Wednesday, November 02, 2005
No Matter What Costume You Have On
On my drive to work this morning I passed a church with the following sign out front: "God knows you no matter what costume you have on." I loved that! Great sermon topic, I think. We wear so many costumes at times.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Pluto Now Has Some Companions
I just read Reasoned Audacity and had to laugh! Check it out. Are there people who sincerely believe that Pluto was lonely way out there in outer space?
Coconut Cake - EASY Recipe
This recipe was given to me by Gimmie - my wonderful mother-in-law. I made it last night for tonight's family dinner. And it was extremely quick and easy! I'll post a note later about how it tastes. Gimmie swears it's absolutely delicious.
1 yellow cake mix
1 12-oz pkg. grated coconut
8 oz. sour cream
1 ½ cups sugar
Mix the cake following the directions on the box. Pour the cake into TWO cake pans. (There isn’t enough icing for three layers. If you want three layers, make more icing or don't put icing on the sides!) WHILE the cake is baking, mix the coconut, sour cream and sugar. The mixture will be grainy since the sugar isn’t dissolved. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, put the icing on it. The heat from the warm cake will melt the sugar and soak some of the icing into the cake.
(Later Note: Dinner is over, all my guests have gone home -- and the coconut cake was delicious. Since it is iced while it is still warm, it is extremely moist. Everyone really liked it! Thanks for the recipe, Gimmie!)
1 yellow cake mix
1 12-oz pkg. grated coconut
8 oz. sour cream
1 ½ cups sugar
Mix the cake following the directions on the box. Pour the cake into TWO cake pans. (There isn’t enough icing for three layers. If you want three layers, make more icing or don't put icing on the sides!) WHILE the cake is baking, mix the coconut, sour cream and sugar. The mixture will be grainy since the sugar isn’t dissolved. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, put the icing on it. The heat from the warm cake will melt the sugar and soak some of the icing into the cake.
(Later Note: Dinner is over, all my guests have gone home -- and the coconut cake was delicious. Since it is iced while it is still warm, it is extremely moist. Everyone really liked it! Thanks for the recipe, Gimmie!)
Possible Bird Flu Pandemic and the News
I don't watch the news on TV very much, but this morning I watched a few minutes of "Good Morning, America" on ABC. Those few minutes were eye-opening for me. I've already written about the Hershey-funded study of the benefits of dark chocolate. The other story that made me laugh and shake my head was the one about bird flu. Each "authority" that they interviewed was shown with a dark and shadowy background - giving them an almost spooky appearance. Then the images shown during the segment were of workers digging graves, rows of coffins, people lying on beds lined side by side and filling up sports stadiums -- all stark, frightening and foreboding. They talked of quarantined neighborhoods and cities and of how people were hoarding the vaccine, how the vaccine manufacturer has stopped shipments to the United States, and how there was only enough vaccine for first-responders and the military. It was obvious they were trying to alarm people.
Whatever happened to objectivity in reporting the news? Does that ever happen anymore?
Whatever happened to objectivity in reporting the news? Does that ever happen anymore?
Baptism Electrocution in Waco, Texas
I was reading some news stories on the internet this morning. One that caught my eye was the one about the pastor in Waco, Texas - Rev. Kyle Lake - who was about to baptize someone. While standing in the baptistry with water up to his waist, he reached over to adjust a nearby microphone - and was electrocuted while the congregation watched. He was only 33 years old.
It wasn't a very smart thing to do. However, it WAS the kind of thing that people do when they're in a hurry and not thinking through their actions. It wouldn't have made the national news except that it happened to a minister during a baptism. Fortunately, the woman to be baptized had not entered the baptistry yet. Surely a minister of God, performing a sacred ritual should be exempt from such freakish accidents. It's like when rescue workers are killed while trying to save someone's life. It seems so wrong.
I hesitate to write about religious topics since I'm definitely not knowledgeable about such things, and I have many family members who know so much more than I. However, I believe it all comes down to free will. There are laws of nature and laws of God, and when people don't follow those laws, there are consequences - regardless of who the person is. God didn't hold back the minister's hand from touching the microphone, and He didn't keep the electrical current from killing him. The minister had the free will to forget or ignore the law of electrical currents, and the consequences proved fatal. Does God ever suspend the laws of nature to "save" someone? Those are the miracles we hear about. But are they miracles, coincidence, or circumstance? I don't know. Everyone who has ever touched an electrical appliance while in a tub has not been electrocuted. People run red lights every day and nothing bad happens, and yet someone else can do it for the first time and his/her whole life is changed by the consequences.
I remember a long time ago in psychology class in college, we studied conditioning and positive and negative reinforcement. I don't remember the specifics, but I believe that constant positive or negative reinforcement was less effective in conditioning responses than intermittent reinforcement. I'm not sure how to explain how that applies to the minister being electrocuted. However when I thought of how sometimes people survive such accidents, and other times they don't, it reminded me of it. Perhaps that's a topic for a later post or for someone with deeper thoughts than mine this morning.
It wasn't a very smart thing to do. However, it WAS the kind of thing that people do when they're in a hurry and not thinking through their actions. It wouldn't have made the national news except that it happened to a minister during a baptism. Fortunately, the woman to be baptized had not entered the baptistry yet. Surely a minister of God, performing a sacred ritual should be exempt from such freakish accidents. It's like when rescue workers are killed while trying to save someone's life. It seems so wrong.
I hesitate to write about religious topics since I'm definitely not knowledgeable about such things, and I have many family members who know so much more than I. However, I believe it all comes down to free will. There are laws of nature and laws of God, and when people don't follow those laws, there are consequences - regardless of who the person is. God didn't hold back the minister's hand from touching the microphone, and He didn't keep the electrical current from killing him. The minister had the free will to forget or ignore the law of electrical currents, and the consequences proved fatal. Does God ever suspend the laws of nature to "save" someone? Those are the miracles we hear about. But are they miracles, coincidence, or circumstance? I don't know. Everyone who has ever touched an electrical appliance while in a tub has not been electrocuted. People run red lights every day and nothing bad happens, and yet someone else can do it for the first time and his/her whole life is changed by the consequences.
I remember a long time ago in psychology class in college, we studied conditioning and positive and negative reinforcement. I don't remember the specifics, but I believe that constant positive or negative reinforcement was less effective in conditioning responses than intermittent reinforcement. I'm not sure how to explain how that applies to the minister being electrocuted. However when I thought of how sometimes people survive such accidents, and other times they don't, it reminded me of it. Perhaps that's a topic for a later post or for someone with deeper thoughts than mine this morning.
Chocolate is good for you! Wait - The study was funded by Hershey's!
I was watching the news this morning and got a good chuckle out of one report. On "Good Morning, America," they had a segment about a study finding that dark chocolate is actually GOOD for you. Several times during the discussion, the camera panned a table with a display of candy. Hmmm...Hershey's Special Dark chocolate bars were the most prominent candies on display. Better yet, the study was funded by Hershey's. I'm sorry for being skeptical -- but somehow I just don't trust the validity of that research.
Halloween 2005
Last year for Halloween I bought several bags of candy for trick-or-treaters. It was the first Halloween spent in my townhome, and I had no idea how many trick-or-treaters I would get. My grand total for the evening was zero. Not a single doorbell ring! I had the front porch light on and even a jack-o-lantern on the porch, but no one came to the door. This year, to be on the safe side, I bought candy anyway, and I'm glad I did. I'll bet my doorbell rang five or six times! And there was with no jack-o-lantern on the porch this year.
I remember years in the past when I couldn't even sit down between doorbell rings. There would be literally hundreds of children coming to the door. I don't know if the dwindling numbers are due to now living in an area where there are fewer children or because fewer children are trick-or-treating. It is likely a combination of the two.
Despite all the criticism of the practice of trick-or-treating, I still think it's fun. I enjoy seeing the children's costumes and their excitement. I hope all the safety issues and its opponents don't stop it.
I remember years in the past when I couldn't even sit down between doorbell rings. There would be literally hundreds of children coming to the door. I don't know if the dwindling numbers are due to now living in an area where there are fewer children or because fewer children are trick-or-treating. It is likely a combination of the two.
Despite all the criticism of the practice of trick-or-treating, I still think it's fun. I enjoy seeing the children's costumes and their excitement. I hope all the safety issues and its opponents don't stop it.
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