Possible Ice Age Coming?

My friend in Scotland has kept me informed of the terrible winter weather, complete with 'thunder snow' she has experienced recently. She and I have discussed the possibility of a coming ice age. More damage has been done to the earth through ice ages than ever done through global warming!

It was another nasty winter not just in the United States, but in Europe and parts of Asia. Norway and Sweden had the worst November in 100 years. In Britain, it was the coldest December in recorded weather history and it was the worst winter in Moscow in a century.

Has a Cooling Period Begun?

At the Danish Space Institute, scientists are studying the correlation between sunspot activity and the severe winters many parts of the world are experiencing.

The Institute's Dr. Jens Olaf Pedersen said it's too early to know whether the last two harsh winters are the beginning of a prolonged cooling period.

"The sun is behaving in a very unusual way. We've just been through a solar minimum which has been unusually long, and it seems we have to go back 200 years to find such a long solar minimum," he explained.

Low Sunspot Activity Theory

The Danish Space Institute is a proponent of the Svensmark Cosmic Ray Theory -- that low sunspot activity allows more cosmic rays to reach the earth, leading to more clouds and colder temperatures.

"When the sun starts to become more passive or less active, then we will have more cosmic rays and we will have more clouds and we will have colder climate on earth," Pedersen said.

In 2009, the earth had 290 days without sunspots and 51 days without sunspots last year. This year, sunspot activity has not only picked up, but has included at large solar flare.

Does that mean warm weather ahead? Pedersen said it's too soon to know, but may be just be a blip during a longer term solar minimum.

Global Cooling on the Way

Dr. Don Easterbrook, professor emeritus of geology at Western Washington University, said we'll be in a cold pattern for a while.

"The good news is that global warming is over -- at least for the next few decades. The bad news is global cooling is on the way. Actually, it's arriving now," he told CBN News.

Bad news because for all the talk about how warming was going to threaten life on the planet, cooling is actually much worse.

"The reason is cold climates kill twice as many people as warm climates. Cold extremes, the death rate is twice what it is for warm extremes. There is decreased food production, which is already occurring," Easterbrook said.

A Modern Ice Age?

An expert at the Niels Bohr Institute said the greatest climate challenge mankind has faced has been surviving ice ages. Many scientists say there were several ice ages. Leading creationists believe there was just one, after the flood.

But they both agree that the most recent one, ending many thousands of years ago, was cataclysmic. A towering ice sheet spread south over northern Europe, most of Canada and the northern U.S. Chicago was buried under a mile of ice.

It was an event so colossal that when it melted, it left behind natural wonders like the Great Lakes and the Niagara Falls.

If it were to happen in today's world, the most populated parts of the northern U.S. and Europe would become all but uninhabitable, creating economic chaos and food shortages. It would be a disaster on a monumental scale.

But there's little mainstream scientific concern about global cooling. Last year, 2010, was declared one of the warmest years on record, although the whole business of temperature reporting has become politicized because of global warming.

"There is of course a totally different agenda for the people who are pushing global warming. That's all about money -- about making hundreds of billions of dollars for certain individuals who are pushing the whole thing," Easterbrook noted.

This week the European Union released a plan that would ban cars from European cities, as a way to fight global warming.

The belief in global warming is also a belief that man can somehow predict future climate. But the sudden and catastrophic Japanese earthquake was a grim reminder that man remains at the mercy of nature's unpredictable and sudden extremes.

This is not likely to happen in our lifetime, but scientists say the climate perhaps is the most unpredictable part of nature.

Thank you, Dale Hurd

read more "Possible Ice Age Coming?"

The Orchid That 'Nabs' Bees!

There really is a flower bees should know about! The relatively rare bucket orchid, Coryanthes, behaves almost like an animal at pollination time. This remarkable ability to 'nab bees' is essential to its survival.

Coryanthes has a steep-sided flower. Two glands extend over the center of the "bucket" and secrete a clear fluid into the flower after it opens. Just above the pool of fluid inside the bucket, a orchid-tunnel opens to the outside of the bucket. At the end of the tunnel are the flower's pollen and stigma.

When it opens, the flower sends out a strong, sweet odor that can attract male bees from over five miles away. The male bees collect a waxy material on the flower's surface that they later use in mating rituals. As the number of bees collecting this substance off the flower's surface increases, so does the likelihood that in the excitement one of them will fall into the pool below.

When this happens, the sticky fluid makes it impossible for the bee to make its out of the "top" of the bucket-shaped flower. However, the tunnel provides an easy exit.

But as the bee nears the tunnel's end, the flower drops down a projection from the tunnel's ceiling, holding the bee for about ten minutes before freeing him. While the bee is held, the flower glues two packets of pollen to the bee. If it should happen that the bee already has pollen packets, this activity delivers the pollen to the stigma, and pollination is complete.

The Coryanthes orchid not only shows us the Creator, but it shows us how unlimited His creativity and imagination are.

2011 Christian Nature

"Which does great things past finding out; yes, and wonders without number."
Job 9:10

read more "The Orchid That 'Nabs' Bees!"

What Is The Purpose of Your Nose?

What is the purpose of your nose?

How does your nose work? Medical researchers admit that they don't know.

Your nose performs an extremely unlikely job. It senses invisible molecules in the air and turns each molecule into a unique sensation that is sent to the brain. If the fact that molecules floating in the air could be detected was a modern discovery, it would be hailed as the scientific discovery of the century!

Medical researchers do know that the roof of your nose cavity contains about 10 million cells that are wired directly into the brain. The nervous system that connects your olfactory cells to your brain is so large and complex that its surface area is several times greater than the surface area of your body.

Researchers also know that your sense of smell is important to your sense of taste. For example, that's why – when you have a head cold – chocolate tastes like a flavorless waxy paste. In this case, what you taste in your mouth has more to do with what is happening in your nose than on your tongue.

Many creatures, including birds, can sense odors. Farmers who had difficulty with birds eating as much as 20 percent of the food set out in feed lots discovered that birds hate the smell of grapes. When they laced the feed with grape scent, the birds left it alone, but the cattle didn't seem to mind.

Researchers have also learned that each of us has a unique "odor print." This reminds us that each of us is a unique being, made by our Creator because He wanted to have a relationship with us.

Notes: Dawson, Jim. 1990. "Nose is now." Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Nov. 8

2011 Christian Nature

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."
Romans 8:29

read more "What Is The Purpose of Your Nose?"

Teeny Wings, Big Bodies - How Do Bees Fly? - Video

Have you ever looked at a bee? Their wings are so small and their bodies so comparatively large! How in the world do they support those bodies with teeny wings?

Scientists are still trying to learn the secret of bumblebee flight. And while they are learning some astonishing things about the bumblebee, they still don't know how he does it.

Scientists have been testing bumblebees by monitoring their energy use, placing them in wind tunnels, and measuring their oxygen use. No, they haven't been able to make little oxygen masks for the bees – bumblebees have 24 breathing holes.

Scientists have learned that a flying bumblebee flaps its wings 160 times per second and consumes the equivalent of 180 candy bars per hour! A flying bee uses the same amount of oxygen for its body weight as a flying bird or a bat.

However, unlike birds, the bumblebee uses no more oxygen when hovering than when flying. This is only one of the discoveries that contradict scientists' theories. In fact, the director of the latest studies on bumblebee flight admits that they still have no idea how the bumblebee stays in the air. He warns other scientists to stop using the current theories on the subject because they are far too simple.

Of course, our Creator God knows how to make a bumblebee fly, even if the best of modern science can't figure it out. This should help us to see that when scientists tell us they have figured out how everything could have been made without a Creator, they don't know what they're talking about.

Notes: Science News

Bee In Slow Motion

2011 Christian Nature

Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalms 100:3

read more "Teeny Wings, Big Bodies - How Do Bees Fly? - Video"

What Meteorologists Think About 'Greenhouse Effect'

What do professional meteorologists think about claims that the earth is undergoing a 'greenhouse effect' because of man's activities?

Scientific opinion is growing that there is nothing to the idea that the earth is either warming or in danger of warming under the proposed influence of the 'greenhouse effect'. More in the scientific community are also becoming increasingly outspoken in their opposition to the false science used to support the idea that man's activities are causing the earth to become warmer.

The Gallup poll recently interviewed a cross-section of members of the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society. Do these scientists, who should know better than anyone else, think that the 'greenhouse effect' is something to fear?

According to the poll, less than half- 41 percent - think that there is scientific evidence for global warming. However, 70 percent thought that the scientific work supporting greenhouse conclusions is "fair to poor."

So it is not true that all scientists accept the idea that greenhouse warming is going on. Less than half of the professional meteorologists believe it's happening. And most suspect the quality of the scientific work supporting ideas about greenhouse warming.

While Christians favor good stewardship of our resources, we need not fear the destruction of our planet, as do the unbelievers. Christ clearly tells us that Christians will be here to greet Him when He returns.

Notes: National Review/The Detroit News

2011 Christian Nature

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Matthew 24:30

read more "What Meteorologists Think About 'Greenhouse Effect'"

Predicting Time and Place of Earthquakes

By learning from history, a new Israeli invention promises to help pinpoint where and when earthquakes will strike again, minimizing danger to lives and property.

As Japan continues to pick up the pieces after this month's devastating earthquake and tsunami that are likely to have killed over 10,000 people, left hundreds of thousands homeless, and threatened a nuclear catastrophe, Israeli geologists have unveiled a new tool that allows researchers to learn critical lessons for the future by understanding patterns of seismic activity in the past.

Developed by Prof. Shmuel Marco of Tel Aviv University, the tool, which he calls a fossil seismograph, examines geological formations to find historical patterns of earthquakes reaching far back into the ancient past.

With this information, experts can better predict where and when earthquakes, like the destructive 9-point earthquake that hit Japan, may occur again - and take measures to prevent more catastrophic damage.

"Current seismographical data on earthquakes only reaches back a century or so," says Marco, whose latest research was published in the journal Geology. Most earthquake activity takes place on a longer cycle, sometimes of several hundred years, so 100 years of information just isn't enough for predictive purposes, he explains.

Mud can be revealing

"Our new approach investigates wave patterns of heavy sediment that penetrate into the light sediments that lie directly on top of them. This helps us to understand the intensity of earthquakes in bygone eras - it's a yardstick for measuring the impact factor of earthquakes from the past."

Marco began developing the seismograph, which can be used in areas where earthquakes affect large bodies of water like lakes or seas, after observing a strange "wave" phenomenon in disturbed sediment in the Dead Sea region.

Marco, along with his colleague Prof. Eyal Hefetz and doctoral student Nadav Wetzer, found that the layers of mud in the Dead Sea were originally stratified in a very stable manner, but now heavier sediment appears to have been pulled up into the lighter sediment - presumably the result of seismic activity, since earthquakes cause deformation in rocks and sediment.

Using a combination of physics and geometry principles, the researchers were able to analyze the deformation of sediment caused by past earthquakes and calculate how past earthquakes were distributed in scale, time and place. How the deformation process advances depends on the strength of the earthquake - the stronger the trembler, the more intense the deformation.

When will an earthquake strike again?
When and where the next big quake will hit is a question that has captured Marco's attention for a long time.

In his previous research on the history of earthquakes in the Middle East as a predictor of the future, Marco delved into hundreds of ancient manuscripts, many of which were written by Christian and Muslim clerics, to determine that a series of major earthquakes hit the Jordan Valley over the past 2,000 years.

He told ISRAEL21c that an interval of about 400 years separated each significant earthquake until the last one, almost a thousand years ago. This unusually long interval means that a great deal of tension has been building along the fault line, and may be released at any time in a potentially devastating earthquake in the region.

If danger zones can be pinpointed accurately before hand, however, it can help engineers ensure that all new buildings in the vulnerable areas are quake proof, and that old ones are fortified accordingly.

As this month's devastation in Japan, and the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti a year earlier, proves only too well, the need to predict where and when an earthquake might hit is vital information for countries as far apart as Israel, the Middle East, Asia, and the United States.

Source: Israel21c

2011 Christian Nature

read more "Predicting Time and Place of Earthquakes"

Must-See! Video of Aurora Borealis over Norway

"After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in Heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, 'Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.' At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in Heaven with Someone sitting on it. And the One who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne." Revelation 4:1-3

Videographer Terje Sorgjerd says he spent a week capturing "one of the biggest aurora borealis shows in recent years."

Indeed his time-lapse video is absolutely beautiful, as it reveals dancing ribbons of lime-green wisps of light in the skies over Norway.

Watching this footage reminds me of the beautiful colors described in Revelation 4, as John is "caught up" into the very throne-room of God.

Sorgjerd notes that the video was "shot in and around Kirkenes and Pas National Park bordering Russia, at 70 degrees north and 30 degrees east." "Temperatures around -25 Celsius. Good fun," he adds.

The remarkable video is set against the soundtrack from Gladiator, and the song "Now We Are Free."

Aurora Borealis

2011 Christian Nature

read more "Must-See! Video of Aurora Borealis over Norway"

Vampire Bats, We Need Your Saliva!

There is a new drug called desmoteplase for stroke victims, and it's made from the saliva of vampire bats! Sounds bizarre, doesn't it?

A stroke – sometimes called a brain attack – happens when a blood clot prevents blood circulation in the brain. Unless the clot is quickly dissolved, the brain cells will die. There is currently only one approved drug to dissolve these clots, but it must be given within three hours of the stroke. Unfortunately, most stroke victims don’t get to the hospital that quickly.

This new drug, desmoteplase, has now proven safe and effective when given up to nine hours after a stroke. This is a preliminary conclusion after limited human testing. Most amazingly, like I said, this drug is made from the saliva of vampire bats! These bats must feed on blood. Typically, they pierce the skin of a cow or some other mammal.

The bat saliva contains the working chemical in desmoteplase and keeps the blood from coagulating while the bat is feeding; when it is finished, the blood clots in its host quite naturally.

Not only is the critical time in which desmoteplase can be applied much greater than that of the man-made drug, but it appears to carry no risk of causing a hemorrhage.

Again, man has gone to one of God’s designs and found something that is better than anything man could devise. That this happens every day should send the message to everyone that we are the result of a wise Creator.

Notes: Science News

2011 Christian Nature

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood....” Leviticus 17:11

read more "Vampire Bats, We Need Your Saliva!"

Feel Poorly? Could Be Your 'Internal Clock'

Did you know you have a number of clocks within you that help keep life constant in changing surroundings? If you're feeling poorly, it could be your 'internal clock'.

The pineal gland is one clock that helps all of us adjust to our surroundings like the changing lengths of daylight through the year.

Earlier in this century, many scientists, having no understanding of the pineal, decided that it had no purpose and was left over as a vestige from our evolution. Creationists knew it must have a purpose because they knew we have not evolved.

If you are one of those people who typically feel a bit more lethargic or even depressed during the darkest months of winter, you might be able to blame your pineal, which is located near the center of your brain.

How can a gland deep in the center of the brain know how long the days are? Light causes our bodies to make certain chemicals. When days are short, those chemicals are scarce, so the pineal cannot make from these chemicals the hormones that encourage the alertness we feel in the spring and summer.

In addition, your pineal has a private nerve hookup to your eyes, so it can literally see for itself how much light is available! Scientists have found that adding artificial light during winter can sometimes help the winter blues.

Our bodies are a network of complex control systems and chemical factories – a complex union of systems that go beyond the abilities of the best human designers, but which testify to the wisdom of the Creator!

Notes: Science Magazine

2011 Christian Nature

read more "Feel Poorly? Could Be Your 'Internal Clock'"

Science Way Back When

Sometimes we 'modern' folks get so full of ourselves, thinking we are so much smarter than humans who lived thousands of years ago - it's plain arrogance! Let's just take a look at science way back when.

For centuries the Chinese were the world's greatest scientists and engineers. Many people know that the Chinese invented the compass and gunpowder, but these are only the beginning.

Over 1,000 years ago, Chinese astronomer Su Song built the first planetarium. He even tilted it at a precise 23.5? to match the Earth's tilt.

More than 2,000 years ago another Chinese astronomer noted the moons of Jupiter – long before Galileo "discovered" them.

Almost 1,000 years ago, the Chinese used gunpowder to make over 30 types of fire arrows, including one that was a two-stage rocket.

They were great shipbuilders as well. One of the most famous examples is a nine-masted, 300-foot ship with watertight bulkheads. The Chinese-invented odometer featured reduction gears and carved figures that beat a drum every time a distance of about one-fifth of a mile was traveled.

The world's first known working seismometer – a device that registers earthquakes – was built in 132 AD. A 16th-century palace roof was designed with a series of interlocking joints that were layered to provide flexibility in case of an earthquake.

As our knowledge of humanity reaches into history and grows, the picture we are seeing is not that of a primitive becoming more like a modern human. Rather, we see humans – ever curious and inventive – creatures that are very different from the animal world. Truly we have come from the hand of God Himself!

2011 Christian Nature


"And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." 1 Corinthians 15:49

read more "Science Way Back When"

You Won't Find THIS Silk In Your Lingerie Store!

Did you know spiders make several different kinds of silk, each with its own purpose? I know I was very surprised to learn this! How many of us take time to inspect spider silk? Most of us just feel the web on our face and say, "Yuck!" while we are trying to brush it off! And spider silk is very different from what other kinds of silk! Nope, you won't find stretchy silk in your lingerie store!

The silk produced by spiders is very different from the silk produced by silkworms in some very important ways. While silkworm silk is strong yet not prone to stretching, spiders make silk that is both strong and stretchy. They also make several different kinds of silk, each with its own purpose.

In fact, spider silk is stronger than an equal amount of steel and yet it stretches. Spider silk is made of nothing more than proteins. However, scientists are finding it extremely difficult to study the chemical structure of spider silk because it resists most of their efforts to break it down into its chemical parts.

Scientists have finally resorted to hot, concentrated acids to break down the silk. They are learning that one type of spider silk is made up of lengths of very stiff amino acids, separated by segments of amino acids that form a springy helix. Together they contribute to the strength and stretchiness of spider silk.

Scientists are exploring how spider silk is made because this wonderful material promises new methods for creating stronger and lighter materials for human use. One possible use would be making cloth that is both comfortable and bulletproof.
God has done all things well. The fact that we can learn to design better things by learning how He designed things is a witness for His wisdom as well as a witness against claims that the creation designed itself by trial and error. However, there is much more to God's plans for us, as you can learn from the Bible.

Notes: Amato, I. "Unraveling the biochemistry of spider silk." Science News

2011 Christian Nature

"Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him." Colossians 1:15-16

read more "You Won't Find THIS Silk In Your Lingerie Store!"

California Waiting for 'Super Moon Earthquake' - Video

Jim Berkland, a former U.S. Geological Survey analyst, predicts that an earthquake may hit California sometime between March 19 and 26.

"What I call a seismic window, this top seismic window in years is developing between the 19th and 26th of this month," Berkland said during an interview with Fox News on Monday.


Berkland correctly predicted the 1989 quake that hit California during the World Series in the San Francisco Bay area. He told Fox News that some of the same signs that preceded that quake have shown up again.

He warned that the moon will be very close to the earth -- a supermoon -- which will increase tidal forces. There are five Supermoons during 2011:

1. February 12, 2011
2. March 19, 2011
3. April 18, 2011
4. September 27, 2011
5. November 25, 2011

Also, he said animal behavior, such as the recent fish deaths (which I wrote about), is indicating a change in the earth's magnetic field, which often happens before a quake.

"But I'm saying we just had a massive fish kill," he said. "Maybe a million fish died in Redondo Beach. They had a massive fish sweep in Mexico. We just had a bunch of whales come in close to San Diego."

"I used to just scoff at these kinds of things, because I was a mainstream geologist until I found out that earthquakes are fitting a pattern," Berkland explained. "The big earthquake in the Indian Ocean followed massive beachings of whales in New Zealand and Australia and Tasmania.

And then within couple of days, they had a 8.3 in south of New Zealand, and then came the 9.1 in the Indian Ocean, with the big tsunami, on the very day of the supermoon."

"The previous big quake and tsunami was in Alaska, which is a 9.2 magnitude event, on the day off the full moon, on the 27th of March," he added.

As a person living in So. California, this is not welcome news! Just one more reason to draw nearer to The One Who knows all and is my Help.

Supermoon

2011 Christian Nature

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

read more "California Waiting for 'Super Moon Earthquake' - Video"

Nature's Armed Ballistic Missle

It's Nature's armed ballistic missle - a fungus with a hair trigger. The fungus known as Haptoglossa uses high-velocity projectiles fired from automatic cannons built into its body. Thankfully, the fungus's impressive weaponry is aimed at other microscopic creatures.

Haptoglossa lives in ponds and wet soil. Its prey is the microscopic rotifer. Rotifers are so tiny that they can as easily swim in pond water or the water between the grains that saturate moist soil. When the rotifer brushes against one of Haptoglossa's cannon cells, the cannon fires a missile of cellular material into the rotifer.

It's thought that the cannon's fire power comes from high pressure fluid at the base of the cell. The fired missile punches a hole through the rotifer's protective covering, preparing the way for a second attack wave.

Next, the fungus extends a hypodermic tube into the rotifer. This tube delivers Haptoglossa's single-celled infection unit into the rotifer. This cell begins to multiply inside the rotifer until the entire rotifer is nothing but fungus cells.

No matter how small and seemingly unimportant to us, everything God made reflects His creativity and excellent workmanship. Even microscopic creatures are filled with devices and inventions that move us to marvel at the Creator's care for each life form He has made. As Scripture says, "How excellent are His works in all the Earth!"

Notes: Science News

2011 Christian Nature

O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, You who set Your glory above the heavens! Psalm 8:1

read more "Nature's Armed Ballistic Missle"

Watchmaker No Illusion

Have you heard the 'Watchmaker' argument for Creation? The argument says that if you find a watch, you know that the watch didn't just happen. There had to be a Watchmaker. But a book was written, titled The Blind Watchmaker, and it tried to show that the design we see in the creation is simply an illusion – there is no Watchmaker. Personally, I do not believe the Watchmaker is an illusion!

In answer to this claim, we can point to the millions of wonderfully intricate designs in the creation. However, it seems more fitting to respond to the claim that there is no Watchmaker by mentioning the many "timepieces" in the creation that tie everything together.

All of us are aware of the daily rhythm of waking and sleeping. However, this is only one of many timepieces in creation. Our bodies also have weekly, monthly and annual rhythms. So important are these rhythms to life and health that physicians are beginning to learn how to use them for healing. Doctors know, for example, that jogging in the evening will reduce platelet clumping in the blood; however, it won't in the morning. And doctors have learned that T-cells, which fight infections, are at a peak in the wintertime. Ulcer medicines are now timed to release in the body at night when flare-ups are the worst.

When medicine is so reliant on the many clocks built into us, we know they are not illusions. The entire complex creation is tied together by an even more complex set of clocks – all telling us that the Watchmaker is no illusion!


Notes: Rosenthal, Elisabeth. 1990. "Medicine a matter of timing." Minneapolis Star-Tribune, October 2. and Creation Moments

2011 Christian Nature

read more "Watchmaker No Illusion"

California Search Dogs On Their Way to Japan

California's search and rescue dogs are on their way to Japan! I'm so proud of them!

The search dog foundation based in Ojai, California sent a dozen teams from around the country to Japan.

The team that flew on a chartered plane to a US Navy Base in Japan and then drove six hours to get to the most devastated areas.

Some of the dogs are credited with finding people buried alive in Haiti.

They hope to find survivors in Japan too but this time they have to take extra safety precautions because of the nuclear crisis.

Debra Tosch the Executive Director of the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, says every team that goes out has an individual monitor measuring radiation levels so they know where to go and where not to go.

They dogs will keep searching as long as there is a chance they can find people still alive in the debris.

You can follow their heroic journey by logging onto www.searchdogfoundation.org.

2011 Christian Nature

read more "California Search Dogs On Their Way to Japan"

Where Did Learning Come From?

It appears that all animals have the ability to learn because based on information about their surroundings, they predict other things about their surroundings. For example, honeybees know which types of flowers offer pollen at any given time. They don't waste their time checking out flowers that have nothing to offer. But where did learning come from?

Scientists have been amazed at how a wide range of animals show two different types of learning. Even a garden slug can learn to avoid its favorite food through simple conditioning. However, many animals also learn from changes in their environment.

Animals learn to expect different results if their schedule is changed, for example. Birds learn the song their species sings by hearing their elders sing. They also learn regional variants of their species' songs.

Scientists who believe in evolution are struggling to explain how the ability to learn could have evolved. They are struck by the fact that learning follows the same principles in pigeons, bees, and slugs.

At the same time, they admit that they don't know how learning works. We need to ask: how could they know learning evolved, if they don't even know how it works? The fact that they are sure the ability to learn could have evolved, even though they don't know how, shows that evolution is a faith and not science.

We learn a better faith when we go to the Book that was written by the Author of all learning.

Notes: Science News

2010 Christian Nature

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. Psalm 111:10

read more "Where Did Learning Come From?"

The Shifty Fungus

It's not just people who can be shifty! There are shifty insects, fungus, plants, and other critters.

Parasites, especially fungi, are usually written off by evolutionary biologists as simple, primitive organisms. However, whether they choose to recognize the Creator or not, biologists are learning that nothing in God's creation is simple or primitive. Parasites seem to display some of the most clever planning or scheming – depending on your point of view – in all creation.

A parasitic fungus that infects a roadside weed called Catchfly seems to do nothing harmful to the plant. After infection, a profusion of white blossoms will open – even a few weeks earlier than normal. Bees and butterflies will arrive to collect the grains from the flowers.

However, the grains they are spreading aren't pollen but fungus spores. The fungus has not only turned female flowers into males, but has transformed the stamens into spore factories.

This is not the only trick played by the fungus. It also coaxes the Catchfly into producing far more flowers than usual, making the plants it infects more attractive than surrounding Catchflies. As a result, pollinators come first to the infected flowers before going to the uninfected plants.

This is but one example among many showing that nothing from God's hand is carelessly done. The lesson for us is more than that living things don't fit into the evolutionary simple-to-complex scheme. God also wants us to know that He cares about everything He has made, no matter how lowly.

Notes: Science News

2011 Christian Nature

"I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: Which does great things and unsearchable; marvelous things without number: Who gives rain upon the earth, and sends waters upon the fields." Job 5:8-10

read more "The Shifty Fungus"

Jupiter and Mercury Line Up at Twilight through March 16th

Are you a sky-watcher? If you enjoy sky watching at all, you'll want to be looking up at the western sky around twilight—through Wednesday—to see two bright, shining planets align.

According to a Universe Today report, Jupiter and Mercury will be paired up and quite visible with the naked eye about 40 minutes after sunset, as twilight fades, now through March 16th.

Alan MacRobert, a senior editor of Sky & Telescope magazine, notes, "Mercury is pretty hard to spot most of the time, so a lot of people have never recognized it in their lives. With Jupiter guiding the way, now's your chance."

The article states that Jupiter has dominated the twilight sky, but that the planet is "on its way down" for the season, and will no longer be visible in a couple of weeks.

Looking up at God's creation above is always a good reminder to me of just how big, creative and infinite He is!

Source: Tammy Plotner – Universe Today


2011 Christian Nature

"When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?" -Psalm 8:2-4

read more "Jupiter and Mercury Line Up at Twilight through March 16th"

That Sneaky, Sneaky Bola!

The bola spider is said to have evolved its amazing abilities all by itself. Why, then is it smarter than mankind in some respects; and why does it have some abilities that we lack? Maybe because of its sneaky, sneaky bola ways!

The bola spider's favorite food is moths, but it doesn't weave a web. The bola spider produces the same scent produced by a female moth. Male moths are attracted to this scent and the spider waits for the inevitable appearance of a male moth.

As the male moth nears, the bola senses the vibrations from its wings. At just the right moment, the spider casts out its bola. The bola, after which the spider is named, is a special spider-silk thread with a sticky glob on the end.

Scientists who have studied this glue-glob say that modern chemistry could not equal it. The silken line is so elastic that it can stretch up to six times its original length. This allows the spider to conserve its energy while the moth struggles. Once reeled in, the bola wraps the moth in silk for storage until it's hungry. The bola's method works so well that it is not unusual for one spider to catch up to eight moths a night.

Normally, a species is unable to detect the mating scents of other species. How could the bola spider devise its plan? Once the plan was invented, how could the spider learn how to duplicate the female moth's chemistry?

How could the bola spider be more clever than our best chemists? Of course, the only answer to these questions is that the bola spider was designed and created by God Who invented chemistry in the first place.

Notes: Science News

2011 Christian Nature

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10

read more "That Sneaky, Sneaky Bola!"

Love Songs of Hawaiian Fruit Flies

I remember the last time I was in Hawaii. Oh, the beauty of very large leaves - they were much larger than the same plants in California. And there was lots more humidity and bugs, I remember! But the tropical beauty was never to be forgotten. Tropical beauty has inspired many Hawaiian love songs. However, none is more unusual than the love song of Hawaiian fruit flies.

There are more than 100 species of Hawaiian Drosophila, or fruit fly. Just like everything else in that tropical paradise, these fruit flies are not the drab creatures known in mainland biology labs. Hawaiian fruit flies are larger and more brightly colored. And while mainland fruit flies do sing, Hawaiian fruit flies offer more variety in their songs and in the way they make the sounds.

One of their unique songs is called the 'click song'. Its high pitched clicks sound something like a fingernail being dragged across a comb. Another song is made up of a complex pattern that includes pulses and trills. A third song pattern is a steady purr. A fourth pattern is made up of a low hum. Scientists describe the singing patterns as elaborate for a fly.

Scientists suspect that the fruit flies use singing as part of their mating ritual. In one encounter, a male stood behind a female with his head under her wing. He then hummed until she either accepted his advance or flew off. It may be, scientists speculate, that the female feels the male's song rather than hears it. Songs and rituals seem to vary between the species.

Scripture tells us that everything in the creation sings praise to our Creator. Often that truth is taken as figurative. However, as we learn more about His creatures, we see that the complexity of music is a gift that has been given to many things in the creation.

Notes: Science News

2011 Christian Nature

"Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works."
1 Chronicles 16:9

read more "Love Songs of Hawaiian Fruit Flies"

The Miracle of Smelling

I put Cookie out in the mornings to potty, and one-quarter of her time is spent actually pottying! The rest is smelling her yard to see who has dared to come in during the night. Dogs 'read' the yard like we read a newspaper! Yep, dogs were born to smell, and the ability to smell is, indeed, a miracle.

It's commonly known that many animals are able to detect extraordinarily weak odors. The real mystery is how they can smell scents that are 1,000 times too weak to produce the chemical reactions necessary to make a scent signal.

From the chemist's point of view, our sense of smell shouldn't work as well as it does. When you smelled that wonderful dinner a few days ago, a marvel of chemical reactions was taking place in your nose. Scientists still aren't sure how we sense such a wide range of smells. It was while investigating this question that scientists may have stumbled across the answer to another question.

The receptors in our noses have to detect a certain number of scent molecules before they can trigger the chemical response that makes the signal that tells us we have smelled something.

When air is drawn into your nose, an organ called Steno's duct sprays a fine mist. Scientists always thought this mist simply humidified the incoming air. Now they've discovered that the duct also makes proteins that grab onto odor molecules. Sprayed into the incoming air, the proteins collect odor molecules.

Then, with their load of odor molecules, they settle onto receptors that trigger your sense of smell. As a result, even scents that are too weak to smell are concentrated by this ingenious system so that we can sense them.

Our sense of smell helps protect us, gives our food flavor, and adds richness to the experience of living. It's truly a marvel of our Creator's design.

Notes: Science News

2011 Christian Nature

"But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things [which were sent] from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God." Philippians 4:18

read more "The Miracle of Smelling"

The Exception - Who Is It?

All insects that hear, except one, have two ears. Some insects have ears on their legs, thorax or abdomen. However, they all follow the same principle. Their ears are separated so that they can locate the source of the sound – except in one insect. The exception - who is it?

Scientists always thought the praying mantis was deaf. The 1,700 species of mantises have no structure that looks like an ear. Only after a long process of detailed study and testing did scientists finally discover that the mantis can hear. Further investigation finally led to the discovery of one of the most bizarre methods of hearing anywhere in the animal kingdom.

The mantis's hearing organ is difficult to call an ear. Unlike any other insect, the mantis has only one hearing organ, located in a groove underneath its thorax. The teardrop shaped groove has a thinner cuticle than other parts of the body.

Beneath the cuticle there is a relatively large air sac on each side of the groove. These sacs are connected to the insect's respiratory system. Near the top of the sac are the nerves that carry the sensation of sound to the nervous system. Scientists say that this hearing organ senses ultrasonic frequencies.

When researchers played a bat-like sound to a mantis in flight, it immediately took an evasive flight path to escape the bat it thought it heard.

There is no limit to God's creativity or His ability to make whatever He can imagine. We should keep this in mind, especially when some human authority tells us the Bible has made a mistake.

Notes: Science News

2011 Christian Nature

"Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, [even] the sure mercies of David." Isaiah 55:3

read more "The Exception - Who Is It?"

Dating The Stars - Oops!

The stars are among the most beautiful and powerful evidences for our Creator. While there are billions of them, no two seem to be identical. Even so, they can be classified into groups. In addition, attempts have been made to date the stars.

The hottest stars are blue. Our own star, the sun, is an average star. It is classified as a yellow star. Red giants can be more than a hundred million miles in diameter. One of the best known red giants in the night sky is Betelgeuse which is 18,000 times brighter than our sun. Good thing it's 300 light years away!

Scientists say that in general, the hot blue stars are young. They say that yellow stars, like our sun, are middle-aged and when they get old, they will turn into red giants before exploding. However, changes take billions of years.

Their evolutionary scheme for determining the age of stars recently suffered a serious blow. Astronomers report that a star called FG Sagittae went from a blue star to a yellow star in only 36 years! This calls in question their entire evolutionary scheme for dating stars with vast ages.

According to the Bible, the entire universe is only about 6,000 years old. And since man brought sin into the world, everything, including the stars, are running down. But we need not worry about our sun swelling up, exploding, and killing all life on earth. The Bible tells us that it will remain until our Lord returns for us. And in the new creation, there will be no need for the sun.

I eagerly anticipate the new heavens and earth when Christ shall be the only light that I need!

Notes: Creation

2010 Christian Nature

And the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is its light. Revelation 21:23

read more "Dating The Stars - Oops!"

Big Beautiful Bat-Yam Butterfly Project

It is hoped that the Butterfly Project will transform the "relatively poor" town of Bat-Yam into Israel's first natural "butterfly city."

There's something so serene about butterflies; the way this seem to float so blithely through the air, flashing wings covered in beautiful pastel colors. ...Their cycle of metamorphic life a brilliant depiction of resurrection.

Now these welcomed insects are being wooed to Israel's Mediterranean city of Bat-Yam, where the chief municipal landscaper, Eliav Hatuka has put in 150,000 new butterfly-attracting plants at the go-ahead from Mayor Shlomi Lahiani.

In addition, a butterfly pavilion will be constructed in the city nursery, where visitors can learn about them, according to an Israel21c report.

The article states that the Bat-Yam Butterfly Experiment is the first of its kind, and was unveiled during last year's September Biennale. It is hoped that the Butterfly Project will transform the "relatively poor" town of Bat-Yam into Israel's first natural "butterfly city."

"Where there's clean air they come," says Hatuka. "It's nice to see how the number and quality of the butterflies increase as you get farther from the highways and closer to the shore."

According to the Israel21c report: aromatic plants such as verbena, cassia, lantana, sophora, duranta, and ruda soon started attracting lots of butterflies—now 21 species in all—including the common swallowtail, one of the largest and most beautiful butterflies in Israel; and the large white-yellow African migrant.

Read more at the source link provided.

Source: Abigail Klein Leichman – Israel21c.org

2011 Christian Nature

read more "Big Beautiful Bat-Yam Butterfly Project"

What Is Causing The Dead Fish in Redondo Beach Harbor?

What is causing all of the dead fish in the Harbor? Millions of fish have died in a Redondo Beach, California marina, completely filling the water's surface with dead bodies.

Southern California boaters awakened this morning to a shocking number of silvery fish surrounding their sailboats and yachts.

The dead fish, including anchovies, sardines and mackerel, are apparently floating up to the surface from the ocean floor.

The sea of fish carcasses was so thick that boats could not escape the Redondo Beach harbor.

"We need to get rid of them," declared Sgt. Phil Keenan of the Redondo Beach Police Department. "This is going to create a terrible pollution and public health issue if we don't."

Fire and police officials have not determined a definite cause of the plague of dead fish that caught Californians by surprise. There are reports that a red tide may have driven large numbers of the fish into the harbor, where they were killed by a lack of oxygen.

"Yesterday, everything looked absolutely normal," stated harbor resident Walter Waite. "This morning when I got up, there were millions and millions of them floating everywhere."

A hazardous materials crew is testing the water for toxicity, and locals are being warned not to touch the water in the Redondo Beach Harbor.

"There’s basically fish everywhere you go in the harbor," said harbor assistant manager Jason McMullin.

What comes next is the challenge of removing millions of dead fish before flocks of countless seagulls show up for a feast, blanketing Redondo Beach with their waste.

Theories abound, including electromagnetic manipulation, gases emitted from earthquake fault movement, and poisoning.

The Redondo Beach situation is a mystery that locals are angrily demanding a full investigation into.

Redondo Beach Harbor

2011 Christian Nature

read more "What Is Causing The Dead Fish in Redondo Beach Harbor?"

From Tranquil to Vicious!

Never heard of protozoan ciliates? Well, they normally are tranquil, but they can turn vicious in a New York Minute! And when they turn vicious, they grow cactus-like spines! These microorganisms are really 'Jekyll and Hyde'!

These creatures quietly go about their business in water-filled tree holes, eating other microorganisms. The protozoans themselves are an important food for mosquito larvae. However, as mosquito wigglers begin to populate the water, the protozoans turn into deadly monsters.

Secretions from the mosquito larvae alert the protozoans to the presence of the larvae. They begin rapidly growing cells, and their appearance changes. The result is a completely different creature that is well designed to infect mosquito larvae and kill them.

In other words, for self-protection the prey becomes parasite, making the
would- be-predator its prey. Scientists are seeking better understanding of this in the hope of developing better natural mosquito controls.

Scientists have known for some time that some microorganisms respond to predators. The most common protective response is to grow spines or some other projection. This makes the prey difficult to eat. But the strategy used by the protozoan ciliates is the most extreme self-protective response known.
There is no creature in God's creation that is so unimportant that God has failed to give it ways to make its living. Many creatures have been given what seem to be very uncreative ways to live. However, the fact that even these seemingly unimportant creatures have special gifts from God's creativity gives witness to His care for everything He has made.

Notes: Science News

2011 Christian Nature

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
Romans 1:20

read more "From Tranquil to Vicious!"

Surprising Comparison Between Modern and Ancient Termites!

Recently, a surprising comparison between modern and ancient termites got the science world talking. The unusual discovery of the most ancient termite nest ever found sheds light not only on termites but also on their social behavior. The nest dates back to the time of the dinosaurs.

The nest was discovered in fossilized wood from the Big Bend National Park in Texas. A paleontologist examining the wood noticed small grain like particles in the wood. He decided that the grains must be insect eggs.

Later, other scientists examined the grains under a microscope and found that they were hexagonal in shape. That distinctive shape told them that the grains were termite droppings. Termites are the only insect that makes hexagonal droppings. And these droppings were identical to those made by modern termites. With this discovery, the holes in the fossilized wood suddenly made sense.

The wood had been tunneled out in the same way modern termites tunnel wood. The nest was in the center of the wood, just as modern termites build their nests. These ancient termites had placed their droppings around the edge of the nest. Modern termites do the same thing to plug any air leaks and prevent drafts.

In short, every evidence says that termites from the time of the dinosaurs were built just like modern termites, and they behaved in the same way as modern termites.

That there was no evidence of any termite evolution in this nest agrees perfectly with the Bible's claim that all things reproduce "after their kind."

Notes: Science News

2011 Christian Nature

"And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good." Genesis 1:25

read more "Surprising Comparison Between Modern and Ancient Termites!"

Contemplating the Nature of Your Eye

Have you ever contemplated the nature of your eye? The more you know, the more in awe you will be.!

The eye is a chemical and technological wonder. It would take thousands of carefully directed mutations for an eyeless creature to develop sight. And since a partial eye doesn't provide sight, each of these thousands of mutations would offer no advantage to the creature.

The fact is, of course, that mutations don't happen this way. All the true mutations we know about have harmed rather than helped the creature with the mutation. This fact places the thought of thousands of positive mutations in a row outside the realm of scientifically reasonable consideration.

In addition, neither living nor known fossil animals show any evidence of gradual development of eyes. Therefore, the most reasonable scientific conclusion is that there is a Creator Who designed and created the eye.

The lens of the eye is a marvel of chemistry. It is made up of a concentration of protein molecules inside water-filled cells. When scientists learned this they were amazed. Protein molecules in water are not transparent, as the lens must be. After more research they discovered God's secret.

The high concentration of protein molecules in the lens of the eye causes the proteins to pack together something like the molecules of window glass. As a result, the normally opaque protein solution in the lens becomes transparent.

The eye does more damage to ideas about origins that leave out God than almost any other feature of the creation because it allows us to see the Creator's fingerprints all around us!

Notes: Science News

2011 Christian Nature

read more "Contemplating the Nature of Your Eye"

Archaeological Discovery Sheds New Light On Bible

A remarkable discovery in Israel is shedding new light on life on Bible times. The discovery is also allowing scientists and the rest of us to get to know an important New Testament character.

Israeli archaeologists believe they may have discovered the bones of the high priest Caiaphas. If these bones do indeed belong to Caiaphas, it would be the first discovery of the remains of any major figure mentioned in the New Testament. The discovery was made accidentally in 1990 as workers were widening the road through the Peace Forest.

Researchers didn't want to release their announcement until they had satisfied themselves that such a momentous announcement was justified. The burial cave has three mentions of the name "Caiaphas." An ossuary, or bone box, within the cave was inscribed, "Joseph, son of Caiaphas."

Other records identify the "Caiaphas" who condemned Jesus as Joseph, son of Caiaphas. A coin found in the cave was minted between 37 and 44 A.D. The ossuary contained the bones of six people. There were two infants, a child, a youth, an adult female and a male about 60 years old, believed to have been Caiaphas himself.

It was from political expediency that Caiaphas said it would be better for one man to die for the people than for the entire nation to perish. He was unknowingly prophetic. Jesus Christ did die to save us from the eternal consequences of our sin.

Notes: Biblical Archaeology Review

2011 Christian Nature

"And one of them, [named] Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not." John 11:49-50

read more "Archaeological Discovery Sheds New Light On Bible"

Birds As Peace-Makers

‘Yes to Birds' gets thousands of Israeli Jewish and Arab schoolchildren outdoors to learn about feathered friends, the environment and ultimately each other.

Children in the 'Yes to Birds' program learning the songs of different birds, with singer Gili Hameiri.

This May, 3,500 Jewish and Arab fourth-graders from Israel's northern district will gather in the Hula Valley for singing and friendly art competitions capping an extracurricular program called 'Yes to Birds'. President Shimon Peres will be on hand to award prizes, along with the ministers of education and environment.

"The idea was an educational cooperation between Arab and Jewish students to learn the story of birds and biodiversity in Israel," says Dr. Yossi Leshem, director of the International Center for the Study of Bird Migration (ICSBM) at Latrun and senior lecturer in the department of zoology at Tel Aviv University. Leshem launched the project in the 2009-2010 school year to coincide with the United Nations' International Year of Biodiversity.

Supported by an anonymous overseas donor, the pilot was dubbed the Blackbird Project after one of the most common schoolyard birds. Teachers at six Arab and six Jewish schools received a bilingual curriculum written in collaboration with 19 experts chosen by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), Tel Aviv University and ICSBM "to forge connections between schools and the environment in which we live, connecting to nature, the birds and the people around us."

Bird-based links between cultures

In addition to promoting environmental literacy, the curriculum was intended to "constitute a platform for dialogue and the building of links between the Arab and Jewish sectors."

Leshem explains that in the course of his multifaceted work, particularly a project to put barn owl and kestrel nesting boxes on farms to provide natural pest control, he has forged strong ties with Palestinian and Jordanian counterparts. "But we also wanted to include Israeli Arabs" in bird-centered initiatives, he says.

Why fourth-graders? They're old enough to grasp the subject matter but not yet bogged down by exams and papers.

READ MORE

2010 Christian Nature

read more "Birds As Peace-Makers"

New Airport Security - MICE!

Forget X-ray body scanners and sniffer dogs, Israel's Bioexplorers has developed a foolproof system for security agencies to detect explosives, by using mice.
If the mice sniff explosives or drugs they move into another chamber, setting off an alarm. Mice acting as security rodents!

Israeli startup Bioexplorers has developed a new and unique way to sniff out terrorists - literally. After years of research, company CEO Eran Lumbroso tells ISRAEL21c, Bioexplorers has hit upon a foolproof, non-invasive and easy method to detect contraband in purses, luggage and even cargo - using mice.

It's no joke. "Mice have an excellent sense of smell, and they're relatively easy to train. And they're easier to use for odor detection than other animals traditionally used for their olfactory capabilities."

Dogs are most often used by security forces to detect drugs and explosives, says Lumbroso, but they generally respond to the directions of their trainer, making their work more of an art than a science. "I was looking for a way to automate and mechanize the training process, so it could be duplicated easily and installed in a variety of settings. And we have been able to achieve that goal using mice."

Mice get it right every time

Here's how it works: A person passes through a passageway in which a Bioexplorers system is installed. A fan passes air into a sensor receptor, and delivers it into a chamber with several mice.

The mice, having gone through intensive behavioral training, sniff the air. If the odor is one associated with items the mice have been trained to recognize, like drugs or bombs, they move into another chamber - setting off an alarm. Security officers can then move in and stop the appropriate suspect.

"The mice rarely make an error, and the entire procedure is far less invasive or intimidating than the alternatives, like using dogs or X-ray machines," says Lumbroso. "There's no radiation, and no concern about being seen naked," he adds.

READ MORE by David Shamah

2011 Christian Nature

read more "New Airport Security - MICE!"

Speak Gingerly of 'Ancient Cooks'

Many ethnic cooking traditions have their origin in health considerations. Some of those traditions are so old their origin is unknown, which strongly suggests that the ancients had a very sophisticated knowledge of food and health, some of which is only being rediscovered today. So let's speak gingerly of so-called 'ancient cooks'!

Throughout most of history, humans have not had the luxury of refrigeration or freezing to preserve food. And even these do not provide permanent storage for food. Meats, whether cooked or raw, deteriorate even when frozen. The cold simply slows down the process. Fat spoilage in meat is a universal problem.

Chemically, fat spoilage is referred to as lipid oxidation. Lipids in meat include fat and cholesterol. Lipid oxidation does more than give meat a rancid, warmed-over flavor. Researchers believe that oxidized lipids also contribute to heart disease. Japanese research suggested that ginger, common in oriental cooking, might retard lipid oxidation in meat.

Armed with this knowledge, researchers investigated whether there was any connection between the common use of ginger and Japan's very low rate of heart disease. They found that pork patties seasoned with ginger showed only one third as much lipid oxidation as unseasoned meat.

It appears that even before so-called 'recorded history', people knew that ginger helped preserve meat and keep it more wholesome. This is yet another refutation of the idea that ancient man was primitive and ignorant.

Notes: Science News

2011 Christian Nature

"Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, [bless] his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfies your mouth with good [things; so that] your youth is renewed like the eagle's." Psalm 103:1-5

read more "Speak Gingerly of 'Ancient Cooks'"

Jimmy Stewart 's 'Beau' and Other Dog Quotes - Video

The truth is that it's just really hard for me to get to sleep without a dog in my bedroom. I once had a dog named Beau. He used to sleep in the corner of the bedroom. Some nights, though, he would sneak onto the bed and lie right between Gloria and me. I know that I should have pushed him off the bed, but I didn't. He was up there because he wanted me to pat his head, so that's what I would do.
- Jimmy Stewart (A Jimmy Stewart Video below)


Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made.
- Roger Caras


Money will buy a pretty good dog, but it won't buy the wag of his tail.
- Josh Billings (Henry Wheeler Shaw)



With eye upraised his master's look to scan,
The joy, the solace, and the aid of man:
The rich man's guardian and the poor man's friend,
The only creature faithful to the end.
- George Crabbe

If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
- Mark Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson

If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,
If you can face the world without lies and deceit,
If you can say honestly that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, color, religion or politics,
Then, my friend, you are almost as good as your dog.
- Unknown Author

My little old dog: a heart-beat at my feet.
- Edith Wharton

The poor dog, in life the firmest friend,
"The first to welcome, foremost to defend."
- Lord Byron

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
- Bern Williams

I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.
- Gilda Radner

Gratitude: that quality which the Canine Mongrel seldom lacks; which the Human Mongrel seldom possesses!
- Lion P.S. Rees

No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich.
- Louis Sabin, All About Dogs As Pets

I have sometimes thought of the final cause of dogs having such short lives and I am quite satisfied it is in compassion to the human race; for if we suffer so much in losing a dog after an acquaintance of ten or twelve years, what would it be if they were to live double that time?
- Sir Walter Scott

Gangster is the truest friend I can ever ask for.
- Sylvester Stallone, about Gangster, his boxer

Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog;
but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog.
- Douglas Mallock

Dogs, bless them, operate on the premise that human beings are fragile and require incessant applications of affection and reassurance. The random lick of a hand and the furry chin draped over the instep are calculated to let the shaky owner know that a friend is nearby.
- Mary McGrory

2011 April Lorier, Dog Person

read more "Jimmy Stewart 's 'Beau' and Other Dog Quotes - Video"