one small step

Ethanol is a bad idea.

"What Mr Gore has asked is that every family calculate their carbon footprint and try to reduce it as much as possible," a spokesman said. "Once they have done so, he then advocates that they purchase offsets, as the Gores do, to bring their footprint down to zero." [ SOURCE ]

Oh yes, there is a lot of money to be made through guilt, fear and manipulation. The same things religions are accused of. I'm not really sure how purchasing offsets really help aside from line he and his buddies pockets. Oh what a tangled web they weave...

Ask any second grader what the purpose of CO2 is (nourishment for plants) and how the earth is heated (the sun). At least, that's what I was taught in school. Who knows what kids are being taught now. Maybe the plot of Idiocracy isn't so far off.

The whole premis on the decreasing Polar Bear populations is because global warming (caused by the man-made CO2 emissions and cow farts) is melting the ice and causing Polar Bears to drown.

After doing some research, the actual figures of population results vary significantly. I'm now convinced that the numbers can go either way -- you could say that the population is decreasing or increasing. The overall numbers vary between 15,000 and 30,000. A 50% contingency is not a very accurate number; so until more accurate statistics can be provided, we should take a moment to consider a few things.

For one, people do not generally move to the frozen parts on this earth. You don't see an insurgence of folk running to Antartica to settle down with their family, grilling steaks on their outdoor patio and working on cattle ranches. In fact, the warmer it is, generally, the more people you will find. People LIKE warmer weather. So what is my point here? My point is that there really aren't a lot of direct reasons why the polar bear population should decrease. As for the environment change, that is debatable and leans towards the side of, "ummm, not really."

Polar_bears

Even if the ice has been melting, there is still a lot of ice to be seen, and some have reported no problems at all with the state of the ice or more than they had anticipated in 2004, which, by the way, the next dispatch they went on produced the photo by Amanda Byrd that has a lot of controversy wrapped up in it. For one, the photo credit was not given to the proper photographer in mainstream media and has since taken down the photo from their article. Not to mention it was taken in August 2004, which is a time known for melting ice around the edges of the cap. Read more about the facts behind this photo here and here.

Fact: Polar bears can swim great distances and normally do a lot of hunting for seals and sea lions in the water. Unless global warming has some how rendered the polar bears unable to swim, I don't see how droves of them could be drowning. And as a side note (playing the advocate): if global warming were true and happening right now, aren't these prime conditions to evolve and adapt?

However, I don't actually think that we're going to have to worry about the ice caps melting any time soon with the trend of cooling over the past nine years (1998 - 2007). I am actually more concerned about a global cooling than a global warming. More CO2 is a result of global warming. That is, when the earth heats up you have more growth - in animals and plants, which cause the CO2 levels to rise. The more animals and humans that produce CO2, the more plants soak it up and etc. In fact the very chart that Al Gore uses to "prove" CO2 emissions cause global warming actually shows how increased CO2 levels are a product of the increased temperature. For more information about this chart, check out this site. You'll have to scroll a bit, but it's a pretty informative site and a good read. If these sorts of things interest you, I recommend that you read the whole page.

My point is that a warm earth is a happy, productive, and vibrant earth. Look at the difference between summer and winter. The earth has been doing this warming and cooling bit regularly since we have records to show. If I were a betting woman, I would bet that after this period of cooling, a period of heating will start up again. I am not too concerned about the earth being damaged enough to sustain the way it has for thousands of years. That's not to say we should not be good stewards to what we have. I see nothing wrong with making strides to having more energy efficient things and new cheaper, renewable resources, however, I am concerned when it concerns the government making bills that are formed because (or FOR the research of) bad science that has a negative impact on our economy. I am concerned when scientists who have findings that don't line up with the "liberal" media's biased findings are mudslinged by the media for no reason, refused grants for research, fired, or excluded from journals. We live in America people, where we have a RIGHT to free speech.

I believe people should strive to not only improve the earth, but their own lives in the process. I have always had a mentality to reuse and re-purpose things to get the most value out of something, to make my own life better. It also has a lot to do with saving money, which is something that directly and immediately relates to my overall living conditions. Perhaps this is selfish, but I know a lot of people who have much, so they waste much. If everyone had this attitude about what they have, it would definitely have a global impact. Maybe less people would be driving SUVs.

I know some fringe groups out there believe humans are the problem, but I don't see any of them committing suicide -- which seems to me the logical way to have your convictions hold some integrity. At the end of the day, people are not going to put themselves out of extinction for the sake of the earth, so why even listen to people like that? For all you know, their deepest desire may be a global genocide where they can be the ones to "start over." I love how people like to say that I am the radical when the important people behind liberal ideas is far scarier and radical than I could ever be.

I have been saying that global warming is a hoax for some time now. That's not to say that I disagree that we should monitor our energy consumption, I just believe we should do it for entirely different reasons. We've installed a new themostat and switched to energy saving lightbulbs to save money every month on our electricity bill. But when does sensibility turn irrational? For one, I am sick of self-proclaimed "liberals" who propagate their propaganda without any real scientific basis behind it, or even common sense.

I'm sorry, but Al Gore is a joke. Ok, blaming record highs on global warming -- fair enough. But lows too? Not only are the polar ice caps going to melt, but they are going to freeze over too. Yet recorded history, as far as my knowledge and understanding permits, never mentions or contains any "ice ages" (unless you count the natural periods of cooling). But that's another topic entirely. Has anybody noticed that because we are entering a "cooling" period, Global Warming is now being interchanged with "Climate Change" -- perhaps in a few months Global Warming will fall off the scene as a buzzword history will begin to be rewritten... I, for one, will always call them out on what this fiasco started out as: global warming via CO2. HELLO?! Am I the only one that sees how ridiculous that sounds? Does anyone remember what they learned in elementary school science class about how plants give us oxygen to breathe and we give them CO2 that they absorb? The very first time I heard about CO2 being a pollutant I thought about this. AND ALSO, a "globally warm" earth is actually beneficial -- there is more growth then in terms of plant life and creatures than in a "globally cool" period.

What I really want to get across, is that most people I know that argue for global warming have no idea about any actual science to stand behind their opinion, whereas a simple google search will find a lot of complex scientific and mathematic commentary that is enough to make my head spin, like this site for example. Again, another topic entirely, but I get the same thing for those who want to "argue" for evolution. And thus, if you're going to have an opinion, you should at least know something intelligible about it that is not just regurgitated propaganda.

The truth is not always what it seems, and rarely ever is what the current media portrays it as... it's a serious case of revisionist history or just plain cover ups. If nobody talks about it then it doesn't exist. If you really think that Global Warming is a real concern... ask yourself, have you really studied the facts? You may be asking yourself, why would the government, media and other croonies want to perpetrate a global warming hoax? That is merely speculation, there could be plenty of reasons (money included), and I'm not an authority in these matters by any stretch of the imagination, but I can do my own research and find out the facts FOR MYSELF. How many of you still have mommy feed you? So why rely on someone like Al Gore for your information? The man is not a scientist, nor will he debate with anyone, and if someone opposes he throws mud at them... just like a two year old. Why don't you see why many, many scientists and regular people like you and I are convinced that Global Warming IS a hoax, and a dangerous one at that.

Here's a good place to start:

Worlds Natural Health Organization: THE GLOBAL WARMING HOAX
Wikipedia: Global Warming Conspiracy Theory
Global Warming Hoax: Where Only The Truth Heats Up
Derica Lorriane - Global Warming Hoax

That's only the tip of the iceburg. Google "Global Warming" "Global Warming Hoax" and "Global Warming Conspiracy" and see where you end up. Compare the reasoning and science behind both cases and see which is stronger. You may be surprised at what you find.

Here are the rules:

1- Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.

2- People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post the rules.

3- At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.

4- Don't forget to leave them a comment on their blog and tell them they've been tagged, and to come back and read your blog for the whole story.

I thought this looked fun... but of course, I love talking about myself so why wouldn't it be? ;)

1. I like to always be busy -- if I'm not constantly doing something I feel like I am wasting time or just bored. In some ways, it's good because I can be productive, however, it also has a bunch of undesirable side effects such as trouble sleeping or relaxing, and a decreased productivity when I am tired.
2. I met my husband on the interwebnet in December of 2003. People don't know what to make of it when it inevitably comes up in conversation, especially older people (because they think that everyone on the internet lies or something). For the record, we met on a message board for Christian Musicians (not a dating site, though there is nothing wrong with that) and we definitely didn't intend to find love 1,200 miles away but it happened and here I am!
   
3. I love my job -- I feel insanely lucky to be able to do something creative instead of stuck in a retail environment (where I never lasted long). It's exciting because I can see that I'm constantly getting better and developing my skills, learning new things. I'm enjoying the process and working with other creative professionals. People who finally understand my passion for typography and design. Gotta love it.
4. I can be socially awkward in real world situations. I think that sometimes I come off as snobby or apathetic towards people, but really, I am just shy. I find it easier to let people know how I feel about them through thoughtful gifts and the written word.
5. I am very passionate about Jesus Christ, Truth, Wisdom, Love and the Bible, and applying these things to real life situations to uncover the reality behind everything -- politics, people, etc. My beliefs are a bit "off" from your average American, or at least most people I know, but I think a mutual respect is necessary when disagreements come up (which they inevitably do).
6. I'm really overweight and it affects my life more than I wish it did. I have lost a pretty significant amount of weight in the past 8 months, but I have been stagnant for awhile and would like to stop making excuses for myself and just do it. What am I afraid of? Failure. I'm usually pretty good at anything I do, but for the things that actually take some hard work, like losing weight and getting fit, I get discouraged easily. I have not given up and have been maintaining my current loss within 5lbs, but I guess you could say I've been on hiatus.
7. I have the worlds worst hair. It's extremely fine and... limp. I have just discovered the power of products and a good haircut, though, so I'm working on fooling the eye ;). It is pretty soft though and otherwise healthy. It's good to be young!
8. I ran my own business for a little over a year doing freelance web and graphic design and a myriad of other little side projects. It was fun while it lasted but in the end my stress level was a lot higher than it needed to be. Still, not many people can say they ran their own business for a year when they were 21/22. Not sure if I'd ever want to do it again though... maybe if I did a lot more planning. Failure to plan is like planning to fail after all.

I'm tagging the following people (though anyone who wants to do this can consider themselves tagged!): Nacwolin, Kirk, quornflour, sillyduckie, Lorelei, チェルシー, Christina and mLee.

If you're getting one, how are you planning on spending your tax refund?

REFUND? hah. yeah right. I will be owing money because of Social Security. I'm sooo stoked to pay for something I will never see.

Scales1

eBay has lowered their fees, so I've decided to start listing some of my artwork in hopes to sell something. I'll post all of my listings here after I make them... if you see something you like, feel free to bid! I have a feeling that it will take some time to get what I want for my work, but if you really like my art, you might as well get it now while it's cheap ;)

This particular piece is called "Thoughtful" and is small (5"x7"), but fits perfectly in a standard size frame.

Buy it on eBay!

Some of you may be curious how the wedding went. If you are one of the few people who actually read my blog from time to time, I apologize. I'm afraid, however, that there are not many of you out there. Needless to say, the wedding was fabulous. Yes, I did "freak out" days before the wedding... and a few hours prior especially, when I was running late, John was running late, Holden (John's nephew, one of the ring bearers) still didn't have a suit, and so on. Of course, these will be stories we recall with a laugh later, but at the time they were a bit un-nerving. I will say that I probably could have made my self a lot more stressed out and nervous about the occasion than I was -- but I assumed the role of an easy-to-please bride (which I admit is not easy to come by) and tried not to stress about things too much.

All in all, it went quickly... and I was definitely surprised by the well wishes, gifts, and sheer generosity given to us. It was definitely well worth it all to spend some time with folks I haven't seen in awhile, especially my family. I really couldn't ask for anything more! Our honeymoon was a bit short, but it's all we could afford. I'm thankful that we were even able to get as many days away that we could, despite some setbacks (like, the fact that the car was acting up while we were in St. Pete). Sure, who wouldn't want a longer vacation (free of car repairs)? Hopefully we'll have steady and reliable income in a year in order to afford a proper honeymoon! It's something to save for and enjoy on our first year anniversary.... if we make it that long (JUST KIDDING!!!).

What's next on the horizon? Well, we're looking to move into a house (for rent) for a number of reasons... mostly because our apartment complex has some problems that are causing problems, and it would be a better environment to start our new life together in a new place. Our lease is up at the end of June.

I'm just getting over a nasty cold. I'm actually starting to feel like myself again. Yesterday I must have sneezed practically twenty times... and that's no exaggeration. On Monday I left work early, got home and watched TV in my bed for a few hours. I finally fell asleep around 8pm and slept on and off until 8am the following morning... typically I have more energy than that, but I was just exhausted.

So, it's good to be back and getting into the swing of life, getting over sicknesses and ready to tackle new things... like, trying to finish up all of this freelance work by May 17th, which is when our company will finally be closed for good. And also... jumping through all of the hoops to get my name legally changed to Rakel Fairfull!

Over the weekend John got a pretty bad case of the Stomach Flu. I thought I had escaped it... but sure enough, after work yesterday I got a terrible stomach ache. The diarrhea and vomiting followed. Now John's mom has it... at least we are getting it out of our system and will hopefully be at the tip-top by Saturday (the wedding, man!). I'm going to work a few hours from home today even though I feel a lot better (no more stomach ache or vomiting) just because I'd like to prevent passing this on to anybody else. I don't quite feel 100% yet either.

Well, tonight I put together my bridesmaids bouquets... and they are quite lovely! I still have to finish them off with floral tape & ribbon, but I thought I'd post them up for everyone to see (including you sis!). I think they turned out beautifully! My bouquet will have a lot of color in it mixed with white -- lavender, dusty rose, apricot, light pink, mauve, cream & ivory, etc.