coexistence

if these two can live in peace, why not the rest of the world?

media feeding frenzy

we all know that alot of what the media does is scare tactics. if you don't wash your hands every few seconds you might get the bird flu, for example. this morning i saw a fairly good example of that.

warning: this blog has to do with sharks, so if you are sick of hearing it from me quit reading.

on the today show this morning a news story came on about a man who had been feeding sharks in the Bahamas without a cage, was bitten, and died from loss of blood. the woman who gave the story did fairly well, she did mention that shark populations have been dropping, which is surprising for the media to admit. but right after that she said, "even though shark attacks have been in decline recently, over the years there has been an increase in attacks." i know why that is, more are reported, and there are more people in the water. with more people in the water, statistically there will be more attacks. just because it is a little more likely. also, the media pounces on these things with a vengeance.

in 2001 there were "alot" of attacks and it was dubbed the "summer of the shark."

there were less attacks that year than there were the year before. only because of the media frenzy did we think that there was a shark attack epidemic.

i will never deny the tragedy of someone dying from a shark attack. just as i will never deny the tragedy of someone being mauled by a bear. but we need to understand that we are sharing these environments. we are putting ourselves in harms way to get a closer look. Rob Stewart, the filmmaker of "Sharkwater" was on the today show and said that this is the first time that anyone had died while on one of these expeditions. the shark did not tear away any flesh, it was going for the fish, bit the man's calf, and swam away. the boat was too far from shore to get him to safety and he bled to death. this is an accident, not an unprovoked, malicious, shark attack.

sharks are amazing creatures and not out to get us. we are ever intruding and raping their environment and have killed more of them than it is possible to count. we need to treat them with respect and awe. we do need to be wary, because they are dangerous, but we need not fear them out of ignorance, we should fear them out of respect. this man's death is truly sad and my heart goes out to his family. i just hope that the media does not continue to portray the shark as a menace to the human race.

it is the lonely lord of the sea.

to read the story and see what Rob Stewart said go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23368894/

the oscars

eh. (combined with shoulder shrug)

the laws of nature are expressions of God's will

i have just recently finished watching a new nature series done by david attenborough called "trails of life" and it has honestly blown me away. each episode has to do with a certain stage of life, i.e. birth, courting, hunting, fighting, etc. and in each episode i was more and more enthralled by the complexity of the natural world. how some monkeys actually have a "language." they have different sounds attributed to different objects or situations. if a certain type of predator is coming they will make a specific sound and so forth. millions of ants work together to march along the jungle floor to hunt and kill scorpoins and large spiders. they pass over gaps by making bridges out of their own bodies. it appears to be such a complex societal system but it is all instinct. it is all design.

to think that a divine force has created all of this life and all of the natural rules that governs it is so amazing. to look at my own body, despite being a little overweight, and see its perfect design just floors me. i can have nothing but reverence for the God who created all of this.

don't get me wrong. i am not a creationist in the strictest sense. i do believe that God created this world and everything in it, but i don't believe that it happened exactly as it states in Genesis. i am also not an evolutionist. but if i had to, i would say i am a mixture of the two. to look at all of the beauty in the world and say that it all happened by accident breaks my heart. if one of the natural systems were not in place, if the planet were missing the smallest part, this would be a lifeless rock. that is the grace of God. that we would be given life, and given such an amazing and interesting environment to live it on, is an act of pure Love.

i am reading "the language of God: a scientist presents evidence for the belief in God" by francis s. collins and it has been very good thus far and i hope to learn alot more by the end of it. i am sure that alot of this writing falls short of good philosophy or even theology but is all i can say to express something inexpressable in my heart. when i see nature, honestly when i look at a shark, i see God at work. i see incorrupted creation, an organism that has remained virtually unchanged since its creation. how much closer to God can you get?

i am now going to recommend a few nature films and series that i have loved and want others to enjoy:

planet earth: incredible

the living planet: i watched this with my dad. it was the first nature series i ever saw (and loved).

trials of life: some of the most interesting animal behavior i have ever seen.

blue planet: nature films specifically about ocean habitats, amazing.

others i will just put into writing.

lonely lord of the sea: a film done by the cousteau society about the great white shark. it is very very good.

predators at war: a film about lions, hyenas, wild dogs, cheetas, and jaguars battling for food during a draught. one of the most intense nature films i have ever seen.

anything done by shark week.

blue water, white death: a documentary about the quest to get the first great white shark on film. it is very interesting, plays like an adventure story. some very cool footage.

there is divinity in nature.

morning light

my Lord God, i have no idea where i am going. i do not see the road ahead of me. i cannot know for certain where it will end. nor do i really know myself, and the fact that i think i am following your will does not mean that i am actually doing so. but i believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. and i hope that i have that desire in all that i am doing. i hope that i will never do anything apart from that desire. and i know that if i do this you will lead me on the right road, though i may know nothing about it. therefore i will trust you always though i may seem to be lost in the shadow of death. i will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

thomas merton "thoughts in solitude"

just one more . . .for now

napoleon as pug.

every once in a while i will be putting funny animal pictures up. deal with it.

as childish as it is this is always going to make me laugh

pug batman . . .wishes do come true.

an introduction

this is my wife. i love her.

celebrate love

today is valentines day, the day when all of america is forced to celebrate love. i am not going to rant and rave about how valentines day is a load of horse-hooey cooked up by the card companies or anything like that. that is well worn territory and need not be tread upon anymore.


what i am going to say is this: love needs to be thought about and acted out on a daily basis. whether or not you have a beautiful wife (like mine) , husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, partner, anything, love is a necessity to everyday life. it is not easy. i harbor my fair share of anger, i dislike people as much as the next guy, but being a person of faith i fail daily to live up to the expectations that my faith brings with it. to love regardless of anything else. pure, simple, love. easily said, not so easily done.

the beginning

this is the start of something. i hope that this is a learning experience for me as well as others. i am sure there will be laughter, i am sure there will be tears. all of the stuff that life is made of written down, thought about, contemplated.

it will begin soon.






*do not comment on any poor grammer please. i am well aware that i cannot write well, there is no need to point it out.