One Issue...Three Starkly Different Perspectives

Yes, this is an off-topic posting, and it's about atheistic (belief in no gods) and theistic (belief in a personal god) elitism. I'm going to just simply embed three videos so that you can decide for yourself which is the more reasonable and respectful perspective. One is from an atheist on Youtube named Laci Green and  the other is from a Christian on Youtube whose user name is "togetherforpeace". The third one is from an atheist on Youtube named "DeadManTalkingLD" Here they are:

                         Laci's video (which oversimplified and broad-brushed Christians)

                         Jack "togetherforpeace" and his response to Laci Green

                                 a video from an atheist that confronts Laci head-on and refutes her

That's all for now, folks! Remember, if you're going to address any issue DO NOT be like Laci was in her video. Be more like Jack and "DeadManTalkingLD" and try to see both sides clearly as you are conversing with others. One final note: I'm not sure why atheists are saying that Jack is full of "bleep" and why his video is rated lower that Laci's was (3 stars compared to her 4.5), as this video sounds a lot more open than Laci's. I guess that's what Youtube is all about: militant atheism is more cooler than theism. Sad! Anyways, don't forget: the Jays play today against the St. Louis Cardinals. They won last night 5-4, so let's see if Toronto can keep it going. The game starts at 7 PM. Catch you later!

Raptors Draft Lithuanian Centre in Last Night's Draft

Yes, you heard the news. Toronto's newest addition is 19 year-old 231-pound Jonas Valanciunas from Lithuania and he was the fifth pick in last night's NBA draft which took place (as it usually does) in New York. With this pick, Andrea Bargnani can move into the power forward spot, which means that Ed Davis will probably move to being a reserve player, if the new guy is good enough. While I like Valanciunas for his inside presence and his apparent ability to score the big inside baskets, he still needs defensive work which means that Dwane Casey will have his work cut out for him. Also too, he is a European product, which makes the "Euro-centric" accusation against the Raptors legitimate. Mike Ulmer from the team's official website, disagrees (of course!). He believes Bryan Colangelo made the right move (as far as getting a center is concerned). Here's the article.  Also too, here's a highlight video about the new addition:

                                                      A highlight video featuring the Raptors 5th pick in the draft


Well, that's it. The Jays were swept against the Atlanta Braves in 3 games and begin a new series tonight vs the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The game starts at 8:15 PM on Rogers Sportsnet. Have a good night!

P.S.: By the way, the NHL board of governors voted recently to approve of BOTH the relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg and the ownership of this new team! Great news, Canada! Let's drop the puck!

New Head Coach for Raptors

Wow, it's been over a week since I last blogged and a lot has happened! The Dallas Mavericks won the 2011 NBA Finals vs the Miami Heat (great thing!), the Boston Bruins won the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Finals vs the Vancouver Canucks (bad thing!) and the Vancouver city erupted in riots (bad thing again!) and now I find out that Jay Triano is no longer the head coach of the NBA's Toronto Raptors! Former Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey is the new man. Being that the Mavs just won the championship, I'd say that this is a good move for Toronto, as Casey was in charge of the defence for Dallas, and that is EXACTLY what the Raps need. We'll see how next season develops for the team. Here's the story.

Well, that's it for another post. The Jays are playing tonight vs the Atlanta Braves. I'll see how that goes for them. See ya later.

A Special Blog Post, Presenting...THE TASMANIAN DEVIL!!!

Yes, that is correct. You probably guessed that I'm doing a different kind of blog post for this entry. (No, I'm not talking about the Warner Bros. version of the animal!) I'm posting about the real-life animal that lives in the wild ONLY on the Australian island of Tasmania. Tazzy devils are assumed to be scary, ferocious creatures but they're actually not nearly as fearsome as Warner Bros has made them out to be in their Looney Tunes and Taz-Mania cartoon shows over the years. These animals are mostly scavengers (eating things that are already dead) and their feeding times have been described as free-for-alls, filled with screams, growls and other noises. However, they will actually sometimes eat alone and take only what they need rather than trying to consume the whole carcass. Due to their scavenging nature, they are great at cleaning up the island of dead carcasses which of course helps the island stay clean and free of disease. Also too, these guys come out mostly at night (they're nocturnal). T-Devils are about the size of a small dog or guinea pig with black fur and with some of them sporting white patches on their bodies. Another cool fact about Tasmanian devils is that younger ones can actually climb trees. This has been speculated to be the devil way to sniff and spot out more food to eat. These creatures are my favourites, one reason being their ability to carry their young in pouches just as kangaroos and koalas do (these creatures are all called marsupials). Another great thing about devils is that they have immense jaw power that (in adults at least) is capable of chomping through kangaroo leg bones and/or leather boots! One more thing about T-Devils is that they love to sunbathe. No one knows why these lovable critters sunbathe, but I think it's because they like the sun on their fur and it helps to warm them up when they are cold. (Cats such as leopards will do the same thing.) These creatures are a protected species, but they are still in danger of extinction. Why? Tazzy devils have no genetic diversity which makes them more susceptible to diseases. One such disease is known as "devil facial tumour disease". This is a cancer-like tumour that attacks the face of the Tazzy devil, making it more difficult to eat. They get infected due to biting during the short and fierce mating season that goes on every year. Infected devils can die of starvation only months after first contracting the tumour. The immune system of the T-devil doesn't recognize and respond to the tumour because of the low genetic diversity. T-devils have 14 chromosomes while the tumour has 13 and the chromosomes of both are eerily similar. This is also why the immune system of the animal doesn't attack the tumour. In fact, according to the website of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, 90% of the devil population in some areas of the island have been wiped out by the disease. Here's some more information about the problem.   You'll see the 90% thing at the top of every page on that website. We'll just have to pray and donate and volunteer and hope that this disease can be eradicated for good. Some more information about the Tasmanian Devil can also be found here: Wikipedia In addition, here are some great videos on the subject:

National Geographic (TV segments)

                                                   Bite of the Tasmanian Devil

                                                      Mutant Devils
These next ones are for the kids!

Kratts Creatures (an old 90's TV show)
(the episode is in three parts):

                                                              In Search of the Tasmanian Tiger (part 1)

                                                                   In Search of the Tasmanian Tiger (part 2)

                                                                 In Search of the Tasmanian Tiger (part 3)

Wild Kratts (Chris and Martin Kratt's newest show)
(this episode is in two parts):

                                                                   Tazzy Chris (part 1)

                                                                   Tazzy Chris (part 2)


Two more videos for us adults!

Bill Flowers (the snake artist on Youtube):

                                 A Talk to get the Christians to accept the Taz Devil as a symbol of Christ

                                               Just to show that you CAN be friends with Tazzy Devils!

Lastly, here is the Amazon link for a good book that I have in PDF format. It's called Tasmanian Devil: A Unique and Threatened Animal by David Owen and David Pemberton. It was first released in 2004, but it has been reissued since then. The Amazon copy is from 2006. Here's the book info. Well, there you go! I hope this post has been a great one and I hope the Tasmanian Devil will win the battle against Devil Facial Tumour Disease! Have a good one.

Link for Last Night's Atrocity of a Hockey Game

Well, it looks as if this Stanley Cup Final will be going to at least 6 games. Boston won 4-0 to tie the series up at 2 apiece. After Boston scored its 3rd goal on a breakaway late in the 2nd period, I turned off the TV in disgust. Let's hope Vancouver can win tomorrow night back home at Rogers Arena. Stanley Cup Final Tied at 2-2 That's all for now. Remember to tune in to CBC tomorrow night at 8 PM for the game. Have a good one.

Corrections for Last Two Blog Posts, Small Victory for Christians

Short Posting this time...

I have to apologize for giving the WRONG start date for my last two blog posts. My mistake was posting that Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals would start at 9 PM, but it actually started at 8 PM. I had also incorrectly stated elsewhere that Game 2 would start on Sunday at 9 PM, but it actually starts TODAY at 8 PM! Wow, this is embarrasing! Guess I'm going to have to start paying attention from now on! Anyways, something that ISN'T embarrasing...

I just read a cool article about a legal case in Texas where a school apparently wasn't allowed to allow its valedictorian to pray at their high school graduation. It had been banned by a ruling from San Antonio judge Fred Biery. This unjust ban was in response to a lawsuit by the parents of an agnostic student named Corwin Schultz. This student was a member of Medina Valley High School's graduation class, which was the school that was (and probably will continue to be) facing the trouble that this lawsuit brought. Apparently the federal appeals court struck down the ruling saying that the complainers arguments were based upon old situations that are no longer in place. Examples used were: the absence of words such as "bennediction" and "invocation" in their graduation program. Also too, there is question over whether this praying is actually school-sponsored and supported. So, this whole "violation of rights" crap that was coming from the lawsuit is simply that...crap! This shows us the trouble we Christians are in for when we go against culture and stand for our faith, and it also shows us that we will have joy in the midst of our trials. Anyways, go and check out this link for the whole story.

Wow, I'd better get to bed! It's 2 AM in the morning over here! Good night!  

Canucks Grab Nail-Biter from Bruins in Game 1 of Finals

Whoa, was last night's game ever close! It took a Raffi Torres goal with 19 seconds left to play for Vancouver to win the first game 1-0. When my dad and I were watching the game I told him that I thought the game would go into overtime. Suddenly my dad exclaimed, "Oh, they scored!" I turned to look at the TV screen and sure enough, the Rogers Arena crowd was celebrating and the Canucks were as well. This win gives Vancouver a 1-0 lead in the series and puts them on the path towards a championship. The goaltenders (Tim Thomas for Boston and Roberto Luongo for Vancouver) looked unstoppable but Luongo won the duel, getting the shutout. Luongo stopped all 36 shots while Thomas stopped 33 of 34. The shots on goal were 36-34 in favour of the Boston Bruins with Vancouver outshooting Boston 14-10 in the 3rd period. All in all, it was a great hockey game and I look forward to game 2! Here's the recap.

That's all for now. Until the teams play again Sunday night, |I'll sign off. See you all later!