Testing a Thumbshot

It's not what it sounds like.
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Farting With Delight

From Lynda: Whilst looking around for properties on the weekend we saw this sign in Sorrento for a private sale house (they wanted around 1 million by the way - we had to check), we had to take a picture as it was soo funny and it's not every day you actually really see something like this in real life!!! Make sure you read all the way down to the bottom.



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Father Dan's Annual Easter Facts, Quotes and a Quiz!

As posted lasted year: "Gee, this could be fun to discuss in church, after church at brunch - maybe Saturday night during family fun time. . . ." After all, the Bible is the infallible, divinely-inspired word of God, right? The entire Christian religion is based on the resurrection of the Christ - so we know that part of the Good Book will be very accurate! The very crux of the argument for Christianity being the one true religion is that it is the only religion in which the Saviour actually rose from the dead to fulfill prophecy- so let's have a little fun:

Father Dan's Easter Quiz:

1. Who first came to the tomb on Sunday morning?
a. one woman (John 20:1)
b. two women (Matt. 28:1)
c. three women (Mark 16:1)
d. more than three women (Luke 23:55-56; 24:1,10)

2. She (they) came
a. while it was still dark (Matt. 28:1; John 20:1)
b. after the sun had risen (Mark 16:2)

3. The woman (women) came to the tomb
a. to anoint the body of Jesus with spices (Mark 16:1-2; Luke 24:1)
b. just to look at it (Matt. 28:1; John 20:1)

4. The women had obtained the spices
a. on Friday before sunset (Luke 23:54-56; 24:1)
a. after sunset on Saturday (Mark 16:1)

5. The first visitor(s) was/were greeted by
a. an angel (Matt. 28:2-5)
b. a young man (Mark 16:5)
c. two men (Luke 24:4)
d. no one (John 20:1-2)

6. The greeter(s)
a. was sitting on the stone outside the tomb (Matt 28:2)
b. was sitting inside the tomb (Mark 16:5)
c. were standing inside the tomb (Luke 24:3-4)

7. After finding the tomb empty, the woman/women
a. ran to tell the disciples (Matt. 28:7-8; Mark 16:10; Luke 24:9; John 20:2)
b. ran away and said nothing to anyone (Mark 16:8)

8. The risen Jesus first appeared to
a. Mary Magdalene alone (John 20:14; Mark 16:9)
b. Cleopas and another disciple (Luke 24:13,15,18)
c. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Matt. 28:1,9)
d. Cephas (Peter) alone (1 Cor. 15:4-5; Luke 24:34)

9. Jesus first appeared
a. somewhere between the tomb and Jerusalem (Matt. 28:8-9)
b. Just outside the tomb (John 20:11-14)
c. in Galilee - some 80 miles (130 Km) north of Jerusalem (Mark 16:6-7)
d. on the road to Emmaus - Miles (11 Km) west of Jerusalem (Luke 24:13-15)
e. we are not told where (Mark 16:9; 1 Cor. 15:4-5)

10. The disciples were to see Jesus first
a. in Galilee (Mark 16:7; Matt. 28:7,10,16)
b. in Jerusalem (Mark 16:14; Luke 24:33,36; John 20:19; Acts 1:4)

11. the disciples were told that they would meet the risen Jesus in Galilee
a. by the women, who had been told by an angel of the Lord, then by Jesus himself after the resurrection (Matt. 28:7-10; Mark 16:7)
b. by Jesus himself, before the crucifiction (Mark 26:32)

12. The risen Jesus
a. wanted to be touched (John 20:27)
b. did not want to be touched (John 20:17)
c. did not mind being touched (Matt. 28:9-10)

13. Jesus ascended to Heaven
a. the same day that he was resurrected (Mark 16:9,19; Luke 24:13,28-36,50-51)
b. forty days after the resurrection (Acts 1:3,9)
c. we are not told that he ascended to Heaven at all (Matt. 28:10, 16-20; John 21:25; the original Gospel of Mark ends at 16:8)

14. The disciples received the Holy Spirit
a. 50 days after the resurrection (Acts 1:3,9)
b. in the evening of the same day as the resurrection (John 20:19-22)

15. The risen Jesus
a. was recognized by those who saw him (Matt. 28:9; Mark 16:9-10)
b. was not always recognizable (Mark 16:12; Luke 24:15-16,31,36-37; John 20:14-15)

16. The risen Jesus
a. was physical (Matt. 28:9; Luke 24:41-43; John 20:27)
b. was not physical (Mark 16:9,12,14; Luke 24:15-16,31,36-37; John 20:19,26; 1 Cor. 15:5-8)

17. The risen Jesus was seen by the disciples
a. presumably only once (Matt. 28:16-17)
b. first by two of them, later by all eleven (Mark 16:12-14; Luke 24:13-15,33,36-51)
c. three times (John 20:19,26; 21:1,14)
d. many times (Acts 1:3)

18. When Jesus appeared to the disciples
a. there were eleven of them (Matt. 28:16-17; Luke 24:33,36)
b. twelve of them (1 Cor. 15:5)


Hey, when has religion ever let facts or figures get in the way of a good quote. If this quiz has in any way shaken your faith, simply open the Bible and pull out sentences at random that make you feel good or (completely out of context) reaffirm any belief you want to hold.

Modern-day Easter is derived from two ancient traditions: one Judeo-Christian and the other Pagan. Both Christians and Pagans have celebrated death and resurrection themes following the Spring Equinox for millennia. Most religious historians believe that many elements of the Christian observance of Easter were derived from earlier Pagan celebrations.

The equinox occurs each year on March 20, 21 or 22. Both Neopagans and Christians continue to celebration religious rituals in the present day. Wiccans and other Neopagans usually hold their celebrations on the day or eve of the equinox. Western Christians wait until the Sunday on or after the next full moon. The Eastern Orthodox churches follow the Julian Calendar, so that their celebration is generally many weeks after that of the Western churches. Read More.

The name "Easter" originated with the names of an ancient Goddess and God. The Venerable Bede, (672-735 CE.) a Christian scholar, first asserted in his book De Ratione Temporum that Easter was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Similar "Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility [were] known variously as Ostare, Ostara, Ostern, Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur, Austron and Ausos." 1 Her name was derived from the ancient word for spring: "eastre." Similar Goddesses were known by other names in ancient cultures around the Mediterranean, and were celebrated in the springtime. Some were:

Aphrodite from Cyprus
Astarte, from Phoenicia
Demeter, from Mycenae
Hathor from Egypt
Ishtar from Assyria
Kali, from India
Ostara, a Norse Goddess of fertility. Read More.

But WAIT! Various early church writers, such as Irenaeus (Bishop of Lyons; circa 120 to ?) Justin Martyr (Christian apologist; 100 to 165), Tertullian (Christian theologian; circa 160 to 220 +) concluded that the Pagan/Christian similarities were a Satanic attempt at "diabolical mimicry." Satan was said to have use "plagiarism by anticipation." That is, the Devil replicated the life experiences of Jesus, centuries before his birth. The reason was to confuse the public into thinking that Jesus was merely a copy of previous godmen. Read More

Whooo - thank God for that convenient way to explain everything that offends my religious belief away!

Happy Easter!
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Prayer Requests

Conservative academic critic David Horowitz has proposed state laws to prevent discrimination against conservative political ideas in the classroom (such as creationist alternatives to evolution), and of course, there are some narrow-minded professors around, but such a law would be hard to word, and no state has so far taken up the challenge. But this week, a committee of the F State's House of Representatives approved such a bill, which will likely pass the full House. Not just creationists are protected, of course. A student who believes, say, that the Holocaust didn't happen, or who doesn't believe in germ theory or birth control, or who thinks astrology is underregarded by astronomers (or even someone who believes that men should not menstruate in order to live longer), could actually sue a professor who the student felt was disrespectful of the ideas.

Mr. Christopher Seward, 19, of Lake City, Mich., is one of the more hapless persons clearing the news last week. According to police, Seward argued with a neighbor who Seward thought took his booze, and he wanted to get the neighbor in trouble. So Seward stabbed himself in the chest, intending to tell police Seward did it. He died a few minutes later. (As he lay dying, his girlfriend ran shrieking through the house, begging him to tell her "why," why did you do this?)

Robert Guzman, 42, of Corpus Christi, Tex., is no longer with us. He was apparently trying to steal a heavy statue of the Virgin Mary from Turner's Gardenland nursery, and the effort gave him a brain hemorrhage. He died at the scene.

Put the breathalyzer away. A 21-yr-old man (unnamed as of Tuesday) in Hemet, Calif., was to be charged with DUI as soon as the hospital is done with him. Clues that he was drunk: Swerving from one side of the road to the other, he hit two parked cars, a tree, a fence, and a bus, and his car's hood was sticking straight up at 40 mph, with the windshield caved in and two airbags flapping in the wind. [What Do YOU Think? Comment on this Post!] [Testify!]

Christian Right Approves New Biology Textbook

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For $18 You Can Smell Like Jesus

Thanks to the Jesus franchise, Christians have been empowered to dress like Jesus, eat like Jesus and exercise like Jesus.

And now (drum roll please), they can smell like Jesus too.

That’s right, faithful customers. Flare your nostrils and inhale His Essence. For just $18—the price of a Michael W. Smith CD—you can fill your home with the sweet aroma of the resurrected Christ.

No, this is not a joke. Inspired by Psalm 45, which describes the glorified Christ as having garments scented with myrrh, aloe and cassia, Bob and Karen Tosterud came up with the bright idea to market these oils in the form of a candle and call it “His Essence”. Their ministry, as they call it, began with 768 candles, but once word got out, that number leaped to 10,000.

“You can’t see him and you can’t touch him,” said Bob Tosterud. “This is a situation where you may be able to sense him by smelling. And it provides a really new dimension to one’s experience with Jesus.”
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Terri Schiavo

Terri Schiavo Terri Schiavo Terri Schiavo Terri Schiavo Terri Schiavo Terri Schiavo Terri Schiavo Terri Schiavo Terri Schiavo Terri Schiavo Terri Schiavo Terri Schiavo Terri Schiavo Terri Schiavo Terri Schiavo Terri Schiavo STOOOOOOPPPPPPPP

Her husband is the legal guardian - not the parents.
Michael Schiavo did not make the decision to discontinue life-prolonging measures for Terri.

As Terri's husband, Michael has been her guardian and her surrogate decision-maker. By 1998, though -- eight years after the trauma that produced Terri's situation -- Michael and Terri's parents disagreed over the proper course for her.

Rather than make the decision himself, Michael followed a procedure permitted by Florida courts by which a surrogate such as Michael can petition a court, asking the court to act as the ward's surrogate and determine what the ward would decide to do. Michael did this, and based on statements Terri made to him and others, he took the position that Terri would not wish to continue life-prolonging measures. The Schindlers took the position that Terri would continue life-prolonging measures. Under this procedure, the trial court becomes the surrogate decision-maker, and that is what happened in this case.

The trial court in this case held a trial on the dispute. Both sides were given opportunities to present their views and the evidence supporting those views. Afterwards, the trial court determined that, even applying the "clear and convincing evidence" standard -- the highest burden of proof used in civil cases -- the evidence showed that Terri would not wish to continue life-prolonging measures.

People in vegetative states dont experience hunger, so "starving to death" is painless. "Starving to death" is also a deliberate tear jerker phrase.
Under Florida law, which governs the ability of each person to determine, or to appoint someone to determine, whether each of us should receive what the Legislature terms "life-prolonging medical procedures." The Legislature has explained:

The Legislature recognizes that for some the administration of life-prolonging medical procedures may result in only a precarious and burdensome existence. In order to ensure that the rights and intentions of a person may be respected even after he or she is no longer able to participate actively in decisions concerning himself or herself, and to encourage communication among such patient, his or her family, and his or her physician, the Legislature declares that the laws of this state recognize the right of a competent adult to make an advance directive instructing his or her physician to provide, withhold, or withdraw life-prolonging procedures, or to designate another to make the treatment decision for him or her in the event that such person should become incapacitated and unable to personally direct his or her medical care.

§ 765.102(3), Florida Statutes.
The Legislature has also defined what is a "life-prolonging procedure":

"Life-prolonging procedure" means any medical procedure, treatment, or intervention, including artificially provided sustenance and hydration, which sustains, restores, or supplants a spontaneous vital function. The term does not include the administration of medication or performance of medical procedure, when such medication or procedure is deemed necessary to provide comfort care or to alleviate pain.

§ 765.101(10), Florida Statutes (italics added by me).


Her facial movements are involuntary - caused by low level brain stem activity.
The trial court heard testimony from five experts: two selected by Michael, two selected by the Schindlers, and one independent expert selected by the trial court. The two experts selected by Michael and the independent expert agreed that Terri was in a persistent vegetative state and that her actions were limited to mere reflexes. The two experts chosen by the Schindlers disagreed, but the trial court found their positions not credible. For instance, the trial court explained:

At first blush, the video of Terry Schiavo appearing to smile and look lovingly at her mother seemed to represent cognition. This was also true for how she followed the Mickey Mouse balloon held by her father. The court has carefully viewed the videotapes as requested by counsel and does find that these actions were neither consistent nor reproducible. For instance, Terry Schiavo appeared to have the same look on her face when Dr. Cranford rubbed her neck. Dr. Greer testified she had a smile during his (non-videoed) examination. Also, Mr. Schindler tried several more times to have her eyes follow the Mickey Mouse balloon but without success. Also, she clearly does not consistently respond to her mother. The court finds that based on the credible evidence, cognitive function would manifest itself in a constant response to stimuli.

If you really give a shit, if this somehow concerns you, go read up on the facts and STFU!

And for the dumb fuckers who say "Only God gives and takes a life" - please this about how assinine this statement it. She's on LIFE SUPPORT YOU ASSHAT - "God" already dealt his card, let argue instead that those evil doctor's are defying His will by keeping her alive artificially. Or is that just not convenient?

One last thing, I won't get into how the Bush administration is trying to circumvent the Supreme Court on this issue but here's a funny little tidbit:

Terry Schiavo is being keep alive by money from a $1million medical malpractive lawsuit and medicare.
Guess what the (pro death penalty) Bush administration did a few weeks ago? Cut future awards to $250,000 and lowered medicare.
Short memory huh! Damn facts!


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All I can say is WOW!

FatherDan's not so evil twin runs a website about hybrid vehicles - MixedPower.com. People can post to the news section on the front page but I moderate what goes up. This one won't be getting posted:

hybrid car''s vs. gasoline car''s

toyota sienna veacles are not the beast selection four saftey perpices we should protest agenst the makers of toyota sienna cars over 98 people get in to car crashes every year.

I say we disign a beter toyota siennawith beter protection four aksident victems sutch as my self

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FOIA Request Reveals 2001 U.S. State Department Plans For Iraqi Oil

Newly revealed documents, obtained from the U.S. State Department by the BBC and Harper's Magazine under the Freedom of Information Act, reveal a 2001 U.S. plan for an invasion of Iraq and the sell-off of all of Iraq's oil fields.

Two years ago today - when President George Bush announced U.S., British and Allied forces would begin to bomb Baghdad - protesters claimed the U.S. had a secret plan for Iraq's oil once Saddam had been conquered.

In fact there were two conflicting plans, setting off a hidden policy war between neo-conservatives at the Pentagon, on one side, versus a combination of "Big Oil" executives and U.S. State Department "pragmatists".

"Big Oil" appears to have won. The latest plan, obtained by BBC Newsnight from the U.S. State Department was drafted with the help of American oil industry consultants.

The neo-conservatives' plan involved selling-off Iraq's oil fields in an attempt to use Iraq's oil to destroy the Opec cartel through massive increases in production above Opec quotas. However, Philip Carroll, the former CEO of Shell Oil USA who took control of Iraq's oil production for the U.S. Government a month after the invasion, stalled the sell-off scheme.

Mr Carroll told the BBC he made it clear to Paul Bremer, the U.S. occupation chief who arrived in Iraq in May 2003, that: "There was to be no privatization of Iraqi oil resources or facilities while I was involved."

The neo-conservatives' latest plan calls for the creation of a state-owned oil company favored by the U.S. oil industry. It was completed in January 2004 under the guidance of Amy Jaffe of the James Baker Institute in Texas.

Formerly U.S. Secretary of State, Baker is now an attorney representing Exxon-Mobil and the Saudi Arabian government.

Ms Jaffe says U.S. oil companies are not warm to any plan that would undermine Opec and the current high oil price: "I'm not sure that if I'm the chair of an American company, and you put me on a lie detector test, I would say high oil prices are bad for me or my company."

The former Shell oil boss agrees. In Houston, he told Newsnight: "Many neo conservatives are people who have certain ideological beliefs about markets, about democracy, about this, that and the other. International oil companies, without exception, are very pragmatic commercial organizations. They don't have a theology."

You can view copies of the U.S. State Department documents here:

SECRET U.S. PLANS FOR IRAQI OIL [THE BBC/GREG PALAST] - 03/17/05
You can read the BBC article here:

SECRET U.S. PLANS FOR IRAQ'S OIL [THE BBC] - 03/17/05
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