Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Did God Create Evil/Evil the Absence of God?


Does evil exist? A university professor challenged his students with this question. Did God create everything that exists? A student bravely replied, "Yes, he did!" "God created everything? The professor asked. "Yes sir", the student replied. The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are then God is evil". The student became quiet before such an answer. The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a question professor?" "Of course", replied the professor. The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?" "What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?" The students snickered at the young man's question. The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."

The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?" The professor responded, "Of course it does." The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?" Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil." To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.

Yes, I'm a Redheaded Diva

The Art of Being a Redhead- Thoughts and facts about being a red head.

Being a redhead is a fascinating experience. As a child, you have to get used to all of the points, stares, and comments. People take on over its beautiful color everywhere you go. Old women say things like, “That CAN’T be natural!!” and “You are going to get all of the boys when you get older !!!” Once you go to school, the kids make fun of you. They say things like, “I’d rather be dead than red on the head.” If you have the double whammy of being a red-head AND having freckles, then you really will be tortured. By the time you become a teenager, it can work to your advantage. I found that not only did my looks appeal to a wide range of guys, but there was a special group of men who are fanatical about redheads. They chase after you like a pot of gold. They think that you are a special prize. Of course then you get those innuendo questions like, “Are you a NATURAL redhead? You know there’s one way to tell.” Wink, wink, nudge nudge ;-). “

My husband happens to be a lover of redheads. When I met him, I had long flowing hair. I also had a killer figure. My big ta-tas and gorgeous red hair hooked him on and reeled him in faster than you can imagine but I have a sneeking suspicion that it’s the red-headed attitude that really kept him going. Yes, I have an attitude. I am a typical, temperamental, redhead. We have a three-year-old red headed daughter who will be giving me a run for my money.

I’ve always wondered if the stereotype about red-heads being feisty was true. So I set out Googling to find out. Unfortunately, I didn’t find much on redheads and personality studies, but I did find some interesting facts (see part II.)

Link to Yes, I'm a Redheaded Diva Part II

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

The Truth about Dirt, Germs, and Cleaning


Facts about dirt, germs, and cleaners-

Everyone is so afraid of dirt and germs. The dirtiest place in the house is generally door knobs. Second is your tooth brush. Other than that we are looking at cutting boards and sponges only. The rest of the house is generally fine.

The EPA has proven that homemade cleaners with essential pine oil (a potent anti-microbial) kill germs as well as commercial cleaners. Alcohol may be toxic in the bottle, but once it evaporates, it leaves zero residue, and no traceable particles in the air.

Tests from The Good Housekeeping Institute (and verified by UC Berkley) show that a straight 5 percent solution of vinegar—such as you can buy in the supermarket—kills 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of germs (viruses). It is extremely acidic. It isn’t allowed to be advertised as such b/c companies would have to register it with the epa as a pesticide.

A study published recently by Tufts University Medical School in Boston indicates that antibacterial soaps and antibacterial-coated products may contribute to the increase of antibiotic resistance in the community. It is possible that these substances could encourage bacteria to mutate in ways that make them resistant to antibacterial products, including antibiotics.

And, what about the idea that people who sanitize their homes don’t get sick less that those who don’t?

In a study at Columbia University involving 238 families, those who used only antibacterial cleaners for about a year were just as likely to get fevers, sniffles, sore throats, coughs, rashes and stomach problems as those who used standard cleaners.

Most germ killing products have a minimum contact time for them to sanitize or disinfect. I read my Clorox Disinfecting wipes. The directions say that in order to sanitize, the surface must stay wet for one minute,. for disinfection, FIVE minutes. So, if you are just running one over surfaces to kill germs, then you are SOL (shit out of luck.)

Another glitch: viruses, which remain untouched by antibacterial products, cause colds, stomach bugs, and flu.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the best method for getting rid of germs and preventing contamination is to wash your hands frequently with regular soap and warm water for at least 15 seconds.

In addition, if you spent only five dollars per week on cleaning solutions, that is about $250.00 PER YEAR. Yikes.

Last night, I timed how long it took me to create a bottle of non-toxic, anti-bacterial, natural cleaner. It took less than one minute. And it cost about three cents.


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A Few References

Here is a reference article put out by our very own CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol7no3_supp/levy.htm

The American Medical Association's Position: http://www.mercola.com/2000/jun/17/anti_bacterial_soap.htm

Volatile Organic Compounds: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html
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Here are my tips and hints for cleaning in a more enviromentally friendly way:

1. Buy environmentally friendly cleaners whenever possible.
Especially important are dish detergents and clothing detergents.
Target sells a great brand called Method that is affordable and safe. http://www.methodhome.com/cleaners.html
Seventh Generation is also good. I buy this at my local grocery store. http://www.seventhgeneration.com/

Is money an issue? No problem!!! Make your own cleaners to save your health, the environment and $$$$.
http://www.naturodoc.com/library/lifestyle/cleaner.htm http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/mod02/01500631.html

Time and money an issue? Don't want to spend time making all of those cleaners??

All purpose cleaning: I use dish soap and water on a thin sponge. I clean everything with this!!! Ivory is a great dish soap that is cheap and enviro friendly!!

Abrasive Cleaner: Use baking soda on a damp sponge Toilets: Use about 1 cup of borax or washing soda, swish, and soak overnight. Tubs: Wet tub down. Sprinkle with washing soda, scrub, wash off with hot water.

2. If you still feel the need to disinfect , how about cleaning with environmentally friendly products, then disinfecting by wiping with a DISINFECTING WIPE to kill germs? With wipes, you prevent spraying of products into the air and the harmful inhalation that comes with that. . You are simply using the wipes to kill germs only. You can use one wipe to disinfect a much larger area than if you were cleaning with it as well.

3. How about combination cleaning? Clean ONLY your dirtiest household surfaces with disinfectants, and use enviro friendly cleaners on the rest! 4. Use vinegar to disinfect. Vinegar (as well as lemon juice) are so highly acidic that used straight virtually no germ can survive exposure to them. It disrupts the PH balance and does the buggies in. Distilled vinegar has a less offensive odor:

http://www.versatilevinegar.org/
http://forest.fireshui.com/cleaning/vinegar.html
http://womencentral.net/budget-household.html
Vinegar is especially powerful when mixed with salt. Use 1 cup straight vinegar with 1tsp. salt mixed in. You can add essential oils to help with the smell.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9209127&dopt=Abstract

Mixing Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide works wonders too! Susan Sumner, a food scientist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, worked out the recipe for just such a sanitizing combo. All you need is three percent hydrogen peroxide, the same strength available at the drug store for gargling or disinfecting wounds, and plain white or apple cider vinegar, and a pair of brand new clean sprayers, like the kind you use to dampen laundry before ironing. If you're cleaning vegetables or fruit, just spritz them well first with both the vinegar and the hydrogen peroxide, and then rinse them off under running water. It doesn't matter which you use first - you can spray with the vinegar then the hydrogen peroxide, or with the hydrogen peroxide followed by the vinegar. You won't get any lingering taste of vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, and neither is toxic to you if a small amount remains on the produce. As a bonus: The paired sprays work exceptionally well in sanitizing counters and other food preparation surfaces -- including wood cutting boards. In tests run at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, pairing the two mists killed virtually all Salmonella, Shigella, or E. coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces when used in this fashion, making this spray combination more effective at killing these potentially lethal bacteria than chlorine bleach or any commercially available kitchen cleaner. The best results came from using one mist right after the other - it is 10 times more effective than using either spray by itself and more effective than mixing the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in one sprayer.

5. DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR SPONGES!!! Not only is it expensive, but also bad for the environment. To keep your sponges healthy and clean. You can wring them out well and place them in the top rack of your dishwasher each time you wash. You can also fill a sponge with water and microwave it for three minutes on high. Allow it to cool off before handling. Also, choose the thinnest sponges possible, and wring them out and dry them between uses.

Monday, December 05, 2005

Diva Rant-Pit Bulls



Diva Rant-

Trashy People and Their Pit Bulls

Disclaimer***Let me begin by saying that I know that not all people who have pit bulls are trashy, so don’t write to me saying that YOU have one and aren’t trashy. This is my opinion, based on things I have witnessed directly and happen to have an opinion about. I also know that not all low-income people are trashy. When I use the term trashy, I’m referring to pit bull owners who train their dogs to fight, and breed them poorly.

Saturday, we went into a low-income ( and crime infested) neighborhood to get low cost shots for our dog. Most of the customers live in the area and walk there. DH just happens to teach in this particular area, so we do go there some. Anyway, I was disgusted when we drove up and I saw two people coming from different directions (walking in) with pit bulls on chains. When we went in, there were two people already in the clinic with them. Plus, there were two lost signs from people who had their pit bulls stolen. At that point, I thought about it and realized that I’ve NEVER seen a pit bull in my area. Growing up, I never saw a pit bull in an animal clinic (I’ve been to many b/c we always had pets. ) As a matter of fact, other than my friend Brandy’s pb, and my friend Rosie’s half-pit bull, I’d never seen one in the flesh, yet I go to a low income/high crime area and they are everywhere (and their ears are cropped, which is generally done to keep their ears from getting torn off in fights.) From this, I deduced that there is a probability that most pit bull owners are from low income/high crime areas for some reason. Many websites I found by Googling seemed to back-up this thought. Here is a quote from one, which seems to imply that pit bulls (especially vicious ones) are mostly owned by people in crime infested/poor areas:
“Many low-income areas around the nation have adopted this practice, along with dog fighting, as a means of enjoyment and entertainment. As a result, Pitbulls have fallen victim to inhumane practices and immoral treatment. Today, abuse and neglect of this breed has proved very common, while the breed alone is being blamed.”
http://student.vwc.edu/~flmyers/pitbulls.htm
I decided to send DH outside with our dog and daughter b/c I don’t like the idea of my 3yo or dog being around a pit bull. Apparently, my fears weren’t unfounded contrary to many pit bull owner’s cries. One of the dogs was on a chain, and the owner told the woman sitting next to him that the dog didn’t like strangers or other dogs. Every time the door opened, this dog would jump up and bark like crazy and show its teeth. The owner then proceeded to hit the dog (no wonder the damn dog is vicious.)

Within a minute, the owner struck up a conversation with one of the other pit bull owners. Being the nosey tart that I am, I had to eves drop. They were trying to talk in code about fighting their dogs, but they were too stupid to do it well. One of the guys said, “I’ve been losing a lot of dogs lately, if you know what I mean. I lost one last night. But I don’t fight this one, I just breed her.” I love how he’s TRYING to be subtle, but then he comes on out and says exactly what he’s talking about. He was a smart one. I continued to listen to them discuss this barbaric issue for several minutes. It really disgusted me. I said something to the clerk about it, and apparently, all the pet clinic can do is treat the hurt dogs and notify the authorities of possible fighting. But, since it’s a VERY high crime area, the police have other things to focus on.

I have read the arguments about the problem with pit bulls being with the owners, not the breed. You can go to this site to check out pro-pitbull information. It is a great site:

http://www.badrap.org/rescue/index.cfm

But, even with all that I have read, I still can’t help but to realize that I never hear about labs or standard poodles attacking and killing people, or being bred to fight. What this logically tells me is that pit bulls have an inherent aggression that can be easily bought out by sinister people who want to train them to fight. I have seen the trial stats that have been quoted by pit bull lovers comparing their temperament to beagles and labs. Yet, I still never hear about beagles or labs viciously biting someone to the death or about dog fighting with these breeds. If pit bulls aren’t inherently vicious (or some that are bred that way) why does it seem to be the dog of choice for dog fighting?? Why do we always hear about them being attack dogs? If these dogs are so great, why do they have such a bad rep? It’s b/c there is some truth to them being inherently vicious. Even the Bad Rap crew admits that these dog have inherent tendencies and that owners need to be really careful and alert. Since the sight doesn’t allow copy and paste, here’s the link to the page:

http://www.badrap.org/rescue/myths.cfm- scroll down to the myth “Don’t Pit Bulls Have to be Trained to Fight?”

My friend has a dog that is half pit bull. He is very small. They are very kind people, yet the dog still has a very vicious streak. It has attacked other animals and people, so I have a feeling that it doesn’t necessarily take bad training from sinister people to bring out the bad side of this breed. My thought (and I know it isn’t fact, just an idea) is that in order to have a pit bull without any vicious streak what so ever, one must carefully choose where they get the dog, and take extreme care in raising these animals. My friend Brandy has a wonderful pit bull that is sweet and very loyal. She has been very vigilant in raising the dog and got it from a dealer known for it’s calm pits. I do believe that there are good pits. I have seen them myself. And having had a very vicious Pomeranian that had to be given a new home b/c he attacked my child, I know that these aren’t the only aggressive- breeds, I am not claiming that. What I’m claiming is that pit bulls seem to be a breed that is attractive to low income thugs who want to fight them. I have no problem with pit bull bans if they keep the animals out of the hands of people like this. If it keeps one animal from needlessly dying, getting hurt, or from being abused, I’m all for it. I don’t like the idea of the animals being put down b/c of the breeding bans, and I have no solution to that part of the problem. It just seems like with all of the problems with these dogs and the care that must be exercised in breeding and owning them that doing without the breed wouldn’t be that much of a loss.

If you are really bored, try this site. It's loaded with ads, but it's something to do if you like pit bulls-
http://www.ratemypitbull.com/?z=1