1,000 and counting!

As I am the writer of a very simple blog, I am very excited to say I have over 1,000 page views! This may seem like nothing to most, but it makes me smile. I hope you keep reading my blog. :-)

Sabbatical

     I have decided to take a 2 month sabbatical from my blog. I really need to focus on my schooling, music, and sports. I encourage you to read either of my friend Anna's two blogs in the mean time. The links are on the bottom of my page titled, "5 Things" and "The Pickled Banana". See you in February!

Christmas Concert

                                               Musical Monday of the Month #4

                                                                           Enjoy!

Things Change With Time

                                                     Wondering Weekend #11

Here is an essay I wrote for school a couple of weeks ago. I have been studying American history, and this assignment was a comparison between religion in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and during the Second Great Awakening.

     Looking back in history, it is easy to see huge changes in the different generations. The most obvious being dress, speech, and customs. One that does not usually change as much as the rest is religion. At least that’s how it used to be. One huge example of religious change in the generations is the Puritanical beliefs of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and that of religion on the frontier during the Second Great Awakening. Let us examine:

In the beginnings of America, we had simplistic towns. One example of such a town is the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which is called Boston today. It was a much different place back then. There were farms, churches, small schools, and no buildings like the skyscrapers of today. It was started after Plymouth Plantation and most definitely flourished more. The Massachusetts Bay Colony is a far cry from the Boston we know today. What was the one major difference? The religion of the simplistic community was much purer.

This colony was started, like many townships of the time, for religious purposes. The Puritans sought to create a pure society in which they had no opposition. They wanted to fulfill the great commission through their children while staying as true to the scriptures as possible. Sadly, we can easily see how they became quite legalistic. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book The Scarlet Letter we can see how judgmental the Puritans were. A girl who committed adultery was made to be hated and an outcast. No one cared for her but her daughter and the one who sinned with her. Although this is not a true story, it is written with truth as to how the Puritans would have treated a girl like poor Hester: with hate. 

The Puritans had pure intentions when they started their town, but they veered far from the true path, like many do. 

Many, many years later things were very different. As America expanded West, the number of people attending church fell. People were more interested in gaining wealth on earth than in heaven. Man was seen as the absolute authority and reason governed all. The religion of the Pilgrims and Puritans was replaced with civil religion. Formality choked out honesty. A Second Great Awakening is just what the people needed. God always provides, right?

Yes, He does. Revivals sprouted out of nowhere. Camps dedicated to praising the Lord and fellow-shipping with other believers appeared. Great speakers were raised up, and doctrines changed. The people fell away from the truths of Calvinistic thought and began to see God in a different light. He was becoming the all loving, easy going God that is preached in our churches today. Charismatics arose with their strange ways of worship and beliefs. Civil religion went away for a time. The country was happy. 

What is the difference between these two examples? Who was better? Did one completely trump the other? In my opinion, both ended flawed and unfixable. The Puritans began with holy intentions and stayed true to the Bible in many ways. They failed to examine their children’s true state of salvation. Legalism replaced honesty and gave way to half-hearted believers. They cared about being “right” all the time more the what truly matters. 

Do I think the people who took place in the Second Great Awakening were any better off? Not in the slightest! In fact, I would argue that the “reformers” only steered Americans farther from the truth. Yes, Christianity was revived. Yes, there was a general reform in the country. The bad part is the kind of Christianity that was started. The false truth of the common church today can be traced back to this event in history. Man went from trusting in his reason to trusting a “softy” God. 

In the end, I believe God is sovereign. It does not matter what happens in history as long as God fulfills His perfect and holy will. The elect will be saved no matter what. Those who are not in the Book of Life now will never enter it. We can clearly see God’s hand throughout history working in both the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Second Great Awakening. All things are for the good of the elect. History’s “mistakes” are but little steps in furthering the kingdom of Christ. 

We can clearly see the positives, faults, differences, and similarities between these two aspects of Christianity. All things have and will change over time besides God’s attributes. 

Did You Know? - 10 Interesting Christmas Facts

                                                    Certain Certitude #14

     With every one's favorite holiday approaching, I thought I would share some facts about it! Here are 10 that will surprise you:

*NOTE* I stole this cute fact filled graphic from the website www.todayifoundout.com Check the website out!

The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne

                                                    Wondering Weekend #10

     Sorry it's a day late, but here is what I've been wondering about this weekend!

     There have been many a great men and women in history worth remembering. Some heros who should have been honored with a holiday have long been forgotten. Some have been over praised and given a false image. But there is one man who we mustn't forget. His writings have captured the true feelings of man greater than any other. Who is this writer? Let us look at the life of Nathaniel Hawthorne. 

This great author was born on July 4th, 1804, in Salem Massachusetts. (His birthplace has been preserved and is open to the public today.) He is of English / Puritan descent. Hawthorne’s first ancestor who came to America was William Hathorne, his great-great-great-grandfather. William became an important citizen of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and held many political positions including magistrate and judge. (He became infamous for his harsh sentencing.) His son, and Nathaniel’s great-great-grandfather, John Hathorne, was one of the judges who oversaw the Salem Witch Trials. (It is thought that when Nathaniel learned of this, that he added the “w” to his surname in his early twenties in an effort to disassociate himself from his notorious forebears.) Nathaniel Hathorne, Sr., the author’s father, was a sea captain who died in 1808 of yellow fever in Suriname. After his death, 4 year old Nathaniel, his mother, and two sisters moved in with maternal relatives, the Mannings, in Salem. They lived there for 10 years. During this time, on November 10, 1813, 9 year old Hawthorne was hit on the leg while playing “bat and ball.” He became lame and bedridden for a year, though several physicians could find nothing wrong with him.

In the summer of 1816, the family lived as boarders with farmers before moving to a home specifically built for them by Hawthorne’s uncles Robert and Richard Manning in Raymond, Maine, near Sebago Lake. Hawthorne loved living in Maine. He wrote later in his life: “Those were delightful days, for that part of the country was wild then, with only scattered clearings, and nine tenths of it primeval woods.” Despite his love of Maine he was sent back to Salem in 1819 for school and soon complained of homesickness and being too far from his mother and sisters. To entertain himself he made his own newspaper, The Spectator, in August and September 1820. It was written by hand and included essays, poems, and news utilizing the young author’s developing adolescent humor. He gave seven issues to his family. 

Despite protests, Hawthorne’s uncle Robert insisted that he attend college. With the financial support of his uncle, he was sent to Bowdoin College in 1821. This college was chosen for him partly because he had family connections in the area and also because of its relatively inexpensive tuition rate. While on his way to and at college the author-to-be met many soon-to-be important people such as Franklin Pierce, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Jonathan Cilley, and Horatio Bridge. After his time at college he wrote, “I was educated (as the phrase is) at Bowdoin College. I was an idle student, negligent of college rules and the Procrustean details of academic life, rather choosing to nurse my own fancies than to dig Greek roots and be numbered among the learned Thebans.” 

As for his early career, he served as an editor in 1836 of the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge. He boarded with the poet Thomas Green Fessenden on Hancock Street in Beacon Hill, Boston at this time. He was offered a job as weighter and gauger at the Boston Custom House. He accepted at a salary of $1,500 a year on January 17, 1839. He rented a room during his time there from George Hillman Stillard, business partner of Charles Summer. While living there, he wrote in comparative obscurity in what he called the “owl’s nest.” Later on in life, he wrote this looking back: “I have not lived, but only dreamed about living.” He wrote some short stories, including “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister’s Black Veil.” Some of his stories were collected into one volume titled Twice-Told Tales.

Interestingly, while at college Hawthorne bet his friend Jonathan Cilley a bottle of Madeira wine that Cilley would get married before he did. By 1836, he won this bet. But not long after his friend got married did Nathaniel meet transcendentalist Sophia Peabody. In pursuit of a home for himself and Sophia, he joined the transcendentalist Utopian community at Brook Farm in 1841. It is important to note that he did not join because he agreed with the experiment, but that he was just seeking a way to gain money to marry Sophia. He had to pay a $1,000 deposit and was put in charge of shoveling the hill of manure referred to as “the Gold Mine.” Although he left later that year, he was inspired by his adventure at Brook Farm for his novel The Blithedale Romance. He married Sophia on July 9, 1842. They were very happy together, and Sophia was constantly amazed at what he could write. She very much enjoy reading his works. They had three children together - Una, Julian, and Rose.

Throughout his life, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote many, many books, stories, and articles. The book that most know him for is The Scarlet Letter. Even during his life, this book was immensely popular. It sold 2,500 volumes within ten days and earned Hawthorne $1,500 over 14 years. Even in London was this book talked about. Some of his other most noted works are The House of the Seven Gables and Tanglewood.

Before his death, he was able to meet Abraham Lincoln. He was of failing health at the age of 60, and while on a tour of the White Mountains, he died in his sleep on May 19, 1864. Hawthorne is buried in what is known as “Author’s Ridge” in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord Massachusetts. Sadly, he was prevented from completing a few more romances. His family was devastated by his death, but lived on. 

In the end, Nathaniel Hawthorne led an honest life. Although he was in a lot of ways just like everyone else, he was extremely talented when he had a pen in his hand. He could capture the true desires of the hearts of men in words like no other. He should be remembered as a great husband, father, and writer. 

A Thanksgiving Treat

     Well! A lot has changed since I made this blog last December! I thought I would just take some time today to tell you who I am so you can understand what kind of mindset these posts are coming from.
     I'll start with the basics: At the moment for pets I have 2 dogs (Bentley and Esther), 4 cats (Cleo Patra, Siyah Maymun, Autumn, and Romeo - Figaro), 1 bunny (Zaphod Beeblebrox), and 12 chickens. I live with just my parents, am home schooled, and in 10th grade. I have some siblings who are all older and don't live at home. I have been playing the violin for 5 and 1/2 years and just started the cello 2 days ago! I am very passionate about learning, saving babies from abortion, and preparing for my future!

Me and three of my friends: Sarah, Elsie, and Katie

     As for my faith: I am Christian! Doctrinally, I am a 5-Point Calvinist and Credo, Reformed Baptist. I believe in Family Integration and stand behind The Baptist Confession of Faith 1689. I believe God should be first in every one's lives and that we must continually be working on our faith. I believe that abortion is murder, homosexuality is an abomination, and that conventional dating is wrong. I DO NOT believe these things because I've been told to, brain washed into it, or forced to believe it. I came to these decisions all by myself. (Well, with God's leading of course! ;-)
     My top five favorite things in this world are learning, true friends, music, animals, and family. I enjoy swimming, skiing, and snowboarding. I like to watch and root for the Patriots. Baseball, soccer, hockey, etc. all bore me to death on tv, but are fun to play. I love living in New England so much that I might have to run away if I ever had to move again. ;-) I enjoy deep thoughts, unexplainable happiness, and happy tears. (Which I have only experienced once in my entire life!)
     Lastly, I would like to end with what I'm thankful for on today of all days! I praise the Lord that he's placed me in MY family, given me MY friends, and MY talents. I would never trade it with anyone else's. I am thankful for being home schooled and living life the way I do. I praise the Lord for being born on June 12th, 1998 by my mother and no one else. Thank you, God!

Did You Know? - Fun Word Facts

                                                     Certain Certitude #13

This post will be appreciated by all my wordy friends I'm sure! Here are 25 facts about words:

1. "Stewardesses" and "reverberated" are the longest words that can be typed using only the left hand.
2. "Lollipop" is the longest word that can be typed using only the right hand.
3. "Skepticisms" is the longest word that can be typed using alternate hands.
4. "Rhythm" and "syzygy" are the longest words without vowels.
5. The letters H, I, O, and X are the only letters that look the same if you flip them upside down or view them from behind.
6. "Queueing" is the only word with five consecutive vowels.
7. The only city in the United States whose name is spelled using only vowels is Aiea, Hawaii.
8. The longest one-syllable words are "screeched" and "strengths".
9. The word with the most consonants in a row is "latchstring".
10. "W" is the only letter in the alphabet that does not have one syllable. It has three!
11. "Therein" contains ten words without rearranging any of the letters: there, in, the, he, her, here, ere, therein, herein, rein.
12. A, H, I, M, O, T, U, V, W, X, and Y are the symmetric capital letters.
13. The symmetric lowercase letters are i, l, o, t, u, v, w, x.
14. The letter combination "ough" can be pronounced in nine different ways, which can be heard in this sentence: A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed.
15. "Deeded" is the only word that is made using only two different letters, each used three times.
16. There aren't any words that rhyme with orange, purple, silver, or month.
17. Maine is the only state with one syllable.
18. The only words with three consecutive double letters are "bookkeeping" and "bookkeeper".
19. "Underground" is the only word that begins and ends with "und".
20. "Polish" changes from a noun or a verb to a nationality when it is capitalized.
21. If you spell out every number from 0 to 999, you will find every vowel except for "a". You have to count to one thousand to find an "a"!
22. "Q" is the only letter that is not used in the name of any of the United States.
23. The only words with "uu" are "vacuum", "muumuu", "residuum", and "continuum".
24. The highest scoring word in the game Scrabble is "quartzy".
25. "Subcontinental" is the only word that uses each vowel only once and in reverse alphabetical order.

*THERE WILL BE A POST VERY SOON FROM MY FRIEND ANNA! STAY POSTED!*

Things Change With Time

                                                         Wondering Weekday #1

Well, after missing two Wondering Weekends, I feel like I need to do something special to make it up to my viewers! What have I decided? I'm going to do a Wondering Weekday, a Certain Certitude, and a post on Thanksgiving updating everyone on my life as a holiday treat! Here is your first Wondering Weekday:

     Looking back in history, it is easy to see huge changes in the different generations. The most obvious being dress, speech, and customs. One that does not usually change as much as the rest is religion. At least that’s how it used to be. One huge example of religious change in the generations is the Puritanical beliefs of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and that of religion on the frontier during the Second Great Awakening. Let us examine:

In the beginnings of America, we had simplistic towns. One example of such a town is the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which is called Boston today. It was a much different place back then. There were farms, churches, small schools, and no buildings like the skyscrapers of today. It was started after Plymouth Plantation and most definitely flourished more. The Massachusetts Bay Colony is a far cry from the Boston we know today. What was the one major difference? The religion of the simplistic community was much purer.

This colony was started, like many townships of the time, for religious purposes. The Puritans sought to create a pure society in which they had no opposition. They wanted to fulfill the great commission through their children while staying as true to the scriptures as possible. Sadly, we can easily see how they became quite legalistic. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book The Scarlet Letter we can see how judgmental the Puritans were. A girl who committed adultery was made to be hated and an outcast. No one cared for her but her daughter and the one who sinned with her. Although this is not a true story, it is written with truth as to how the Puritans would have treated a girl like poor Hester: with hate. 

The Puritans had pure intentions when they started their town, but they veered far from the true path, like many do. 

Many, many years later things were very different. As America expanded West, the number of people attending church fell. People were more interested in gaining wealth on earth than in heaven. Man was seen as the absolute authority and reason governed all. The religion of the Pilgrims and Puritans was replaced with civil religion. Formality choked out honesty. A Second Great Awakening is just what the people needed. God always provides, right?

Yes, He does. Revivals sprouted out of nowhere. Camps dedicated to praising the Lord and fellow-shipping with other believers appeared. Great speakers were raised up, and doctrines changed. The people fell away from the truths of Calvinistic thought and began to see God in a different light. He was becoming the all loving, easy going God that is preached in our churches today. Charismatics arose with their strange ways of worship and beliefs. Civil religion went away for a time. The country was happy. 

What is the difference between these two examples? Who was better? Did one completely trump the other? In my opinion, both ended flawed and unfixable. The Puritans began with holy intentions and stayed true to the Bible in many ways. They failed to examine their children’s true state of salvation. Legalism replaced honesty and gave way to half-hearted believers. They cared about being “right” all the time more the what truly matters. 

Do I think the people who took place in the Second Great Awakening were any better off? Not in the slightest! In fact, I would argue that the “reformers” only steered Americans farther from the truth. Yes, Christianity was revived. Yes, there was a general reform in the country. The bad part is the kind of Christianity that was started. The false truth of the common church today can be traced back to this event in history. Man went from trusting in his reason to trusting a “softy” God. 

In the end, I believe God is sovereign. It does not matter what happens in history as long as God fulfills His perfect and holy will. The elect will be saved no matter what. Those who are not in the Book of Life now will never enter it. We can clearly see God’s hand throughout history working in both the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Second Great Awakening. All things are for the good of the elect. History’s “mistakes” are but little steps in furthering the kingdom of Christ. 

We can clearly see the positives, faults, differences, and similarities between these two aspects of Christianity. All things have and will change over time besides God’s attributes. 

Did You Know? - 10 Facts About Australia

                                                    Certain Certitude #12

     Well, I'm really mad that I missed another Wondering Weekend. I seriously did not remember until Sunday night. :-( I hope these awesome facts about Australia make it up to you!

1. 20 million people. 150 million sheep. Fact.

2. Chilling out with a coffee is an easy must-do in Perth – after all it has more cafés per capita than any other city in the world!

3. The most famous Australian inventions include the ultrasound, Vegemite, the tank, football,  the refrigerator AND the pre-paid postage.

4. It may be sunnier Down Under than in the UK but the Australian Alps get more snow than Switzerland!

5. Bob Hawke set a world record in 1954 for downing 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds. 29 years later he became the Prime Minister of Australia.

6. Australians love other nationalities - almost a quarter of their residents were born abroad!

7. Feeling stressed out? Play a didgeridoo! They apparently relieve stress, reduce snoring and improve circulation. It is sometimes even played as background music in doctors’ surgeries.

8. Did you know that the Great Barrier Reef has a mailbox? If you’re willing to take a ferry out there, you can send a postcard to your family and get the exclusive stamp!

9. Australia was originally a British penal colony, a settlement to exile prisoners from the rest of the population. In fact, Australia Day - January 26 - is the anniversary of ships arriving in Sydney carrying lots of British convicts!

10. Because Melbourne and Sydney could not agree on which city should be the capital of Australia, it was decided that neither of them should be, and so a new capital called Canberra would be built in the middle. Decided over a beer. Probably

Did You Know? - Facts of Fetal Development

                                                       Certain Certitude #11

     I am pro life! You may not be because you think women should not have to deal with the aftermath of premarital sex or adultery, but those and all reasons for abortion go against the Bible. You don't that thing in there is alive? Think again! Here is a timeline of fetal development.

Yes, a fetus does suck its thumb!

• Day 1 - conception takes place.
• 7 days - tiny human implants in mother’s uterus.
• 10 days - mother’s menses stop.
• 18 days - heart begins to beat.
• 21 days - pumps own blood through separate closed circulatory system with own blood type.
• 28 days - eye, ear and respiratory system begin to form.
• 42 days - brain waves recorded, skeleton complete, reflexes present.
• 7 weeks - photo of thumbsucking.
• 8 weeks - all body systems present.
• 9 weeks - squints, swallows, moves tongue, makes fist.
• 11 weeks - spontaneous breathing movements, has fingernails, all body systems working.
• 12 weeks - weighs one ounce.
• 16 weeks - genital organs clearly differentiated, grasps with hands, swims, kicks, turns, somersaults, (still not felt by the mother.)
• 18 weeks - vocal cords work – can cry.
• 20 weeks - has hair on head, weighs one pound, 12 inches long.
• 23 weeks - 15% chance of viability outside of womb if birth premature.*
• 24 weeks - 56% of babies survive premature birth.*
• 25 weeks - 79% of babies survive premature birth.*

(*Source: M. Allen et. al., "The Limits of Viability." New England Journal
of Medicine. 11/25/93: Vol. 329, No. 22, p. 1597.)

Gavotte by F. J. Gossec

                                             Musical Monday of the Month #3

     This song, though having nothing to do with rabbits, is dedicated to my recently deceased bunny, Marigold. I could not get the video to directly upload to blogger for some strange reason (I will try again later), but here is the link:

                    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP4Al3ykU9U&feature=plcp

*Gasp* Look at That!

                                                            Wondering Weekend #9


     When someone looks up, you usually try and follow their line of sight to see what they see. The phrase, "Don't look!" has become something of an oxymoron. A pointed finger and the stares of many causes an alertness of attention. As humans, we tend to be curious about each other. We want to know why someone is interested in that thing that causes them to point or stare. Naturally.
     What if Christians all stared at the sky at the same time? What if they pointed when someone needs help? What if they all told each other not to look at darkness? Would the outsiders understand? Would their curiosity be aroused? Would anyone notice?
     My friend recently pinned a picture on that addicting website known as pinterest. It grabbed me. It was a sign. Not figuratively but a simple piece of paper with 1 sentence: "For one minute please, stand here in silence and look at the sky, and contemplate how awesome life is." I instantly had the desire to go post a bunch of signs all over town with this saying. Well, my friend stayed over last night, and we did. In a way.
     I printed 10 of these signs. I showed them to my mother and she asked me why I wanted to put such godless signs all over the place. She came up with the finishing touch: cross out the word "life" in red marker and write God. It was genius! It was thought provoking. It was something to inspire.
     We walked around town with a staple gun and a stack of papers. Every pole or tree that was near a sidewalk got one. We giggled as we felt like vandals. It felt so wrong, yet so right.
     What if every Christian did this in their town? We could start something amazing! We could cause people to wonder. We could point and stare and hope others would catch on. Yet, it would all be worthless if we don't love, forgive, and live selflessly. We cannot be hypocrites and expect people to want to know God. I know I sure wouldn't want to meet a leader of "fakies." We can tell people about God, Jesus, and Christianity all we want, but the biggest testimony is given through the way we live.
     I challenge you to hang signs, share the gospel, AND live out the Bible. Don't be fake. Be real. Really a Christian.

Did You Know? - 10 Forgotten Holidays

                                                              Certain Certitude #10

     I truly apologize for not posting a Wondering Weekend this past Saturday. Like I said, I was on vacation and sincerely did not have enough time during the day to post. I hope this interesting post about forgotten holidays makes up for it!

• Reformation Day - October 31st Every Christian should know about this holiday which is, in fact, today! Forget Halloween - if you're a Protestant be thankful that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses in Wittenburg many years ago starting the Reformation. 
• Boxing Day - December 26th I, like many Americans, see this holiday on the calendar and wonder if Canadians like boxing as much as they like hockey. Well, I used to wonder this anyways until I befriended a Canadian. But Wikipedia informs me that: "Boxing Day is traditionally the day following Christmas Day, when servants and tradespeople would receive gifts from their superiors^[1]or employers. Today, Boxing Day is better known as a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and some other Commonwealth nations."
• Fruitcake Toss Day - January 3rd  The origin of these crazy holiday is unknown, but it is the day you are supposed to throw out your left over, holiday fruitcake. I say we get creative and start organizing mass fruitcake tosses every time it falls on a Saturday. XD
• Look up at the Sky Day - April 14th (Also the day Lincoln was shot and the titanic hit the iceberg) Once again a strange holiday that's origins are unknown. I think we can all take this day and thank the Lord for the beauty of the sun, clouds, moon, and stars.
• Red Rose Day - June 12th (Also my birthday!) It's exact creation date is not known, but it is logical that this flowery day is in June because that is when roses are in full bloom! Roses are the flower of love and this is also fitting because of the large amount of weddings that take place in June. I suppose my birth month is very "lovely."
• Book Lovers' Day - August 9th (And my daddy's birthday!) Once again like most odd holidays, its origin is unknown, but I think we can celebrate this day by grabbing a classic and hanging a hammock by a lake. NOTE: The recipe of this day is barbecued lima beans!

If you want to check out what holiday is on your birthday, check out: http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/index.htm

Did You Know? - 10 Amazing Facts About Dreams

                                                                 Certain Certitude #9

     Tonight I will tell you some information that will apply to you as soon as you fall asleep! Here are 10 facts about dreams.

1. You are paralyzed while you sleep - Believe it or not, your body is virtually paralyzed during your sleep – most likely to prevent your body from acting out aspects of your dreams. According to the Wikipedia article on dreaming, “Glands begin to secrete a hormone that helps induce sleep and neurons send signals to the spinal cord which cause the body to relax and later become essentially paralyzed.”                                                                                                  2. External stimuli invade our dreams - This is called Dream Incorporation and it is the experience that most of us have had where a sound from reality is heard in our dream and incorporated in some way. A similar (though less external) example would be when you are physically thirsty and your mind incorporates that feeling in to your dream. My own experience of this includes repeatedly drinking a large glass of water in the dream which satisfies me, only to find the thirst returning shortly after – this thirst… drink… thirst… loop often recurs until I wake up and have a real drink. The famous painting above (Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening) by Salvador Dali, depicts this concept.                                                                                                     3. Quitters have more vivid dreams - People who have smoked cigarettes for a long time who stop, have reported much more vivid dreams than they would normally experience. Additionally, according to the Journal of Abnormal Psychology: “Among 293 smokers abstinent for between 1 and 4 weeks, 33% reported having at least 1 dream about smoking. In most dreams, subjects caught themselves smoking and felt strong negative emotions, such as panic and guilt. Dreams about smoking were the result of tobacco withdrawal, as 97% of subjects did not have them while smoking, and their occurrence was significantly related to the duration of abstinence. They were rated as more vivid than the usual dreams and were as common as most major tobacco withdrawal symptoms.”                                                                                                                   4. Dreams are not about what they are about - If you dream about some particular subject it is not often that the dream is about that. Dreams speak in a deeply symbolic language. The unconscious mind tries to compare your dream to something else, which is similar. Its like writing a poem and saying that a group of ants were like machines that never stop. But you would never compare something to itself, for example: “That beautiful sunset was like a beautiful sunset”. So whatever symbol your dream picks on it is most unlikely to be a symbol for itself.                                                                                                                                                  5. Not everyone dreams in color - A full 12% of sighted people dream exclusively in black and white. The remaining number dream in full color. People also tend to have common themes in dreams, which are situations relating to school, being chased, running slowly/in place, falling, arriving too late, a person now alive being dead, teeth falling out, flying, failing an examination, or a car accident. It is unknown whether the impact of a dream relating to violence or death is more emotionally charged for a person who dreams in color than one who dreams in black and white.                                                                                                                                               6. We only dream of what we know - Our dreams are frequently full of strangers who play out certain parts – did you know that your mind is not inventing those faces – they are real faces of real people that you have seen during your life but may not know or remember? The evil killer in your latest dream may be the guy who pumped petrol in to your Dad’s car when you were just a little kid. We have all seen hundreds of thousands of faces through our lives, so we have an endless supply of characters for our brain to utilize during our dreams.                                                                                                                 7. Dreams prevent psychosis - In a recent sleep study, students who were awakened at the beginning of each dream, but still allowed their 8 hours of sleep, all experienced difficulty in concentration, irritability, hallucinations, and signs of psychosis after only 3 days. When finally allowed their REM sleep the student’s brains made up for lost time by greatly increasing the percentage of sleep spent in the REM stage.                                                                                                                           8. Everybody dreams - Every human being dreams (except in cases of extreme psychological disorder) but men and women have different dreams and different physical reactions. Men tend to dream more about other men, while women tend to dream equally about men and women.                                                                                                                                                            9. You forget 90% of your dreams - Within 5 minutes of waking, half of your dream is forgotten. Within 10, 90% is gone. The famous poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, woke one morning having had a fantastic dream (likely opium induced) – he put pen to paper and began to describe his “vision in a dream” in what has become one of English’s most famous poems: Kubla Khan. Part way through (54 lines in fact) he was interrupted by a “Person from Porlock“. Coleridge returned to his poem but could not remember the rest of his dream. The poem was never completed.

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
[...]

Curiously, Robert Louis Stevenson came up with the story of Doctor Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde whilst he was dreaming. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was also the brainchild of a dream.                                             10. Blind people dream - People who become blind after birth can see images in their dreams. People who are born blind do not see any images, but have dreams equally vivid involving their other senses of sound, smell, touch and emotion. It is hard for a seeing person to imagine, but the body’s need for sleep is so strong that it is able to handle virtually all physical situations to make it happen.                                                                                                  

Pray for our Troops

                                                        Wondering Weekend #8

     I am on vacation! I left yesterday and will be gone until the 29th, so my posts will be less detailed and refined than usual. I do apologize for that! We are staying with some friends in Virginia for the next  4 or 5 days to visit DC and such. Today we visited the National Museum of the Marine Corps. It was mind blowing how many men (and more recently, women....but I don't really think they should be there...) have served our country in so many wars and battles. I don't want to seem disrespectful, but it seems like a lot of our nation's so called Christian principles are just fronts.

     I was surprised to see a chapel in the outer grounds of the museum. It was a beautiful, small chapel, tbut I almost immediately thought, "This is so fake." When you walk in, the first thing you see is a donation box for the museum. Then a restroom and a few rows of benches. The walls are mostly glass and have some words like "courage", "honor", etc. on them. In the front is a kneeling soldier with a prayer written under him. It was a beautiful picture of what American soldiers should be like. But yet they aren't...
     When you think of a typical American soldier, the image that flashes through your mind is probably more a smoking, swearing, brute rather than a praying Christian. Our national image has gone from the God blessed nation to the corrupt people that we are today.
     I realize the average American would be outraged by such statements as I'm making. Yes, I believe America is corrupt. Yes, I believe the average soldier has no belief in God. But that doesn't mean I don't respect and am thankful to our armed forces. As a Christian, I see the honor in being a courageous and noble soldier. David and other mighty men show this is Biblical. I just think our nation is too godless for that chapel to be a true image of our soldiers.
     I did say a quick prayer while I was in there. I asked for the protection and salvation of our troops. As I looked at the rows upon rows of bricks of dead or wounded soldiers at the museum, I truly hoped many of them knew Christ. Take a moment to pray for our troops today.

Did You Know? - 5 Totally Random but Interesting Facts

                                                          Certain Certitude #8

                                              5 Totally random but interesting facts!

1. There once was a man hit on the head by a falling baby, twice! - According to Time Magazine, the year of the first event was 1937. Joseph Figlock, a local street sweeper in Detroit, Michigan, was walking down the road when a baby fell from a 4th story window. The baby struck him on the head and shoulders. The tackling toddler was thankfully not killed. However, he and Mr. Figlock were both injured. The following year another mother of the year candidate allowed her 2 year old son David Thomas to fall from a window. Joseph, doing his job sweeping out an alley, was again struck by the tumbling tyke. Remarkably, once again neither the ankle-bitter nor the newborn nabber were killed.
2. Most streets in Japan don't have names. - In Japan, they use a very different addressing system than is used in most Western countries. Rather than streets having names (the space in between the blocks), they give block numbers and leave the space in between the blocks, streets, nameless. (There are some exceptions to this where certain streets do have names, like main thoroughfares, though these are generally largely ignored by locals, postal workers, etc.) The city area is divided up into blocks, with each one being given a number. If you want to find some location, rather than asking what street something's on, you'd rather ask what block it is in. 
3. Apple seeds contain cyanide. - Apple seeds contain cyanide. The seeds of apples, also known as "pips", contain a sugar/cyanide compound called "amygdalin", which turns into hydrogen cyanide when it is metabolized in your body. Hydrogen cyanide was one of the key ingredients to Zyklon B, the trade name of the pesticide used by the Nazis in their gas chambers. Before you go panicking after accidentally swallowing an apple seed, you should know that ingesting a few seeds won't kill you. The human body is perfectly capable of handling very small doses of cyanide. However, chewing a handful of apple seeds could do the "killing you" trick quite quickly. So don't do it!
4. It costs more than double what pennies and nickles are worth to produce them. In 2006, the U.S. Mint sent a letter to Congress informing them that for the first time in history, it costs more to produce a penny and a nickle than the coins themselves were worth. Including materials, machinery, labor, shipping, and other such costs, they estimated it would cost 1.23 cents to produce a penny and 5.73 cents for a nickle at that time. The situation has since become much worse. In 2007, the costs association with producing a nickle swelled to 9.5 cents. Currently, it costs about 2.4 cents (1.1 cents in metals) to produce a penny and 11.2 cents (6 cents in metals) to produce a nickle. 
5. If you eat an excessive amount of carrots, your skin will turn an orangish/yellow shade. You don't need to get a fake tan to turn orange, you can simply eat a large amount of orange plants, such as orange carrots. The resulting condition is known as carotenemia and isn't as uncommon as you might think. It particularly rears it organish-yellow head with infants that are often feed copious amounts of mushed carrots and a variety of vegetables that contain high amounts of carotene. Carotene is a pigment and if you consume a lot of it, the carotene levels in your body will build up and your skin will turn orangish-yellow. This effect will typically first show up with your nose and/or palms showing the color first, which is why you occasionally see babies with orange noses. 

The Life of Nathaniel Gorham

                                                       Wondering Weekend #7

If you are like most Americans, you probably can name a few of the people who signed the Constitution. Everyone knows of the involvement of George Washington, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and maybe a few others. But I bet you know very little about one of the men from Massachusetts: Nathaniel Gorham.

Gorham, an eldest child was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1738, and was the son of Captain Nathaniel Gorham (who operated a packet boat) and his wife, Mary Soley. He was a descendant of John Howland (c. 1599-1673) who was one of the Pilgrims who traveled from England to North America on the Mayflower, signed the Mayflower Compact, and helped found the Plymouth colony. His sister, Elizabeth Gorham, who married John Leighton, was the ancestor of Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt the second wife of Theodore Roosevelt who served as First lady of the United States during his presidency from 1901 to 1909. 

Nathaniel’s education was minimal. When he was about 15 years of age, he was apprenticed to a New London, CT, merchant. He quit in 1759, returned to his hometown and established a business which quickly succeeded. On September 6, 1763 he wed Rebecca Call (who was a widow), who was to bear nine children. 

Gorham began his political career as a public notary but soon won election to the colonial legislature (1771-75). During the American Revolution, he unswervingly backed the Whigs. He was a delegate to the provincial congress (1774-75), member of the Massachusetts Board of War (1778-81), delegate to the constitutional convention (1779-80), and representative in both the upper (1780) and lower (1781-87) houses of legislature, including speaker of the latter in 1781, 82, and 85. In the last year, though he apparently lacked formal legal training, he began a judicial career as judge of he Middlesex County court of common pleas (1782-83), and held Governor’s Council (1788-89). 

During the war, British troops had ravaged much of Gorham's property, though by privateering and speculation he managed to recoup most of his fortune. Despite these pressing business concerns and his state political and judicial activities, he also served the nation. He was a member of the Continental Congress (1782-83 and 1785-87), and held the office of president from June 1786 until January 1787.

The next year, at age 49, Gorham attended the Constitutional Convention. A moderate nationalist, he attended all the sessions and played an influential role. He spoke often, acted as chairman of the Committee of the Whole, and sat on the Committee of Detail. As a delegate to the Massachusetts ratifying convention, he stood behind the Constitution.

Some unhappy years followed. Gorham did not serve in the new government he had helped to create. In 1788 he and Oliver Phelps of Windsor, CT, and possibly others, contracted to purchase from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 6 million acres of unimproved land in western New York. The price was $1 million in devalued Massachusetts scrip. Gorham and Phelps quickly succeeded in clearing Indian title to 2,600,000 acres in the eastern section of the grant and sold much of it to settlers. Problems soon arose, however. Massachusetts scrip rose dramatically in value, enormously swelling the purchase price of the vast tract. By 1790 the two men were unable to meet their payments. The result was a financial crisis that led to Gorham's insolvency--and a fall from the heights of Boston society and political esteem.

Gorham died in 1796 at the age of 58 and a eulogy was delivered in his memory by Dr. Thomas Welch of Charlestown. He is buried at the Phipps Street Cemetery in Charlestown, MA. Gorham Street in Madison, Wisconsin is named in his honor.

Nathaniel Gorham's descendants number in the thousands today. Some of his notable descendants include:

-Bishop Phillips Brooks, was an American clergyman and author, who briefly served as Bishop of Massachusetts in the Episcopal Church during the early 1890s. He is best known for authoring the Christmas carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem".

-John Quincy Adams II, was an American lawyer and politician, the son of Charles Francis Adams and the grandson and namesake of president John Quincy Adams.

-Charles Francis Adams III, was the United States Secretary of the Navy under President Herbert Hoover and a well-known yachtsman.

-Charles Francis Adams IV, was a U.S. electronics industrialist. He served as the first president of the Raytheon Company.

-Benjamin Gorham, was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.

-Brooks Adams, was an American historian and a critic of capitalism.

-Henry Adams, was an American journalist, historian, academic and novelist. He is best known for his autobiographical book, The Education of Henry Adams.

-William Everett, was the son of Charlotte Gray Brooks and orator Edward Everett who spoke at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

-Octavius Brooks Frothingham, was an American clergyman and author.

-Catherine Bartlett, was the wife of James Walker, who was the President of Harvard College from 1853 to 1860. Walker was also a Unitarian minister and religious philosopher.

-Charlotte Gray Brooks was the wife of Edward Everett an American politician and educator from Massachusetts. He served as president of Harvard College.

-Peter Bulkeley Greenough was an American journalist and editor. He was the husband of opera singer Beverly Sills.

-Gorham Parks, was a U.S. Representative from Maine, and a Democratic Party candidate for Maine Governor.

In the end, Nathaniel Gorham faithfully served his government despite his little education. He helped draft the most important document ever written in America. Now you know about another of our Founding Fathers.

Did You Know? - 10 Strange World Records

                                                     Certain Certitude #7

     This week I will tell you about 10 strange world records!

1. Fastest 100-meter hurdles wearing swim fins, individual, female. 
The fastest 100-meter hurdles wearing swim fins by a female is 22.35 seconds. It was achieved by Maren Zönker of Germany in Cologne, Germany, on Sept. 13, 2008.

2. Most people dressed as Smurfs

The most people dressed as Smurfs was 1,253 and was achieved by the Muckno Mania Festival in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, Ireland, on July 18, 2008.

3. Largest rubber band ball

Joel Waul, pictured, of the United States pushes his bouncing creation.The largest rubber band ball, which weighs 4,097 kilograms (9,032 pounds), was measured in Lauderhill, Fla., Nov. 13, 2008.

4. Largest pocket knife

The world’s largest pocket knife measures 3.9 meters (12 feet, 8 inches) when open, and weighs a total of 122 kilograms (268.9 pounds). It was designed by Telmo Cadavez of Bragança, Portugal, and handmade by Virgilìo, Raúl and Manuel Pires of Portugal, Jan. 9, 2003.

5. Heaviest lemon

The world’s heaviest lemon weighed in at 5.265 kilograms (11 pounds, 9.7 ounces) on Jan. 8, 2003, and was grown by Aharon Shemoel on his farm in Kfar Zeitim, Israel.

6. Tightest frying pan roll

The tightest circumference of a 30 centimeter (12-inch) aluminium frying pan, rolled with bare hands in 30 seconds is 17.46 centimeters (6.87 inches), set by Scott Murphy at the NXB Team Training Center in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on July 30, 2007.

7. Most beer steins carried over 40 meters, female

The most beer steins carried over 40 meters (131 feet, 3 inches) by a female is 19. This was achieved by Anita Schwarz in Mesenich, Germany, on Nov. 9, 2008, in celebration of Guinness World Records Day.

8. Longest distance on a unicycle in 24 hours

Sam Wakeling covered 453.6 kilometers (281.85 miles) on a unicycle in a 24-hour period at Aberystwyth, Wales, United Kingdom, from Sept. 29-30, 2007.

9. Largest collection of ‘Do Not Disturb’ hotel signs

Jean-François Vernetti of Switzerland has collected 8,888 different ‘Do Not Disturb’ hotel signs from 189 countries across the world since 1985.

10. Longest fingernails, both hands

Melvin Booth (left) of Troy, Mich., had a combined fingernail length is 9.05 meters (29 feet, 8.3 inches). Lee Redmond(right), who had not cut her nails since 1979 and had them carefully manicured to reach a total length of 8.65 meters (28 feet, 4.5 inches), lost them when they broke off in a car accident in February.