US Marriage Rates the Lowest Ever

Marriage.  It is not what it used to be.

Things have really changed in America regarding relationships and marriage.

Marriage is no longer considered a 'till death do you part' thing.

Alas, things are very different today.

The article to which we will link today gives one of the several reasons that morality and ethics are so different today than just 50 or so years ago in America.

You will definitely want to read this eye opening article, HERE'S THE LINK

If you want to print this article to share with your Sunday School Class, Bible Study group, or whatever, HERE'S THE LINK

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Floating Islands of the Uros in Lake Titicaca

Floating Islands?  Lake Titicaca?  The Uros People? I can hear most of you saying What?, Where?, Who?

And those were my thoughts also when I first heard about the floating islands.  

I had heard of Lake Titicaca and knew it was far far away: Hint: it is located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. 

But I had not heard of the Uros people or the floating islands which they make and upon which they live.

The picture above is of one of the 42 islands as we arrived on a small boat.

As you can see, we are being eagerly greeted by some of the Uros who live there.

The Uros build these Islands by gathering and bundling together reeds which then  grow into a kind of floating raft which is about 4-6 feet deep and about 200 by 100 feet on the surface (at least that was about the size of the one we visited; some are larger.)  

They build a small village for about 3 or 4 families on each raft; though on the larger floating islands they might have10 families.

They have been doing this for hundreds of years.

Why?  Well, originally they built these islands to protect themselves from attacks by the Incas and Collas who lived nearby and were warmongering.

They no longer have a fear of being attacked but they apparently like the lifestyle so continue to build these rafts and live on them.  They also now make much of their 'living' by showing off their floating island and homes to the tourists.

It is an amazing lifestyle which is much like a perpetual 'camping out' situation.  

We did see a small solar panel, a tiny B&W TV, and a radio on the raft we visited and each island has a boat or two so they can go to shore from time to time and take tourists for rides -- but other than that it is reallllly different from what 'land lubbers' would have.

Want to know more about these islands, how they are made, why they are there, and what these folks do?

Figured you would.  

So, for more details and pictures HERE'S A LINK

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Separating the egg yolk from the white

What?

Yes, this is a very unusual topic for today's DIT.

What is it?

Well, a friend sent this link which he described as being  a "simple and effective method of separating an egg yolk from the white"…

Perhaps you are not a cook and, therefore, think you don't need to click on the link today.  But if you fail to check this out you will be sorry.  Trust me.

Those who do cook will surely want to see this.

One caveat, however, is that the language is Chinese so, unless you speak Chinese, ignore the language and just watch the demonstration.  You will find that it is totally self-explanatory.

So, with that said, prepare to be amazed and stunned.  HERE'S THE LINK

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What's in a Number -- such as One Billion

Hundreds, thousands, millions, billions and more.

These are numbers that are bandied about daily.

Sometimes these numbers are mentioned in the context of money and the national debt.

Other times these numbers, especially the millions and billions ones are mentioned in the context of the age of the earth.

Whatever the context, these numbers, are difficult to fathom, especially when the time aspect (age of the earth) is considered.

So, how much, for example, is a Billion?

A short 1 minute 41 second video will help explain.  HERE'S THE LINK.

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Machu Picchu

The other evening while surfing around looking for an interesting DIT, I came across a site that has a zillion interesting things such as the one to which we will be linking today.

To what are you linking now? you ask.

Well, today's DIT is about Machu Picchu.  You probably have heard of it but it is a place that  few folks actually are able to visit.

Why?

Well, for one reason it is far far away (in Peru) and very hard to get to, though a friend  of DIT recently sent us a news article saying that Peru is planning to build an airport so more folks can visit it.

The other reason few folks have been there is because of its altitude.  It is at about 8000 feet elevation which means there is not very much air for the close to sea level folks (where we live in the US it is about 800 feet -- hmmm).

Anyway, Machu Picchu is a place that I never thought I would ever visit.

But, guess what, I finally did visit it, survived the altitude, the scary stairs, and the gazillion steps …. 

and took the picture you see today as the DIT intro picture to prove it.

So you can imagine how excited I was to see the link  -- the link to refresh my memory and by which you can visit it vicariously.

With this link, you will not need hiking boots, trekking poles, or other such items -- you won't even need any extra oxygen.

You just need your mouse to click all the links on the site.  Each one is very interesting.

So, with that said, HERE'S THE LINK.

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Can the Bible be trusted?

It is Sunday and many folks are attending Church Worship Services, Sunday School, or other similar activities.

But, many are not.

Some are not attending, though they would like to but cannot for various reasons.

Others do not attend because they do not believe the Bible can be trusted so they don't want to 'waste their time'.

But is that true?  Is the Bible NOT trustworthy?

Well, the article (by Chris Pinto) to which we are linking today has information that I think you will find very interesting.   HERE"S THE LINK

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Flying over America

Recently we viewed a video of views of the earth as seen from the space station. 

See the Aug 22, 2012 DIT if you missed it.

Several folks sent an email telling us that they enjoyed that video.

Sooooooo, since that was a 'hit', you and they will probably like this video today, the link to which was sent to us by a friend.

What is it?

Well, this time we will be seeing a 5 minute 44 second video of views made while flying over the United States.

No, we won't be high in the sky as from the space station.  Nor will we be in a high tech flying apparatus.

Instead we will be flying in a much smaller low tech plane that will often be very low (pun not intended) to the ground.

Wow. Super fun. You are going to love this.

IT is titled "Flying over America" and is amazing. HERE'S THE LINK

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Are stars still being formed?

Yesterday we went into space (vicariously) and saw the earth from relatively close up through a window in the Space Station.

We did not look at the stars during that trip.

But, since we are on the subject of space, let's think about a recent report in the news about stars being formed.

Seems that a recent news report says that "Scientists have found a cosmic supermom … that gives birth to more stars in a day that ours does in a year…"

At least that is what the report says.

But, is this correct?

Are stars still being formed?

Or are the Scientists seeing something that is not really star formation but interpreting it as star formation?

Hmmmm.

Well, interestingly, a very short and easy to understand article, titled "What do they really see", has been posted discussing this topic.

I think you will find it very interesting.  HERE"S THE LINK

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What an Astronaut sees from space

If you are like most folks, you have probably wished at some time or another that you could be an astronaut, go out into space, and look back at Planet Earth.

Alas, only a few folks ever end up doing that.

But, the wonder and allure of space is still 'out there' (pun intended) in our minds.

Well, good news.

There is a 7 minute video that will let you have a wonderful vicarious experience.

What is it?

It is a video produced by NASA (your tax dollars at work) with soft music, beautiful views of earth from space, and a narration telling us what we are seeing.

Yes this will take 7 minutes but it is reallllllly worth the time. 

You might even want to watch it more than once.

So, with that said,  HERE'S THE LINK

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A 'Baby' Christopher update

Here is the latest news for those of you who have  been following the saga of "Baby" Christopher, though he is not a 'baby' any more.

You recall he is the little tyke who had a heart transplant and later a renal transplant.

Those are long stories which have been chronicled on this DIT site.  

If you don't know the history of 'Baby Christopher', type his name, Christopher,  in the search box in the upper left corner  of this page and you should get several posts which will bring you up to speed.

Anyway, to read the latest update which was recently posted by his dad, HERE'S THE LINK

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Sharp Teeth

Recently we attended a meeting where the question about the sharp teeth in dinosaurs and other 'prehistoric' animals was discussed.

The usual thought about the presence of such 'sharp teeth' is that they were needed in order to eat meat.

But, is that the reason?

Another view is that the sharp teeth are needed to eat plants, nuts, and other 'hard' things.

Why is this important?

Well, If you are an 'old earther' you likely believe that dinosaurs and other animals of 'long long ago' were meat eaters.

If you are a 'young earther' you likely (gasp) believe the Bible is true when it says that before the flood animals (and man) did not eat meat but were vegetarians.

So, what about this?

Interestingly, a 1 min 29 second video from ICR addresses this question.  I think you will find it very interesting and informative.  HERE'S THE LINK

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Google Earth views of ancient Mayan Ruins

You have doubtless heard of, or even seen, the Google cars and trucks that have gone around taking pictures of streets, buildings, houses, and almost everything.

Well, guess what, now there are cameras on Google Bicycles!!!

Yes, we kid you not.

So what are they doing?

Well, for one thing they have been taking Pictures of Mayan ruins and pyramids.

To read more about this and see some of the pictures (be sure to click on the various links and you will think you are there in person.) HERE'S THE LINK

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The 10 Commandments

Recently while reading in a 'devotional of the day' booklet, I came across a discussion about 'not obeying God and the consequences'.

Thinking about this, it occurred to me that in the 'Post Christian' world in which we now live, 

many folks don't know what God has commanded people to do and not do.

Indeed, many folks do not even know, much less are able to list, the 10 Commandments.

So, today, just to bring you up to speed on the 10 Commandments, in case you are wondering what they are, HERE'S THE LINK.

And, if you would like to do a short Bible Study to learn more about them, HERE'S THE LINK

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How to open a can without a can opener

You have probably wondered what you would do if you had to open a can but couldn't find a can opener.

There are several videos 'out there' on the internet that only use a knife.

Ohhhh. Scary and dangerous.

But, there is an easier way.  

You still need a knife or some kind of pokey thing before it is all over but it looks a whole lot safer than the 'other way'.

So, with that by way of introduction, check out this 1 min 33 seconds video of the  safer way. HERE'S THE LINK

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Congratulations to Allyson Felix

Well, the 2012 Olympics are over.

And, doubtless, many of you watched many many hours of the various competitions  that were on TV.

Many Gold Medals (such as the one pictured here that was uploaded by Lepota to Wikimedia Commons) were won by USA Athletes.

But, did you know that one of the USA Gold Medalists was a Pastor's Daughter?

Yes !

Indeed, her father is not only a Pastor, but he is also a Seminary Professor (teaches Greek) at Master's Seminary in California.

Allyson Felix won the 200 Meter race and brought home the Gold Medal for the USA.

I know you will want to read about this and see the video that accompanies the article. HERE'S THE LINK

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Fire Ants Survival Skills

Hmmmm. Survival Skills of Fire Ants.  Not something that I personally would want to happen.  

After all they are scary and dangerous.

But, they DO have amazing Survival Skills.

What am I talking about?

Well, seems that 2 friends of DIT read an article in a newspaper and mentioned it to us.  They correctly thought this would be something that DIT readers would find interesting.

Fire Ants!

They are not native to the US.  They were brought (don't ask me why) from Brazil in the 1930s and have survived and flourished since their arrival.

Fiercer and much more aggressive than 'normal' ants, they cause painful bites to humans and do a lot of damage to plants.

But the reason we are mentioning them today is because of one of their very impressive survival skills.

Seems that when there is too much water, such as in a flood, and they are flooded out of their underground homes, they don't die.

Why?

Because they have found an amazing way to survive.

They, the colony, work together to form a floatable raft onto which they load their queen which they then protect until the waters subside.

Amazing!

Of course, evolutionists would say this is just something that happened by accident.

Hmmmm.

Read this article, written of course, from an 'old earth' viewpoint, and ask yourself if this amazing survival skill just happened by chance or if it was programmed in them by their Creator.    HERE'S THE LINK

But don't stop with that link to the article.

To see a video of how they do this, HERE'S ANOTHER LINK.

You need to click both links to get the full impact of what these Ants can do.

And if you want to know still more about the horrors of Fire Ants, HERE'S STILL ANOTHER LINK.

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The Lord Will Provide

Recently we attended a meeting which closed with the topic, How to Worship the Creator God.

As part of that talk, several of the many many names of God were given.

One of those names is Jehovah Jireh.

Jehovah Jireh?  What does this mean?, you ask.

Well, it is one of the many Hebrew names for God and it means: "The Lord will Provide"

A very short article gives wonderful insight into this name. 

I think you will find it most interesting and encouraging. HERE'S THE LINK

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