First off, a great story via Rush Limbaugh. "Eating fat is bad for you, right? Wrong, according to a new study. It had been the consensus, supported by 92% of scientists for years, but now we know it was incorrect. It should make you wonder about the current "consensus" on global warming." Hehe, I love how "scientists" know everything, they are the authority, the last say-so. Yet they vacillate like this all the time.
Okay, next: Hillary Clinton. What has she done? Name one thing she has done. She is a woman riding on her husband's coat-tails. Check out this letter. She is just a raging woman who wants power. She has changed her opinions depending on the polls. In 2003 she was in favor of the war. Now she's against it. She's another John Kerry!
5.10.07
Why I Am a Jerk
First of all, the title has a little bit of a "try to catch your eye" influence. I don't really think I am a jerk. I do however think I appear to be a huge jerk to alot of people, perhaps even to everyone sometimes.
The fact is I care for people more than anyone I know. I am so concerned with the welfare of everyone I meet. Because I am so concerned, I feel a sense of desperation when I see people I love - and even people I don't know - not loving and not respecting themselves. For instance, when I was in a relationship before I met Charis, Randy seemed like such a huge jerk to me, because he expressed his concern for me, sometimes almost violently. Because he loves me. Because I am his friend. And I'd even say, simply because I am a human being.
I view people as valuable. I want them to respect themselves. I want them to make good, wise decisions, for their own sake. This is crucial, I impose my worldviews whenever I believe is necessary, because I want to warn people of potential mistakes! I want all of you to be informed, to be pure and to be successful.
I hope you all realize what you're doing; if it's good, I hope you continue, if bad I pray you'll stop before you destroy yourself.
The fact is I care for people more than anyone I know. I am so concerned with the welfare of everyone I meet. Because I am so concerned, I feel a sense of desperation when I see people I love - and even people I don't know - not loving and not respecting themselves. For instance, when I was in a relationship before I met Charis, Randy seemed like such a huge jerk to me, because he expressed his concern for me, sometimes almost violently. Because he loves me. Because I am his friend. And I'd even say, simply because I am a human being.
I view people as valuable. I want them to respect themselves. I want them to make good, wise decisions, for their own sake. This is crucial, I impose my worldviews whenever I believe is necessary, because I want to warn people of potential mistakes! I want all of you to be informed, to be pure and to be successful.
I hope you all realize what you're doing; if it's good, I hope you continue, if bad I pray you'll stop before you destroy yourself.
27.9.07
Decisions
The FairTax looks like a good idea. It replaces all the taxes with a sales tax. So instead of you paying an income tax and a property tax and yada yada, you would pay a sales tax. This means you wouldn't have to mess with tax return forms etc, and would mean that you would get your gross income and spend it as you'd like. Here's something nice too: illegal immigrants would be forced to pay taxes, as every time they'd buy something, they'd be paying them. Additionally, everyone would be taxed the same; no more tax brackets. You'd pay taxes according to how much you spend, not how much you earn. Sounds nice.
I've noticed that time is much more valuable than money. Money is only valuable insofar as it provides a way to sustain our bodies (i.e. food, clothing doctor bills etc.) Recently, I've had tons of homework and no spare time. The weeks have flown by. Today, I finally had some time and noticed that bills were coming in too quickly. In spite of the bills, I was content, simply because I had time. Time is much more valuable than money as it cannot be regained. Money can be earned any time you want it, but once you spend time, it's spent for good. I'm 21, about a fourth of my life is gone, maybe a fifth, if I'm lucky. Heck, I've had a pretty good time so far - I'd consider that lucky. But those 21 years I had will not come back.
Spend your years wisely. Don't do stupid things. I know it's clicheic, but seriously, don't do drugs, don't drink to excess, don't hang out with the wrong crowd. Remember that what you do will influence other people. Even if you're alone - you'll influence your future decisions. Bad decisions form habits. You guys make good decisions, ok?
I've noticed that time is much more valuable than money. Money is only valuable insofar as it provides a way to sustain our bodies (i.e. food, clothing doctor bills etc.) Recently, I've had tons of homework and no spare time. The weeks have flown by. Today, I finally had some time and noticed that bills were coming in too quickly. In spite of the bills, I was content, simply because I had time. Time is much more valuable than money as it cannot be regained. Money can be earned any time you want it, but once you spend time, it's spent for good. I'm 21, about a fourth of my life is gone, maybe a fifth, if I'm lucky. Heck, I've had a pretty good time so far - I'd consider that lucky. But those 21 years I had will not come back.
Spend your years wisely. Don't do stupid things. I know it's clicheic, but seriously, don't do drugs, don't drink to excess, don't hang out with the wrong crowd. Remember that what you do will influence other people. Even if you're alone - you'll influence your future decisions. Bad decisions form habits. You guys make good decisions, ok?
6.9.07
Choose Joy
Greenday has a song, "Time of Your Life," which Randy and I played at our graduation. In this song one hears the overall message that life's going the way it's going to go, so hang on, make the best of it and enjoy it. I must confess that the past few months, for me, have been enjoyed. It's a weird feeling getting diagnosed with a disease, especially at so young an age. It's also somewhat frustrating. There are some days where I cry and weep, because the pain is so bad and because I cannot do anything while I'm in pain. But in spite of that, I'm still happy.
Which brings me to a familiar platitude: you are the chooser of your attitude. Seriously. There is nothing that anyone can do or circumstances that can come your way that can change your attitude. You choose it. Some people are naturally skeptical. Those people are temporarily happy when something good happens, but overall they remain skeptical. They choose to be thus. I have chosen to be happy and am.
I'm not trying to blow my own horn or present myself as an awesome individual, because I have flaws as does everyone. I find it very hard to be kind to stupid people. I know that's not Christ-like at all, but that's the kind of a jerk I am and that's what needs repair in my life. :)
All I am saying is that if you want to be happy, joyful and lighthearted, be that way. Just do it. Life is unpredictable. But if we didn't have valleys, there would be no mountains. :)
-=- Lysol Pionex
\m/, ^o^ ,\m/
Which brings me to a familiar platitude: you are the chooser of your attitude. Seriously. There is nothing that anyone can do or circumstances that can come your way that can change your attitude. You choose it. Some people are naturally skeptical. Those people are temporarily happy when something good happens, but overall they remain skeptical. They choose to be thus. I have chosen to be happy and am.
I'm not trying to blow my own horn or present myself as an awesome individual, because I have flaws as does everyone. I find it very hard to be kind to stupid people. I know that's not Christ-like at all, but that's the kind of a jerk I am and that's what needs repair in my life. :)
All I am saying is that if you want to be happy, joyful and lighthearted, be that way. Just do it. Life is unpredictable. But if we didn't have valleys, there would be no mountains. :)
-=- Lysol Pionex
\m/, ^o^ ,\m/
25.8.07
http://www.youtube.com/v/Fohrk2jt0LA
Sadly, I doubt this will change the way any of you act. I love you guys, but you've got to apply your faith.
24.8.07
First a hilarious story.
Crud. The smoking ban passed. If you don't know about what I'm talking, see the post below this one. Well, what will the government decide to control next?
Let me see if I can explain this to you. There are two kinds of people, politically speaking. There is one group who believes the government should back off and let everyone do their own thing (with the exceptions of law enforcement etc.). Then there is the second group which believes that the more the government handles for us, the better off we are.
The second group, liberals, sounds alright. The government can take a percentage of our money and with that delegate our insurance, our medical system, our workfield etc. to make sure that everything is absolutely safe and everyone is treated equally. Here's the problem though:
How can a single organization (i.e. the government) possibly know what is best for each individual? They can't. And what ends up happening in this situation is the government tries to regulate everything so much to the point where we have lost so much of our liberty.
Here are some for instances.
Taxes: did it ever occur to you that after income tax, social security, medicare, purchase tax, land tax etc. the government gets close to half of your income? By this I mean, instead of making, say 40,000 per year, you would be making 80,000.
The Public School System: go up to any kid and ask them to talk seriously about what they're learning. You're likely to get a response such as, "Our school's a joke." When I started homeschooling, I realized the inefficiency of the public school system. Several hours each day are wasted going from one class to the next, eating lunch, class clowns and students not doing the work they're supposed to. Additionally, the students who are dumber than the others can't get the extra instruction they need, and the smarter kids are not properly challenged.
"But I can't afford to send my kid to a private school (or homeschool)."
Do you know that it costs over $8000 per year per student in the public school system? (Although alot of cost is now to ESL programs and such due to foreigners not learning English and expecting us to cater to them. But don't get me started on that.) On the other hand, a private school costs about $2500 per year per student. And they'll get an education - not propaganda. And we wouldn't be required to argue over what should and shouldn't be taught in schools; parents could send their kids to the school of their choice! Brilliant! Or even more brilliant, they could homeschool, to be sure that they are taught correct material.
"But if they homeschool, they'll become socially inept!"
Are you saying the government now must also teach us how to make friends? Look at me. I was homeschooled and I'm not socially inept at all. No comments from you, Randy. :)
Crises: Now there might be some debate and disagreement on this one, but see from where I'm coming first. The government gets wind of something bad. Then they decide to either ban it or regulate it. Like smoking. They say it causes cancer, but instead of trying to actually help people, they tax it and say where one can't smoke. If they really believed it were bad for you and if they really wanted to help you, they would declare it illegal altogether. Or like global warming. Political figures like Al Gore claim that the earth will burn, melt or flood, due to our pollutants. The they fly around in their private jets to tell everyone to drive a more energy efficient car.
Minorities: The government wants to make sure that everyone is treated equally, that minorities are discriminated. So they set up policies so that it's uncouth to say something about blacks or gays or whatnot. But it's still okay to say something bad about someone who doesn't fall into a special category. Isn't that discrimination? Is it not insulting to blacks that every college has a special scholarship program for you, if you're black? In other words, "You're black, so you're obviously not good enough to pay for college yourself. Let us help you out." That's what it means. If the government really wanted to treat everyone equally, they wouldn't require the US Post Offices to hire this many Mexicans and that many Asians. They would say, "Here's the job opening; whoever can do it best is hired." To say otherwise is to say one is inferior.
Hate Speech: I'll say it right now. Homosexuality is a perversion of God's beautiful gift of sex. guys and girls don't fill the requirements on their own.
Did I just mention the elephant in the room? I think so. Why does no one else say it? Because of fear of a lawsuit. And someday a ticket for a hate crime. This is an elimination of free speech. How ridiculous is that? The very name, "hate crime" makes it sound stupid. "You hate this person, therefore you have to pay a fine." So all the democrats should pay a fine for hating President Bush. For hating our military. For hating Liberty.
And that, my friend, is the tip of the iceberg. Our liberty is slipping away. For every piece of security the government gives, for every service the government does for you, you lose a bit of your liberty. And there's not much left.
Crud. The smoking ban passed. If you don't know about what I'm talking, see the post below this one. Well, what will the government decide to control next?
Let me see if I can explain this to you. There are two kinds of people, politically speaking. There is one group who believes the government should back off and let everyone do their own thing (with the exceptions of law enforcement etc.). Then there is the second group which believes that the more the government handles for us, the better off we are.
The second group, liberals, sounds alright. The government can take a percentage of our money and with that delegate our insurance, our medical system, our workfield etc. to make sure that everything is absolutely safe and everyone is treated equally. Here's the problem though:
How can a single organization (i.e. the government) possibly know what is best for each individual? They can't. And what ends up happening in this situation is the government tries to regulate everything so much to the point where we have lost so much of our liberty.
Here are some for instances.
Taxes: did it ever occur to you that after income tax, social security, medicare, purchase tax, land tax etc. the government gets close to half of your income? By this I mean, instead of making, say 40,000 per year, you would be making 80,000.
The Public School System: go up to any kid and ask them to talk seriously about what they're learning. You're likely to get a response such as, "Our school's a joke." When I started homeschooling, I realized the inefficiency of the public school system. Several hours each day are wasted going from one class to the next, eating lunch, class clowns and students not doing the work they're supposed to. Additionally, the students who are dumber than the others can't get the extra instruction they need, and the smarter kids are not properly challenged.
"But I can't afford to send my kid to a private school (or homeschool)."
Do you know that it costs over $8000 per year per student in the public school system? (Although alot of cost is now to ESL programs and such due to foreigners not learning English and expecting us to cater to them. But don't get me started on that.) On the other hand, a private school costs about $2500 per year per student. And they'll get an education - not propaganda. And we wouldn't be required to argue over what should and shouldn't be taught in schools; parents could send their kids to the school of their choice! Brilliant! Or even more brilliant, they could homeschool, to be sure that they are taught correct material.
"But if they homeschool, they'll become socially inept!"
Are you saying the government now must also teach us how to make friends? Look at me. I was homeschooled and I'm not socially inept at all. No comments from you, Randy. :)
Crises: Now there might be some debate and disagreement on this one, but see from where I'm coming first. The government gets wind of something bad. Then they decide to either ban it or regulate it. Like smoking. They say it causes cancer, but instead of trying to actually help people, they tax it and say where one can't smoke. If they really believed it were bad for you and if they really wanted to help you, they would declare it illegal altogether. Or like global warming. Political figures like Al Gore claim that the earth will burn, melt or flood, due to our pollutants. The they fly around in their private jets to tell everyone to drive a more energy efficient car.
Minorities: The government wants to make sure that everyone is treated equally, that minorities are discriminated. So they set up policies so that it's uncouth to say something about blacks or gays or whatnot. But it's still okay to say something bad about someone who doesn't fall into a special category. Isn't that discrimination? Is it not insulting to blacks that every college has a special scholarship program for you, if you're black? In other words, "You're black, so you're obviously not good enough to pay for college yourself. Let us help you out." That's what it means. If the government really wanted to treat everyone equally, they wouldn't require the US Post Offices to hire this many Mexicans and that many Asians. They would say, "Here's the job opening; whoever can do it best is hired." To say otherwise is to say one is inferior.
Hate Speech: I'll say it right now. Homosexuality is a perversion of God's beautiful gift of sex. guys and girls don't fill the requirements on their own.
Did I just mention the elephant in the room? I think so. Why does no one else say it? Because of fear of a lawsuit. And someday a ticket for a hate crime. This is an elimination of free speech. How ridiculous is that? The very name, "hate crime" makes it sound stupid. "You hate this person, therefore you have to pay a fine." So all the democrats should pay a fine for hating President Bush. For hating our military. For hating Liberty.
And that, my friend, is the tip of the iceberg. Our liberty is slipping away. For every piece of security the government gives, for every service the government does for you, you lose a bit of your liberty. And there's not much left.
16.8.07
Smoking ban.
There's an urge to ban smoking in Fort Worth, among other cities, in restaurants, bars, workplaces etc. Sounds great. I hate smoking; it's vile, disgusting, annoying and unhealthy. But it's legal.
If someone owns a business, do they not have a right to decide what goes on inside? Yes! It's their own business. If you don't like what goes on in there, don't go in there! There will be plenty of businesses eager to get your money by offering a smoke-free environment.
"But there are certain things people can't do! Murder shouldn't be allowed in the business!"
Right. It's not allowed anywhere. What we're talking about here is a legal activity that the business chooses to allow.
"But secondhand smoke is unhealthy!"
What, and first hand smoke isn't?! Fort Worth council member, Wendy Davis, says, "There are consequences to not doing this. There is a public health cost that everyone pays." This is ludicrous. I wouldn't pay that health cost; I don't like smoke, so I choose (yeah I actually use my brain) to not go where there's smoke. If she really cared about health and really believed smoking were unhealthy, she would push to ban cigarettes altogether.
Just think about this. Once you allow smoking to be banned, the next thing to be banned is potato chips, then sodas. They're unhealthy, are they not? Every time you give the government a foothold, you lose a little more of your liberty.
If someone owns a business, do they not have a right to decide what goes on inside? Yes! It's their own business. If you don't like what goes on in there, don't go in there! There will be plenty of businesses eager to get your money by offering a smoke-free environment.
"But there are certain things people can't do! Murder shouldn't be allowed in the business!"
Right. It's not allowed anywhere. What we're talking about here is a legal activity that the business chooses to allow.
"But secondhand smoke is unhealthy!"
What, and first hand smoke isn't?! Fort Worth council member, Wendy Davis, says, "There are consequences to not doing this. There is a public health cost that everyone pays." This is ludicrous. I wouldn't pay that health cost; I don't like smoke, so I choose (yeah I actually use my brain) to not go where there's smoke. If she really cared about health and really believed smoking were unhealthy, she would push to ban cigarettes altogether.
Just think about this. Once you allow smoking to be banned, the next thing to be banned is potato chips, then sodas. They're unhealthy, are they not? Every time you give the government a foothold, you lose a little more of your liberty.
Lethal injection to be used on unborn babies
Thanks to Ogre for bringing this to my attention.
The same injection that is used for capital punishment is being considered for abortions to ensure their success. Even though this drug is often debated being used to kill murderers. How is this hypocrisy hard to see? Does it not make sense to punish the guilty, not the innocent? Of course, babies can't file a lawsuit against you, so there's little consequence there. Except a life of guilt.
There's a movement going on, praying for 40 days, starting September 26th. Pray hard for abortion to cease. After all, I'm rather glad I got a chance to live. Even if I do have to watch my diet now. :-P
The same injection that is used for capital punishment is being considered for abortions to ensure their success. Even though this drug is often debated being used to kill murderers. How is this hypocrisy hard to see? Does it not make sense to punish the guilty, not the innocent? Of course, babies can't file a lawsuit against you, so there's little consequence there. Except a life of guilt.
There's a movement going on, praying for 40 days, starting September 26th. Pray hard for abortion to cease. After all, I'm rather glad I got a chance to live. Even if I do have to watch my diet now. :-P
God is not Allah
A bishop in the Netherlands has said that Christians should start calling God Allah to ease the tensions between Christians and Muslims. What about "I am that I Am" doesn't this man understand? Is he not supposed to be a person who understands the Bible? Is he throwing out the book of Exodus?
What's worse is Muslims didn't ask for such a gesture - this bishop offered it gratuitously. As per the article, should churches then be called mosques? How does this even bridge the gap between Christians and Muslims? Both sides believe their religion is right. Period. Muslims who follow their Koran will not be satisfied until we're all believers not actors.
Additionally, it's not linguistically logical for English-speakers to call God Allah, unless there's a distinct difference. It's the same reason we don't call Jesus Yeshua. Because they are the same person, but "Jesus" is part of our language making it natural. Likewise, all the names in the Bible have been changed from their Hebrew/Greek roots to English alternatives. It's called etymology. The only reason one would start calling God "Allah," (from the Arab word for "god," "elah") would be to change His meaning.
Allah is not God. The only thing that changing the name of God would do is degrade His value and insult our and Muslims' intelligence. Pacifism only comes when we stand upon principle.
If you still don't believe that Muslims are this intolerant, check out this article. People, use your heads. While you still have them.
What's worse is Muslims didn't ask for such a gesture - this bishop offered it gratuitously. As per the article, should churches then be called mosques? How does this even bridge the gap between Christians and Muslims? Both sides believe their religion is right. Period. Muslims who follow their Koran will not be satisfied until we're all believers not actors.
Additionally, it's not linguistically logical for English-speakers to call God Allah, unless there's a distinct difference. It's the same reason we don't call Jesus Yeshua. Because they are the same person, but "Jesus" is part of our language making it natural. Likewise, all the names in the Bible have been changed from their Hebrew/Greek roots to English alternatives. It's called etymology. The only reason one would start calling God "Allah," (from the Arab word for "god," "elah") would be to change His meaning.
Allah is not God. The only thing that changing the name of God would do is degrade His value and insult our and Muslims' intelligence. Pacifism only comes when we stand upon principle.
If you still don't believe that Muslims are this intolerant, check out this article. People, use your heads. While you still have them.
14.8.07
Some Global Warming Stories
I thought these stories were particularly amusing. Read them with a pound or two of salt (and possibly a bit of alcohol) and they almost make sense. :)
Poison Ivy caused by Global warming!
What's interesting about this is if poison ivy is growing more due to higher CO2 levels, what other plants might be growing more? Could it be that as more CO2 is in the air, more plants appear, meaning that nature is balancing itself as it does in every other area (i.e. water cycle, food chain etc.)?
Playground Spontaneously Combusts!
(the video)
Hehe, I'm sorry, I know this is very dangerous, and I wouldn't want my kids to get roasted on a playground. Of course I wouldn't want their minds burnt by a public school either. Thankfully no kids were around when it happened.
Actress Cate Blanchett Stops Washing Her Hair to Save the Earth
I heard a caller on the Rush Limbaugh Show who commented that since she's taking a shorter shower, he can take his longer shower with less guilt. :)
One Sheet of Toilet Paper is Enough
I do like the idea of the dining sleeve. I do that anyway.
Wow. Those are all really good. You can't make up this stuff.
-=-Lysol Pionex
Poison Ivy caused by Global warming!
What's interesting about this is if poison ivy is growing more due to higher CO2 levels, what other plants might be growing more? Could it be that as more CO2 is in the air, more plants appear, meaning that nature is balancing itself as it does in every other area (i.e. water cycle, food chain etc.)?
Playground Spontaneously Combusts!
(the video)
Hehe, I'm sorry, I know this is very dangerous, and I wouldn't want my kids to get roasted on a playground. Of course I wouldn't want their minds burnt by a public school either. Thankfully no kids were around when it happened.
Actress Cate Blanchett Stops Washing Her Hair to Save the Earth
I heard a caller on the Rush Limbaugh Show who commented that since she's taking a shorter shower, he can take his longer shower with less guilt. :)
One Sheet of Toilet Paper is Enough
I do like the idea of the dining sleeve. I do that anyway.
Wow. Those are all really good. You can't make up this stuff.
-=-Lysol Pionex
Gratitude
It seems that we could all be a little more grateful. I am grateful for two loving parents, an inspiring brother, a gorgeous and encouraging wife, Christ-like friends and convicting and guiding God. Why is it so easy to take this all for granted? Perhaps if it weren't, then we could never earn them. It would be terrible to take advantage of a good friend by not having to exercise one's gratitude toward him. It's that exercise that show the worth one has for one's friends.
Okay, the next one will be political, I promise! :)
-=- Lysol Pionex
Okay, the next one will be political, I promise! :)
-=- Lysol Pionex
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