My take on the Bible #4

1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

What the heck is a "firmament" anyways? My basic understanding is that the firmament is a solid, dome-shaped structure in which the stars were placed. It separated the waters below from the waters above. From what little I have read it appears that this idea of a "firmanent" has sparked much discussion, especially in regards to the concept of flat-earthism. [At a later time I will try to gather the interesting reads concerning the "firmament" and a bit about flat earthism. Altho incompatible with today's science it's quite a fascinating read.]

My other question is where is this "firmament"? And why did God create it, if it no longer exists?

1:7 And 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.

Again the "firmament" thing. Type it into Google and you know--4,000,000 hits. The notion that the sky was a vast solid dome seems to have been common among the ancient peoples whose ideas of cosmology have come down to us. The concept is present in Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, and Roman literature.

1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Wasn't "heaven" already created in Gen 1:1? Or is he just a naming phase? Is there a difference between the two?

For this verse to make sense, the firmament would have to exist, but it doesn’t.

There still is no Sun to account for “evening” and “morning.”

Silly fun

My dragon name is Betho the Flamebreath.
Take Dragon Name Generator today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

Chuckling (as quietly as posible)

Y'all got to read this one!! Not going to spoil it but enjoy :))


Eight little known historical facts....

A must read if you have ever been hassled by a debt collector

This article says it all. Not much I can add other than thankfully I haven't had to deal with any one quite this extreme.

The worst I have had is "can you borrow the money you owe us?"

To which I have replied, "will you lend it to me?" Which usually ends the conversation.

'Am I Going to Have to Kill You?': The Horrific Ways Abusive Debt Collectors Threaten and Harass Their Victims

Please tell me I am reading this wrong,,

I was perusing another article concerning a pair of Minnesota teens who regretfully suicided this past weekend when this story headline caught my eye
Terrie Robinson charged with murder after 3-year-old son found dead, burned in oven. To borrow my wife's apt comment--what type of shit is that? Hell if I know.

Original story I was reading Minnesota teens,,,kill selves during sleepover in 'suicide pact'. Condolences to the families of both girls.

I must stop reading the news--sickening!!

I'm not even sure were to begin. Everyone is to blame. It is just sick, plain and simple.

Rape of girl, 11, tears apart Texas town as many insist on blaming the victim

Ok one more of kittie

I admit, I'm a sucker,,,

for stories like this Calico cat does the dog paddle. Then again I'm a cat lover,,,our cat BooBoo Stubs is a semi-rescue. Nothing like the undying love of an animal.



[Regretfully Boo lost her tail prior to our receiving her,,,tails and fan belts don't mix well. When she is spayed will have the remainder removed as it's not healing properly, tho she appears not to have any discomfort from it.]

Spicy Tomato Salad Recipe

A good summer dish IMHO. Love foods with a kick!!

Spicy Tomato Salad Recipe

Shrimp and Mushroom Thai Curry

I love curry!! I have never used the curry paste before so this will be a first when I try this recipe. I like the fact that it's a meal that can be made in 10 minutes as time is a premium for me working 3rd shift. I like to eat before going to work and this is one I can throw together after waking for the day (usually around 830PM).

10-Minute Shrimp and Mushroom Thai Curry | Steamy Kitchen Recipes

Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs Recipe

Might have to kick this recipe down a notch for the wife, but another yummy looking one. I like the fact that it's chicken and thighs. We eat a lot of chicken, it cooks quick and is fairly cheap; not as heavy on the belly as red meat is.

Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs Recipe

Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

I'm not a big fan of store bought dressings, especially when I know it can be made at home with much better flavor. So when I find one that appeals to me they usually become keepers. I haven't tried this one yet but the versitility of it has my interest piqued. Would love to try this on steamed veggies, think it would be marvelous. Enjoy!!

Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

A tough call

Altho the topic is a bit distressing I found that the insights presented interesting. Written by a Canadian journalist I would think that the same holds true here in the US if not world wide to some degree.

Should the media report non-celebrity suicides?

IMHO that's a tough call to make. Would I really want the world to know that I "offed" myself. Would anyone outside my personal circle of family and friends care? There is a stigma surrounding mental illness, I deal with it everyday. Up until last year [almost to the day] I would have said--NO. Now, not so much. Since my last attempt, which landed me in the hospital for 4 days, I have been able to use it as a learning tool to talk to others. Not only has it helped me gain insight, but it has allowed me to talk to others, it has put a face on mental illness that people can relate too.

Therein lays the dilemma, the media does not always put a human face on the toll that suicide takes on the human psyche. The personal story gets lost in the sensationalism, especially in regards to celebrity suicides. [Kurt Cobain being one that comes to mind.) IMHO one must look beyond the headlines, and find the true story behind the captions. It has to become a tool for learning and not a grab for readership (especially when the young are involved).

On a side note: Two good books dealing with the effects of mental illness An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison. In the books Jamison tells of her own manic depression, the bitter costs of her illness, and its paradoxical benefits. Jamison is both a psychiatric expert in manic depression and a sufferer of the disease. A second book, His Bright Light: The Story of Nick Traina by Danielle Steel. [Yes it is that Danielle Steele.] This book is a real eye opener to those of us that have no way of understanding or dealing with this disease. A poignant account of the life and death of her son.


Suicide Notes :: Ryerson Review of Journalism :: The Ryerson School of Journalism

Great names of the past who dared go against the church.

Galileo, Copernicus, Bruno, Hume, Locke, Hobbes, Machiavelli, Sartre, Voltaire, Descartes, Anatole France and Johanes Keppler; Giordano Bruno, Galileo(again,,,guess the church really didn't like him), Tommaso Campanella and Menocchio.

Philosophy Books Prohibited and Banned by the Catholic Church

Philosophers Condemned by the Inquisition

Must reads,,,I have to agree with this list, some great books

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Thais by Anatole France
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse [I love this book, one of my all time favorites. Just recently downloaded as a audio and thoroughly enjoyed this format.]
Illusions by Richard Bach
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
Nausea by Jean Paul Sartre
Candide by Voltaire
1985 by Orwell
Vita Brevis by Jostein Gaarder
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The Stranger by Albert Camus


Philosophical Novels – Must Read Fictions About Philosophy

And this folks is why I am against the death penalty

Pathetic. I wonder how many other states this is occurring in? Not to show any prejudice or bias, but how many are black/African American, low income, or under-educated?

Psychologist Who Cleared Death Row Inmates Is Reprimanded

This is really really pathetic

Normally I would not comment or re-post an article like this. Why I don't know. Maybe because I really don't know how I feel, or understand WTF we are doing over there. But I saw this during the night, I couldn't sleep so was surfing about the net. Know what, now I really won't be able to sleep. Please don't take me wrong, I support our troops and their efforts, they are true heroes in every sense of the word. But this war has got to stop, it is pathetic.

To the family and friends of Clay Hunt my sincere hope that you may somehow find peace. I am truly sorry for your lose and it is a tragedy that you have to face the lose of such an honorable man.

Veterans advocate kills self after war tours

UNBELIEVABLE

I have been following this case pretty much since day one. All I cay say is unbelievable!! IMHO all prosecution of this man needs to stop and evidence needs to be re-evaluated. That's just my two cents.

AP Exclusive: FBI Thought Demjanjuk Evidence Faked

The real price of gas

I work PT at a local (regional) full serve gas station. Our primary business is obviously gas sales but we also have a small store attached (soda, cigs, snack food, some automotive supplies like oil and anti-freeze). During the course of my day I get many questions and stories about gas prices, especially from travelers. One in particular piqued my interest, gas prices in Nevada and California (was told they were in the $8-$10 range). Decided to check it out for myself. As you can see someone was exaggerating.


NATIONAL AVERAGE PRICES
Prices updated as of 4/10/2011

Regular(87)//Mid(89)//Premium(93)//Diesel

Current $3.761//$3.896//$4.023// $4.053
Week Ago $3.645//$3.782//$3.912//$3.978
Month Ago $3.542//$3.670//$3.800//$3.917
Year Ago $2.863//$3.040//$3.150//$3.050


[Information is taken from AAA's Daily Fuel Guage Report]

BTW: Supposedly dollar-cost averaging applies to buying gas. It seems that gas prices over an extended period will tend to be lowest on Wednesdays. Don't know if this is credible, but maybe something to keep an eyeball on to see if it really holds true.

First homosexual caveman found

OK,,,first reaction to this story,,,WTF!! I'm all for LGBT rights and the activism that goes with it; at first that what I thought this article was expossing. Shock value was the first thought. They couldn't seriously be interpreting their findings in such a manner--how could they?

The skeleton was found in a Prague suburb in the Czech Republic with its head pointing eastwards and surrounded by domestic jugs, rituals only previously seen in female graves.

"From history and ethnology, we know that people from this period took funeral rites very seriously so it is highly unlikely that this positioning was a mistake," said lead archaeologist Kamila Remisova Vesinova.

"Far more likely is that he was a man with a different sexual orientation, homosexual or transsexual," she added.

According to Corded Ware culture which began in the late Stone Age and culminated in the Bronze Age, men were traditionally buried lying on their right side with their heads pointing towards the west, and women on their left sides with their heads pointing towards the east. Both sexes would be put into a crouching position.

It just seems too far fetched to me. But they are serious. My dismay lessened a bit after reading some of the reader comments. One in particular caught my attention and forced me to rethink my initial reaction.

[Y]our slavish worship of willful ignorance continues to amaze me. [H]ow else are people supposed to build on knowledge of the past without drawing suppositions from facts then seeing where that conjecture leads? [A]t this point it is just an idea, but now scientists can look for further evidence to support or refute that idea. [T]ime will tell. [P]erhaps this is a one-time-thing and will drop into obscurity, but to dismiss at the outset it as "wishful thinking" betrays either your hatred of inquiry or your hatred of sexuality. (ViennaLane--11:01 am, Apr 7, 2011 from The Daily Beast: Cheat Sheet

As I have stated before, I find it fascinating what science" can tell us from a pile of bones. Oh and I kept the original headline for,,,you guessed it,,,shock value,,,lol!!

First homosexual caveman found - Telegraph

Got to have it,,,I need my,,,

OK I will admit it,,,I am a Chinese food junky. I go through severe withdrawals if I don't have at least 1 meal during the week. It could be as simple as a small fried rice, but I have to have it,,,rofl!!

9 Ways to Eat Healthily at the Chinese Restaurant

Normally not something I would try

,,,but I have been looking for some low cost and quick alternatives for dinners. I was never a fan of chicken liver or gizzards, but about 6 months ago a friend of mine made a delicious dish using them and I became hooked. So I have been keeping an eyeball peeled for possible recipes and came accross this one. The reviews have me sold on this so will have to let y'all know how it goes.

Stolen Garlic Chicken Livers Recipe

HEADS UP PEOPLES--SCAM ALERT!!

Facebook Photoshop App Scam Lures 600,000 Users With Fake Photos

More thoughts to ponder

60 Ways To Make Life Simple Again

Something to make you think,,,

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind

This is not good

This is scary!! I don't know about the rest of you, but I get very bad cold sores, 4-6 times a year. I have had trouble with HSV1 since I was a baby, possiblely passed to me from my bio mom (I was adopted, so this is conjecture on my part). There were some other articles mentioned in the side bar that I'm going to have to check out also, this definitely calls for more reading and follow-up.

Herpes linked to Alzheimer's disease: 'Cold sores' connected to cognitive decline

Religious discussions,,,what's the point?

When I first read this post in one of the forums I frequent, my initial reaction was to rant and rave about my similar experience(s). So instead of a knee jerk reaction I decided to wait a bit and see if my "disgust" went away. Well it hasn't, tho it's a bit more tempered.

I think what upset me the most was the fact that the author felt that he needed to apologize because he "hurt" someones feelings for believing the way he does. I am so sick of having to tip toe around so called "believers" because that can't handle the fact that they are living a life of fairy tales. I have not only had to do this with my belief system but also because I am a lesbian; oh and throw in the fact that I also have a mental illness. I get a triple whammy. [Altho I have mentioned this in prior blog posts, I am a lesbian; have been my whole life. I consider myself a deistic (for lack of a better term) agnostic bordering on atheism, and I have bipolar disorder. I am physically impaired due to chronic pain, and I have diabetes (caused by the psychotropic meds I was prescribed to treat my bipolar).]

What I have learned over the past 25 years is this,,,I lead by example; I am who I am. What you see is what you get, and I have no pretences. I am not out to impress anyone, the only person I attempt impress is myself. I live my life for me (and my wife), not for any persons, organization, or religion. I hide nothing, my life is an open book. So, if you have a question, ask. If done with respect, I will answer you with respect and honesty. If you think you know the answer(s) to your question(s), and you still want to ask, be forewarned I will tell you straight up. So don't act all shocked and bent out of shape, don't try to "convert" me, and don't decide that all the sudden you can't/won't be part of my life. Just because I "came out" to you doesn't change who I am. I am still the same person I was 5 minutes ago.

It has taken many years, but I am now to the point of saying-- "F*** It, I do not care what others think. They either can accept me for who I am or get out of my life. I will drop you like a lead balloon and not think twice about it. I do not need negativity in my life.

Oh, and btw, this is not just in regards to my "religious" beliefs. You see my journey started many years ago. First aspect of my life to be called into question was my acceptance of being a lesbian. After many years of struggle I came to the conclusion that I am to accept myself for who I am; no amount of prayer was going to change me. I became comfortable with my sexuality in regards to my then religious beliefs. It was between me and god and no one else.

In 1997 I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and hospitalized for a total of 18 months (full and partial hospitalization). I struggled for 2 1/2 yrs to get a handle on my diagnoses. I read every possible piece of literature concerning bipolar disorder. Learned as much as possible to help my self be able to fight any stigma associated with having a mental illness. Maybe it was the timing of my diagnoses, or the fact mental illness was just beginning to come to the forefront, I found that I did not have the difficulties with societal expectations as many others in the past have. Yes there is much misinformation out there but that is changing.

As for my non-religious beliefs, very few people know about my deconversion.

My de-conversion odyssey is not just dogmatic or doctrinal. Both issues are involved, but my journey has not been a simple one. Without going into a long diatribe, my deistic agnosticism (bordering on atheism) has come after many years of study and thought. My rejection of the biblical cannon as having authority in my life, or as a revelation from god is complete.

Altho I no longer believe in the existence of the Abrahamic concept of god, I do accept the possibility of some form of a higher power hence the agnosticism. Tho I do not believe this higher power to be revelatory (deism) as generally accepted by those of christian faith.

But not many people know this aspect of me. Why? Because I have learned that talking "religion" is pointless (almost as pointless as politics). Your not going to change my mind, and I'm not going to change yours. That is where my leading by example comes in, my life is my testament. If by example I can show people that being a non-believer is not a "bad" thing I have done my part.

[BTW I do not deny that a good debate is always fun. That is why I have no issue in putting my thoughts out there in cyberspace. If I go to a "christian" forum and spout about being a non-believer I aspect to get backlash, I except that. The same should hold true for "believers" that come into our forums.]

Religious discussion can hurt

A wee bit of an update

Working on a few posts that have a bit more biographical information in them. Taking a bit longer than planned. Working 2 jobs can be a drag sometimes, not enough play time,,,lol. But anywhooo, want to thank all my visitors for stopping by.

To those of you that follow me on twitter thank you, and welcome. I'm sorry I haven't had time to individually welcome you as I should. When I'm not working I'm sleeping, which lately seems to be all the time. Me thinks it's time for another weekend off from my second job.

Spring is definitely in the air, finally saw my first robin this past week. Now all we need is for the crocus to start coming up. Hard to believe that it will be a year since I returned to PA from KS. It has been a year of healing and growth.

Peace y'all!!!

Doesn't look like much to me

I'm not quite sure what to think of this "Dino drawing or mud stain: proof of creation?" From a personal stand point, the acceptance of the creationist's view that dinosaurs and humans co-existed is moot. I don't acknowledge the creation story(s) as written in Genesis, but religious belief aside, the empirical evidence (for the creationist's view) just doesn't add up.

I just can't accept the view of man and dinosaurs co-habitating the planet. There has been no evidence to support that view.

Dino drawing or mud stain: proof of creation?