Musical Mondays: Springtime

This week's theme is springtime. Any song that makes you think of spring would work, or of course you can always choose to do your own thing and not stick to the theme.

As the Disney-lover that I am, many of the classical musical pieces used in Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 will always be associated in my mind with the animations used in those films. In particular, Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Suite (1919 Version) will always feel like springtime to me, because of the animated story Disney's team put to it. Here it is for your enjoyment:



Of course, there are no lyrics to go with this one, and sadly Pandora doesn't seem to recognize the song.

Please add your link to the list below only if you are actually participating in Musical Monday. If you're not sure what's going on here, click on "rules" above or check out some of the links found on previous weeks for examples. Anyone with a blog can play along, so please jump in!

Musical Mondays: Earth Day

For this week's "Earth Day" theme, I've chosen "God of Wonders". I think that as important as it is for us to take care of this planet on which we live, equally important is it to remember Who entrusted us with it in the first place. Often we hear from conservationists that "we did not inherit the world from our parents, we borrowed it from our children." While that's a good thought, it's not entirely accurate. We were given this earth by our Creator, Who made it for our home. We were appointed by Him as stewards, until such time as He should return and reign in glory. So, is it important to take care of what we've been given? I would certainly say so.

Lord of all creation
of water earth and sky
The heavens are your Tabernacle
Glory to the Lord on high

Chorus:
God of wonders beyond our galaxy
You are Holy, Holy
The universe declares your Majesty
And you are holy holy

Lord of Heaven and Earth
Lord of Heaven and Earth

Early in the morning
I will celebrate the light
When i stumble in the darkness
I will call your name by night

chrous
lord of heaven and earth
lord of heaven and earth

Hallelujah to the lord of heaven and earth (repeate 3 times)

holy......holy....holy god.....

Chorus

Precious lord reveal your love to me....
Father holy..
(backround)...Lord god almighty...

The "universe" declares your majesty
"you are" holy,holy,holy,holy
Halleujah to the lord of heaven and earth 9x

Pandora has this to say:

1. The River by Chris Tomlin
2. Forty by Lamont Hiebert & Jason Morant
3. Stand Up by Everyday Sunday
4. A Love Song by Stellar Kart
5. The Weight is Gone by Aaron Spiro
   

Please add your link to the list below only if you are actually participating in Musical Monday.

Expelled: Well Worth the Ticket Price.

I posted a week or so ago about wanting to go the movie Expelled, and I just wanted to follow up. I did, in fact, see it. Following are my thoughts on it.

Yesterday the grump and I ventured into a movie theater for the first time in 2008. Most of what Hollywood has to offer these days is boring, predictable and useless, so I don't generally bother paying for tickets to see it. I'll wait for NetFlix to have it, thank you very much. Expelled seemed different, so we decided to go see it on opening weekend. We were not disappointed.

The entire film is overlayed with the metaphor of our current scientific community's refusal to tolerate dissent being likened to the Berlin Wall. At the end, Ben's call to open up the discussion between the two opposing views of the origins of life is entwined with Regan's "tear down this wall" speech. The overall theme of the movie is NOT "God created the world" as many would have you believe, but rather freedom of speech and the freedom of researchers, editors and teachers to express ideas that are not necessarily in line with what science overall believes today.

I thoroughly enjoyed not only the content of the film itself, but also the style of presentation. I was entertained and I learned a few things along the way, and to me that is the hallmark of a good documentary. Critics of Expelled have said that it is both boring and one-sided, but I think they did a fantastic job of giving air time to those who oppose the concept of ID. They covered everyone from the raving lunatic who stated that there is no such thing as free will to the scientist who believes that life formed "on the backs of crystals," whatever that's supposed to mean. And I don't recall any moment of the film when I felt the least bit bored, despite it being a documentary.

Some of the more interesting parts of the film, in my opinion, were those in which Ben interviewed leading authorities on Adolph Hitler, who was a self-professed Darwinist. Hitler believed that the atrocities committed by his regime were of benefit to humankind in that he was helping along the process of natural selection. Of course, Hitler was not the only one to have used Darwin's theories to inflict their will on those around them. Just look up the history of "eugenics" if you're curious.

Many people believe today that if you don't agree with what the majority of scientists agree on, you don't belong in the scientific field. If those who didn't agree with the scientific thought of their day had kept silent historically, we would still believe the world to be flat and situated at the center of the universe. In order for science and thought to move forward, there MUST be dissenters. Otherwise, ideas stagnate. Now, whether Neo-Darwinism's explanations or Intelligent Design's are the true source of "life, the universe and everything" is hardly the point here. The point is that BOTH sides of the argument must be heard, researched and proven before any level of certainty can be derived. If you want to believe that man evolved from apes, that's fine. If you want to write papers, books, essays, articles and the like that are based around that theory, that's fine too. The very constitution of the United States of America guarantees your right to do so. But don't tell those who disagree that they don't have the the right to do the same.

I have long been disgusted by the refusal of many to hear anything that might come close to suggesting that God exists. I do have friends who are atheists, agnostics, humanists and anything else you can think of, but these people all share one quality. They respect that I am a Christian and do not belittle me for it. In return, I respect that they are not Christians and I don't try to change them. (Changing hearts is not my job... if you want to know more about that, feel free to leave a comment.) Currently though, our politically correct climate says that anyone who says that there is a "right" and a "wrong" should be silenced in the name of "tolerance".

Perhaps Expelled will serve as a wake up call to America. I doubt it, but I still hold out hope. Lady Bird Johnson once said, "the clash of ideas is the sound of freedom." I pray that we will again hear that sound in the hallways and offices of science and academia.

dNeero Survey: Social Influence

I'm a big fan of word-of-mouth recommendations. I love to try out new things. I'm always telling people about new stuff that I've found, and I value the opinions of other people I know much more highly than that of critics or advertisements. If someone has similar taste to mine, I figure I'm probably going to like the same things they do. Critics are usually way off base comparitively. The people in ads, well, they're being paid to say what they're saying so it loses all of its value to me.

Haagen-Dazs loves Honey Bees (and BunGirl LOVES Haagen-Dazs!)

Now here's a cause that I can get bee-hind! Right now the honeybee population in America is down by over 25%. This is a huge issue when you look at the impact honeybees have on their surrounding environment. We rely on them for so much more than just honey. Honeybees are responsible for the pollination of more than 100 different crops, and over 80% of the overall pollination in this country. Without them, we'd be unable to grow the fruits, nuts and vegetables that we so love.

Haagen-Dazs, that amazing maker of scrumptious ice cream, has decided it's time to get the word out about this crisis before it becomes worse. They've created a new flavor called Vanilla Honey Bee to help raise awareness. They're also donating to research into the problem, being conducted at Pennsylvania State University and University of California at Davis. If you'd like to learn more about why Haagen-Dazs loves Honey Bees, or what's going on with our little stripey friends, check out their beautiful new website on the topic. Oh, and go get some ice cream!

Musical Mondays: Money

This week the theme is money (tax day!) so I chose a song that deals with the concept of materialism in our pop culture. Supafly by Thousand Foot Krutch:



Here's the lyrics:

We smashing,
Thousand be the head of the class 'n'
Rollin thru ya party with the stereo blastin' we creepin'
It's bin' seven since last weekend,
Everybody in the club freekin'
And in the corner, I can see ya standin' there,
Black jacket 'n' long hair we've been exchanging stares,
'n' I know ya, 'n' what'cha thinkin' yeah right,
Wearin' ya clothes air-tight at the club every night 'n',
Don't'cha know that brothers don't like the girls,
That be into the guys that be tellin them lies 'n' listen here hun,
Life's more than this,
Ya tryin to tell me that'cha never get bored of this?,

Yo, check this who you eye'in up for ya set list,
Frontin' with ya fake gold necklace,
Not respected, 'n' yet ya wonderin' why,
Seen the gleam in ya eyes, as soon as ya spotted them dolla signs $,
Girl what's next? who you hittin' up for the rolex?
Brothers need to clear their specs,
Boy ya gettin' gamed on, thinkin' she loves you 'n' all that,
Need to get it all back, move on 'n' step off that,
She's the wrong type, but same goes for females,
Cuz' guys be spittin' lies, not telling the details,
In the fine print, baby girl, don't sweat it,
Cuz one of these days you'll regret it,
And yo, the moral of the story is,
Dogs and cats are notorious, for gettin' funny around cash money,
So lesson learned, 'n' ya playin' with fire get burned,
Respect yourself, peace, kid hope ya learned

[CHORUS]
You think ya somethin' more ya so supafly,
To the fact you're blind, you're so empty inside,
It's hard for me to get this thru to you,
To the fact ya blind, baby, blind, baby, [x2]

Well it's the Sundance Kid,
Yo the rap villain, man for real and,
Peeps catchin' feelin's of the lyrical caps that I'm peeling,
Makin' noise y'all, me 'n' my krutch boys y'all, stand tall,
Cuz yo we ain't never gonna fall, man forget that,
Yo, we'll keep constantly comin' right back,
Like CHRIST when he rose on the third
Strikin' ya nerves take ya down, down, like Titanic to icebergs,
If ya messin' with a girl for her curves,
And yo, ya might be, you think ya somethin high and mighty,
Might be that you be frontin,
Most likely, no doubt, money be singin' the same song,
Respect yourself hun, it's the 34th Psalm

And sometimes I feel, so unbreakable, I'm so forsakeable,
I'm shattered,
And things aren't as they seem,
They're so in between, they're so make believe,
That it's un-real,
And wake me up when things are better,
Cuz I can't take much more of this and take these rags,
But leave my comfortable sweater,
And leave me alone, then leave me alone, alone, alone, a-lone

[chorus (x2)]

Here's what Pandora has to add:

1. Remembering by Disciple
2. Set It Off by Thousand Foot Krutch
3. Troubled Heard (live) by Kutless
4. Why by Justifide
5. Faith That Breathes (Break Me) by By The Tree
   

Add your link if you're playing along:

Friday Quiz: Ok, it's really a Meme...

The Name Game (stolen from Princess Jami)

1. Your rock star name (first pet, current car): Goldie Liberty

2. Your gangsta name (fave ice cream flavour, favourite type of shoe): Mint Chip Sketchers (we must be gangsta sisters Jami!)

3. Your Native American name (favourite colour, favourite animal): Blue Bunny (incidentally, they make really good ice cream)

4. Your soap opera name (middle name, city where you were born): Ann Upland

5. Your Star Wars name (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name): Melho

6. Superhero name (2nd favourite colour, favourite drink): Silver Coffee

7. NASCAR name (the first names of your grandfathers): William Roy. Like Jami, I'd rather use my grandmothers' names. PhyllisAnn Sara.

8. Stripper name (the name of your favourite perfume/cologne/scent, favourite candy): Vanilla Dove

9. TV weather anchor name (your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Totally spacing on my 5th grade teacher... that's horrible! Umm... 4th would be Albany Atlanta. Close enough?

10. Spy name (your favourite season/holiday, flower): Spring Iris

11. Cartoon name: (favourite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now): Strawberry Trackpants

13. Hippie name (what you ate for breakfast, your favourite tree): Kolache Dogwood

Janet added the porn star name (first pet, first street where you lived): Goldie Thomas

Commenter Suldog suggested: "Here's another one - Your Mobster Name - Your first name and the last thing you ate -OR- Your first name, the last appliance you used, and your grandmother's maiden name (whichever one sounds more Italian.)" - Holly Kolache (That sounds too much like Holly Golightley!) or Holly "Microwave" Haney

If you decide to use this, please post your link here so I can come see!

Expelled

If you have any interest whatsoever in the debate between Creation and Evolution, or if you have any interest in intellectual honesty being allowed in scientific circles, this is the movie for you.



Check out this link for more information.

dNeero Survey: It's In the Cards

It should be no surprise to anyone who knows me that I love to play online card games. Probably my favorite is Club Pogo's Canasta, but you have to be a member to play, and I let that membership run out quite some time ago. Still, there are several free card games on that site as well, and the quality on most of them is top-notch. So if you're ever playing on Pogo, and you run across a member named hmelton102800, say hello!

Musical Mondays: Rain

This week the theme for Musical Monday is "Rain" so I've chosen "Rain Down" from Delirious?. So, here's the song (with lyrics!):


And here's what Pandora has to add:

1. No Heart Beats by Iona
2. Everlasting God by Lincoln Brewster
3. End of My Rope by Seven Day Jesus
4. Give You Everything by Phat Chance
5. Turn by Newsboys

Now it's your turn! Pick a rain song (or choose your own theme) and post it on your blog, then post the link here:

Sunday Seven #136

This week's Sunday Seven:

Choose your seven favorite quotations from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here's my list:

1. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
2. "If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values - that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control."
3. "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."
4. "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."
5. "Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see."
6. "I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live."
7. And finally, "I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."
   

I often find it sad that the spiritual aspects of Dr. King's words are too often removed from the sound bites and media clips. I'm sure there are plenty of Americans that don't even know that he was a Baptist preacher, and the son of a Baptist preacher. His name is even a reference to the Protestant reformer, Martin Luther. It's been 40 years since Dr. King went on to be with the God he so loved. We still haven't made it to the promised land of which he spoke, but progress has been made, and we still have that road ahead of us.

Friday Quiz: How I'm Going To Die

Death through freak supernatural incident You are going to die in a freak vampire/werewolf incident. I would start carrying garlic and silver bullets if I were you. There is something weird about your demeanor, and evil is attracted to you. Plus you may be a little attracted to evil too. Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

CRISIS AT COTTONTAIL CENTRAL

(Cross-posting this from my WildRescue blog because the word needs to get out there!)

Boxes line the countertop. Scratching noises can be heard from within. Another day, another group of 30 baby cottontails wait for a human to pick them up and give them nourishment – and life. It’s a different day at Cottontail Central because the doors must close on any more incoming wildlife UNLESS MORE PEOPLE HELP!!!

It’s baby season in the DFW area. Baby cottontails number among the highest that are admitted to our rehab center. We currently have over 50, and have reached our limit, both physically and mentally. It takes a minimum of 10 minutes to feed one baby cottontail. You do the math. We have only one thing to say – STOP. Don’t take them from their nests. There ARE solutions to any of the issues the public may have with cottontails being born in their yards. You are condemning these babies to death if you will not at least try to keep them in their nests. It is not hard. This is what you do:


WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND A BABY COTTONTAIL NEST

It is raining baby cottontails here in North Texas. Our rehabilitators are full and cannot accept any more at this time. Over 50 have come in since this last Monday. Over 40 came in the Monday before. KEEP THEM IN THEIR NESTS. Many people think they are doing a kind act by taking these seemingly abandoned animals to local animal shelters, rehabilitators and veterinarians when, in reality, they are best left alone. Why? Because they have a high mortality rate within the rehab environment and it is virtually impossible to find enough people to care for these little creatures competently. Hundreds of “abandoned” baby bunnies come into us at the beginning of spring. The primary reason why people bring baby bunnies in to our animal shelters is they think the rabbits have been abandoned and are not being fed by mom. FALSE. Mom comes at dawn and dusk to feed them. She will not abandon her babies. Mom has GPS. She knows where here babies are. She will feed them and then leave the nest thus diverting potential predators away from the babies and towards her.

Here are some rabbit facts and ways that you can help save these baby’s lives!

* Mom comes at dawn and dusk to feed them and you may never see her.
* The babies are located usually close to a house or other sheltered environment in shallow holes lined with dried grasses and fur.
* They open their eyes at ten days of age
* They are up and out of the nest between 3 and 4 weeks of age
* Renest them! If the nest is disturbed, gently replace the babies and put the nesting material back in the nest. Your human smell will not deter Mom from feeding them
* Check on them every morning to see if their tummies are full of mom’s milk.

If you have a wildlife emergency situation, and feel that the rabbits are not being cared for, please CHECK WITH US before you take them anywhere. Help keep the babies with their moms and be a part of coexisting with our wildlife!


CONTACT INFORMATION:
wildrescuetexas@gmail.com
www.rescuedrabbits.org
940-442-8289

Info (and pictures) on the life of a baby eastern cottontail here.

dNeero Survey: Spring Awakening