J's Cafe Nette

Archive for April 29th, 2007

The Multi-National Forces-Iraq had amazing successes this past week as documented here.

Thank you to the brave men and women not only of the US Military but those from all countries working beside them.

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Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution will no doubt remain controversial forever. These newly released letters provide a fascinating peek inside the mind of a man who has created debate among so many for so long.

As he crafted his seminal work, On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin crossed intellects with some of the finest minds of his age, testing and refining a theory that would change the very nature of mankind’s view of itself.

Now, previously unpublished letters reveal the thinking behind the book that unleashed a scientific and religious furore in the 19th century.

The correspondence with Darwin’s friend and theological sparring partner Asa Gray, an American botanist and God-fearing Christian, spans decades, beginning in 1854, five years before the publication of Origin, and continuing until Darwin’s death in 1882.

The relationship between Darwin and Gray was good natured, if combative. In one letter, Darwin tells Gray: “An innocent and good man stands under a tree and is killed by a flash of lightning. Do you believe that God designedly killed this man? Many or most persons do believe this. I can’t and don’t.”

Gray responds: “You reject the idea of design, while all the while bringing out the neatest illustrations of it!” Darwin, rather self-conscious of his large nose, writes: “Will you honestly tell me that the shape of my nose was ordained and guided by an intelligent cause?”

Dr Paul White of the Darwin Correspondence Project said: “The letters reveal that debate over design engaged a wide range of participants, and in a manner that was both frank and respectful of differences in religious belief. In contrast to much of the current debate, Darwin and his circle of correspondents seem more tolerant and more humble.”

HT: American Thinker

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It’s actually a replica of Noah’s Ark, built to one-fifth scale according to the specifications spelled out in the Bible.

It took Johan Huibers, a Dutchman, two years to build it with modern technology. Imagine how hard it was for Noah to build it by hand.

Of course, it’s only a replica of the biblical Ark, built by Dutch creationist Johan Huibers as a testament to his faith in the literal truth of the Bible.

Reckoning by the old biblical measurements, Johan’s fully functional ark is 150 cubits long, 30 cubits high and 20 cubits wide. That’s two-thirds the length of a football field and as high as a three-story house.

Life-size models of giraffes, elephants, lions, crocodiles, zebras, bison and other animals greet visitors as they arrive in the main hold.

“The design is by my wife, Bianca,” Huibers said. “She didn’t really want me to do this at all, but she said if you’re going to anyway, it should look like this.”

A contractor by trade, Huibers built the ark of cedar and pine — biblical scholars debate exactly what the wood used by Noah would have been.

Huibers did the work mostly with his own hands, using modern tools and occasional help from his son Roy. Construction began in May 2005.

On the uncovered top deck — not quite ready in time for the opening — will come a petting zoo, with baby lambs and chickens, and goats. And one camel.

Visitors on the first day were stunned.

“It’s past comprehension,” said Mary Louise Starosciak, who happened to be bicycling by with her husband while on vacation when they saw the ark looming over the local landscape.

“I knew the story of Noah, but I had no idea the boat would have been so big.”

In fact, Noah’s Ark as described in the Bible was five times larger than Johan’s Ark.

Read the rest of the story.

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Some quotes from the Chicago Sun-Times:

COLUMBIA, S.C. — White House hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), known for his soaring rhetoric, stumbled during the first Democratic debate Thursday at South Carolina State University.
“Last night I was a little nervous,” Obama said at a rally in Charleston on Friday, where he filled the gym at Burke High School.

Constrained by a 60-second limit for replies that worked against Obama’s speaking style — a very long windup to the pitch — his tendency to generalize meant he did not directly answer some questions. Even when asked something noncontroversial, what he personally did to improve the environment, he said 3,000 campaign volunteers planted trees on Earth Day. With a prod from moderator Brian Williams, the NBC anchor, Obama added he’s “been working” to install energy efficient light bulbs at home. He sounded out of touch.

Some examples:

• Obama failed to cast himself as a forceful commander in chief.

Obama was asked how he would “change the U.S. military stance overseas” if two U.S. cities were attacked by al-Qaida. After a reference to the botched response to Hurricane Katrina, he said “review how we operate in the event of not only a natural disaster, but also a terrorist attack.”

Contrast that with the reply from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) — her best during the 90-minute debate. “Retaliate,” she said. “Focus on those who have attacked us and do everything we can to destroy them.”

Obama knew he blew it because a few minutes later he added “enemies” of the U.S. “have to be hunted down.”

• • Obama did not use an opening he had to reassure Jewish voters about Israel.

On Tuesday, Obama spoke to the National Jewish Democratic Council in Washington. “My commitment to you is unwavering,” he told them. Obama heavily courts wealthy Jewish donors and some have questions about his Muslim ties. His campaign produced a 29-page “American-Israeli Relationship Issue Packet” on his views that an Obama staff fund-raiser was handing out at the NJDC conference.

Asked at the debate to name America’s three most important allies, Obama said the European Union, NATO and Japan. He added Israel at Williams’ prodding, a lapse that could hurt him with Jewish voters.
• • Obama’s debate claim that the Iraq war could end with “one signature” from President Bush or “16 votes,” referring only to the Senate, is wrong.

Bush’s expected veto of the Iraq War funding bill — with timelines for troop withdrawals, can only be overridden by supermajorities in the Senate and the House.

You have to do well in the sound-bites or you lose because the television networks are only interested in sound-bites and not substance, not that the two-year senator actually showed any in a 60 second timeframe.

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Admittedly, I’m sick of hearing presidential candidates this far from the first primary, but as I scan the news I’m beginning to wonder if the only people running are Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, with John Edwards as a trailing third.

Otherwise I’ve heard about McCain complaining the press isn’t as nice to him as it once was (they never are) and occasionally something critical of Rudy Giuliani, but I haven’t heard nearly as much from the political Right as I have from the political Left.

I assume all candidates from both parties are running just as hard so why are we not being informed of substantive issues other than the Iraq war (we know where all the candidates stand on this issue) taken by the various candidates of each party?

People complain when those of us on the Right say the media is prejudiced against us and they deny it, but check out any major newspaper (not the political blogs or definite left or right on-line sites) and tell me about which candidates you are reading the most.

Check the NY Times, LA Times, Washington Post, the Chicago papers, the Boston papers and tell me if you see a story about one of the so-called major Republican candidates talking about his positions on anything other than the Iraq war. Heck, you can even include the Iraq war in it.

Then tell me how many stories you have seen about Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, to a certain extent, addressing adoring crowds of people all over the country.

Am I missing something here or do we have just one party running for president next year? Just asking.

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Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein is writing a book supposedly taking apart Hillary Clinton’s career story.

My question is, what can he tell us that isn’t already known, and if not known won’t matter to those who plan to vote for her?

Drawing on a trove of private papers from Hillary Clinton’s best friend, the legendary Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein is to publish a hard-hitting and intimate portrait of the 2008 presidential candidate, which will reveal a number of “discrepancies” in her official story.

Bernstein, who was played by Dustin Hoffman in the film All the President’s Men, has spent eight years researching the unauthorised 640-page biography, A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“Bernstein reaches conclusions that stand in opposition to what Senator Clinton has said in the past and has written in the past,” said Paul Bogaards, a spokesman for Knopf, which publishes the book on June 19.

With the thoroughness for which he is famous, Bernstein spoke to more than 200 of Clinton’s friends, colleagues and adversaries. He stops short of accusing the New York senator of blatantly lying about her past, but has unearthed examples of where she has played fast and loose with the facts about her “personal and political life”, according to Knopf.

The book could revive the explosive charge, made earlier this year by David Geffen, a former Clinton donor and Hollywood mogul, that “the Clintons lie with such ease, it’s troubling”.

If you want more of his titillating tale you’ll have to follow the link.

My reaction to this and any other book trying to make candidates look bad just before an election? (

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Give a listen and tell me if you like it too.

Unfortunately, the link just takes you to the main page. Go to the one titled “1980 Ronald Reagan “I paid for this microphone.”

Talk about being real.

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There is nothing I could add to this:

Taking the oath to become an American Citizen

A couple of hours ago I returned from Los Angeles with my wife. We were there so that she could take the oath of citizenship of the United States of America.

After they repeated the oath the new Americans waved little American flags and cheered loudly. I turned to the man sitting beside me whose wife was also taking the oath, and like me, his eyes were filled with tears.

We recited the pledge of allegiance with the new Americans, sang the National Anthem, and cried to the song “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood.

Except, Congratulations!

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According to KnoxNews: Business, it appears former Senator Bill Frist is no longer being investigated for insider trading.

WASHINGTON – In the end, Bill Frist’s habit of frequent e-mails helped document the former Senate Republican leader’s account that he was not involved in insider trading in his 2005 sale of HCA Inc. stock.
The former Tennessee senator was able to show in copies of e-mails given to federal investigators that he began the process of selling his family’s HCA stock in April 2005 – well before HCA had disappointing second-quarter earnings and publicly reported that fact July 13, two people familiar with Frist’s records said Friday.

Frist disclosed in a written statement recently that he had received letters from the Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York saying they had closed their investigations and were taking no action against him.

His recent written statement said: “I’ve always conducted myself according to the highest ethical standards in both my personal and public life, and my family and I are pleased that this matter has been resolved.”

If this is the end of the case I will be pleased for Mr. Frist. While he served as Majority Leader there were times I felt he could have been more forceful in seeing legislation through to completion but I never questioned the decency of the man. He was always respectful of those with whom he disagreed and conducted himself with dignity in a sometimes not so dignified environment.

HT:Powerline

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