.
Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
-- Psalm 150:6
here is a drink that would turn one's stomach -- but then again, who knows, turkey & gravy was a blast last year.
Spam Shake 1 can of Spam
1 tin of anchovies
2 12oz cans of beer
4 oz tomato juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup chopped up parsley
1/4 cup chopped scallions
dash of Tabasco
salt, pepper to taste
Put in blender and blend until smooth.
Serve chilled with celery stick.
CHEERS! gulps, chokes, pants, convulses, throws up
did you know...
To save money, fast-food farmers feed their animals junk like chicken manure, dead cats and dogs from pounds (their bodies are sent to “rendering” plants), and fat from restaurant grease traps.
and to learn more about what other countries prefer to eat, visit list of weird and disgusting foods.
a thing of beauty: bridget jones & co
 Belle (c) Walt Disney Coaaahhh... the groans of people pining away over lost love. it's unbearable, isnt it? cheerful voices oppress you with, "get over it and move on" -- but what to do between ga(s)ps?? be busy, hang out with friends, never watch a julia roberts movie or listen to a linda eder song or smell a burberry weekend aftershave. once this kind of tragedy hits you, bam!, you restrict your senses to nontemporal impressions.
i loved bridget jones's diary. bridget is a typical singleton who knows the darkest despair, and yet, still hopes for wonderful possibilities. she tries to lose weight while keeping a record-breaking drinking spree with friends, goes on demeaning dates, yet develops "inner poise and authority and sense of self as a woman of substance, complete without boyfriend, as best way to obtain boyfriend".
I am a child of Cosmopolitan culture, have been traumatized by supermodels and too many quizzes and know that neither my personality nor my body is up to it if left to its own devices. I can't take the pressure.
-- Bridget Jones
how many of us women (or girls) can be that honest?
i seriously hate it when someone calls me "babe" or "chick" because it demoralizes my character... c'mon guys, you are far too imaginative not to be able to think of other terms of endearment.
i read a blog a while back and i couldnt believe that a woman could be so cruel taking a cheap shot at another woman's body -- not all women are size 4, silly.
Always remember that true beauty comes from within -- from within bottles, jars, compacts, and tubes.
-- Peter's Almanac
women teeter between independence and a pathetic girlie urge to be all things to men. i think that men should be more appreciative of what women do for them, instead of being a bunch of jackasses. but just as women arent all size 4, not all men are jerks. i have great guy friends who understand what women go through -- to at least, look like natalie portman in the dark. helen fielding, author of bridget jones's diary, confessed that she "was really, really surprised at all the women who wrote in saying they identified with bridget because a lot of her thoughts are very paranoid, and when you realise that so many women have the same thoughts, it's massively reassuring but at the same time alarming."
Man makes holy what he believes, as he makes beautiful what he loves.
-- Ernest Renan
well girl, beauty is in the eye of the beholder so keep those clothes on and let him practice his imagination til he puts his ring on your finger.
Like a lily among thorns
is my darling among the maidens.
-- Song of Songs 2:2
It's beauty that captures your attention; personality which captures your heart.
-- Anonymous
Sonya: No! No! When a woman isn't beautiful, people tell her. "You have lovely eyes, you have lovely hair."
-- Anton Chekhov
A thing of beauty is a joy forever; it's loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.
-- John Keats
A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life; in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The truth isn't always beauty, but the hunger for it is.
-- Nadine Gordimer
Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror.
-- Kahlil Gibran
The stars of midnight shall be dear
To her; and she shall lean her ear
In many a secret place
Where rivulets dance their wayward round,
And beauty born of murmuring sound
Shall pass into her face.
Three years she grew in Sun and Shower
-- William Wordsworth
and what does our romeo have to say?
Did my heart love till now?
Forswear it sight,
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.
-- Romeo & Juliet
by the way, my BMI* is 19.9. we love men, but our health comes first.
*Body Mass Index is a tool for indicating weight status in adults. While it correlates with body fat, the relation between fatness and BMI differs with age and gender. For example, women are more likely to have a higher percent of body fat than men for the same BMI. Normal range is 18.5 – 24.9.
micro@#$soft%#sp2#$%!
 Yosemite Sam (c) Warner Bros
microsoft service pack 2, you are not as bad as people say, you are much, much worse. to resolve my SP2 issues, my ISP told me to call microsoft. it was a complete W-A-S-T-E of time. i was on hold for over an hr (momentarily wishing don vito corleone were my godfather), and when someone did speak to me, she said it wasnt microsoft's fault that my comp was all messed up -- try my ISP, maybe they could help. GRRRReat.
why do they call it customer service when it's obviously customer disservice? they suck the life force out of you.
we had to transfer all our files to 700 mb disks, then re-install windows xp, programs and drivers. that took more than 10 hrs. i was in a pissy mood by the time i compiled the mp3 files we were going to save (a total of 16 folders and that's just the music lib), i said a prayer to calm my nerves. my prayer was answered the next day, finally, after pestering comcast for almost a week, they agreed to send someone over to check the comp.
the comp's saved and i'm about to write long emails to friends who must think i'm a lousy, stink bomb for not responding within 24 hrs. i just want to warn my dear readers not to try downloading that evil MICROSOFT SERVICE PACK 2 if you dont want to go through the hassle of wiping out all your software (because system restore wouldnt work once you have sp2), buying a 50-pk cd, getting stuck in a rainstorm, then staying for 10 hrs on the comp re-installing and re-uploading. it isnt worth it.
SP2 you owe me $21 for the cd-r, you little sleazeball.
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