Not for me, my turtle. My pet turtle believes in scientology. Now usually I am not against religion but this stuff is crazy. He believes that earth was created by aliens. I want him to believe in a respectable religion like Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Atheism, ANYTHING but this scientology. The only reason he likes scientology is because he is a huge Tom Cruise fan. How do I can I help my turtle convert religions?
Well technically, we don’t exactly know how life originated on earth. And some scientists (intelligent ones) believe in the idea of aliens sending bacteria to earth.
So your turtle, thinking about this concept might just might be more intelligent then you
SECRET SPACE THE DOCUMENTARY !! UFO S AND ALIENS !! 3
Some people give up easily. They keep a close eye on the sky; if a cloud happens by, they’re out of here. Dream’s over. Pack it up. Put it away. These Pollyannas aren’t really dreamers. Maybe quick buck artists. Perhaps dilettantes who never stick to anything. But they’re not dreamers.
Then there are heavy-duty dreamers who never give up. If drooling, man-eating aliens land on their front lawn, the never-say-die types see it as a great headline for an ad. The aliens would be burping and politely dabbing their snouts with a napkin before these diehards notice their peril.
Somewhere between those two extremes may come a need to let go of a dream. If it’s a real dream and not a passing fancy, the tipping point is closer to drooling aliens than to a slight chance of rain, but we have to be aware of the possibility.
Everybody’s tempted to give up from time to time, whatever the undertaking, but this isn’t about everyday stuff. We’re talking about dreams: our heart of hearts, goal of goals, the motor that energizes us and puts a spring in our step.
When do we pull the plug on a dream?
o We shouldn’t give up when the dream still lights our days and a door or two stands slightly ajar, if not completely open. If we’re happy to hear the alarm clock every morning because it means we can move our dream a little further down the road, we can’t give up.
o We should give up if we’re destroying our family. Dreams don’t bow down before much, but a family that can be held together by giving up a dream comes first. Our most significant dream has to be about keeping our families healthy and strong. Drivel about how the eventual bonanza of money will fix everything is baloney. Money’s good, but it isn’t everything.
o We shouldn’t give up because Mother says we look tired. Eat the dinner, tell her she’s a good cook and you love her, then get back to work on the dream. Repeat as necessary.
o We should give up if changed circumstances give us no way to go forward. This is a tricky one. A weary mind can easily overlook new possibilities. Talk this one out with people you trust and admire. Before quitting, search for ways to fit the new circumstances and still keep the integrity of the dream.
o We shouldn’t give up because it’s harder than we expected. Life’s not supposed to be easy. How can we expect to do something great without breaking a sweat? Nobody would start anything if they realized the swamps they’d have to struggle through to get to the finish line.
o We should give up if every day is misery. Another tricky one. Sometimes a minor course correction, a slight reshaping of the dream, can revive our lost enthusiasm. Consult on this one, too. If we’ve been plugging along in despair, we probably can’t see even minor changes that could fix the problem.
o We shouldn’t give up because somebody says it can’t work. New concepts often stump onlookers. Also, conventional thinkers resist the changes brought by new ideas. Scientific American wrote that the Wright brothers would never be able to fly their machine-after they had already done so.
But when other dreamers, people who love us and usually encourage our dreams, go negative, we should at least consider their words.
Finally, whenever we’re forced to abandon a dream, we must allow ourselves time to mourn. The death of a dream is a real death. We need balm for our wounds and healing for our souls.
And while we mourn, we need to stay away from the happy-talk folks who act as if nothing big has happened, and we should be over it by the weekend in any case. They’ll turn us into drooling, man-eating aliens, and it won’t be pretty.
Bette Dowdell is a former IBM Systems Engineer, small business consultant and software company owner. She studied and taught the Bible to anybody who would listen, including successfully teaching serious theology to grade school children, not a job for sissies. She wrote How to be a Christian Without Being Annoying and creates Quick Takes on Life, a weekly e-mail subscription to her original quotes. Read about the book, contact Bette and get a free subscription, all at http://www.ConfidentFaith.com
The 2010 World Cup had a number of controversial or debatable dismissals by referees. Mexico’s Marco Rodriguez precipitated the controversy by sending off Tim Cahill and the slew of harsh sending off decisions continued. In France’s final match against South Africa, Colombian referee Oscar Ruiz dismissed Yoann Gourcuff for an elbow against South African midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala in the 25th minute. Gourcuff and Tshabala went up simultaneously for a header, which Gourcuff won. However, the South African got the worse end of the challenge. South Africa already led 1-0 and this decision changed the game in the hosts’ favour.
The 41-year old referee is an experienced one, being a FIFA referee since 1995. In those 15 years, he did not have a reputation for sending off players injudiciously. He officiated in the Nigeria versus Greece fixture, in which he had cause to send off and show the red card to Sani Kaita for his absurd retaliation in an off-the-ball incident. While that was beyond debate, Ruiz’s dismissal of Gourcuff seemed somewhat harsh. There seemed to be no intent on the part of Gourcuff, although his action seemed reckless at least. In decided whether to caution or dismiss a player, referees have certain considerations to make.
While Gourcuff’s dismissal was somewhat harsh, the reality is that his action led to his dismissal. The referee only sees play in real time and has to make his call decisively and quickly. To be fair to Mr. Ruiz, Gourcuff jumped into the challenge. Although his arms were in a natural position and it did not appear to be intentional elbowing of Tshabalala, he endangered his opponent. Therefore, the challenge puts his opponent in a dangerous situation or endangers his safety.
In going into the challenge, Gourcuff’s jump to play the ball could have been regarded as excessive force and “complete disregard” for Tshabalala. In addition, that Gourcuff’s elbow made contact with Tshabalala’s face did him no favours, since the part of the body where contact is made is a critical consideration.
In Gourcuff’s case, there were mitigating circumstances. The French midfielder challenged for the ball when he made contact with the South African. He did not blatantly lunge at Tshabalala nor did he demonstrate clear malice when challenging for the ball in the air. In addition, he actually touched the ball and Ruiz could have considered that Gourcuff had the chance to play the ball in a fair manner.
In the circumstances, Ruiz could have cautioned the French midfielder and shown him the yellow card. The sending off was a harsh decision, but it was defensible. It certainly was not in the category of the red cards that Tim Cahill, Valon Behrami, Kaka and Miroslav Klose received.
While Oscar’s Ruiz decision was defensible, the same cannot be said for those of some of his colleagues.
FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 Official Theme Song
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District Oscar
Terri Thatchel and Neill Blomkamp who have received an Academy Award nomination for best Adapted Screenplay for the movie District 9. Alive in Joberg by Neill Blomkamp Spyfilms (District 9 director)
