Won’t You Let Me Be Your Leader?


Posted by david

This site serves two purposes.  The first is in a professional capacity.  There will be people who Google my name to check on my business credentials so it is important that I get them pointed in the right direction. By trade I am a small business advertising consultant dealing mainly with establishing a dominating web presence for my clients because lets face it, the Yellow Pages are NOT where people go to search for a product or service anymore… They log onto the internet, and I’m an expert at making sure they find your business when they do.

There will be quite a few articles in the business category on this subject right here on this site, but should you be interested in finding out how to GET MORE CUSTOMERS coming thru your doors right now, then you need to check out my business website at YellowPagesBlow.com or you can call me or send me an email if you would like to talk about how to get your business in the #1 spot on Google ASAP!

The second purpose of this site is to have a place to not only write, which I enjoy doing quite a bit, but to also share my thoughts about how I’ve obviously been born in the wrong time and place and that I do not understand the actions of many people in this day and age.

My wife says I’m… unique.

And not really a good unique, but rather a: “there’s nobody quite like you, nor should there be” kind of unique.

She does not say it to be mean, I’m not an awful person or anything, just different.

She says I like stuff no one else would.  Paticular off the wall movies, unheard of music, unfunny (to her at least) jokes and the little things in life that make me smile but that most people would over look.

I’m not so sure she’s right.

There has to be more people out there like me, those types that others don’t always get.

We “looking at life a little deeper” types.

So, with that in mind I’ve set off to find more people like me… To prove I’m not alone in the universe.

If I find any more of me out there I’d love to start our own little independent country and I’d like to be elected leader.  I think I would be very good at that!

Now, finding others like me should not be difficult I wouldn’t think.

I’ll just put what interest me out on the net and others will find it and feel an immediate connection.

I have a lot to offer people.  I’ve made tons of mistakes that I’ve learned from.  I’ve made just as many, maybe more good choices as well and live a pretty happy life… a lot of people don’t so I’m qualified to share what works for me, even if I’m the only one who listens.

So there you have it.  Won’t you read a few of my posts and see if we are kindred spirits?

If I’m not your cup of tea, that is fine.  I’ve had too many so called normal people in my life already and I’m looking for more of my species.

Leave a message if you are out there!

 


Jessica Simpson Says The Darndest Things!


Posted by david

I am so not into celebrity gossip but the fact that you cannot go anywhere on the Internet or the ol’ boob tube without seeing a story on these folks makes it hard not to at least catch a little of what’s going on.

Yes, I feel dumber for having listened but there is one gal I will always stop and watch… Jessica Simpson!

No, not because of her looks. She used to be quite beautiful until the momma jeans and additional 50 pounds and now the pregnancy thing, so although she is still attractive, I’m more into what she says than how she looks.

I used to think she said things to appear stupidly cute, like the whole chicken of the sea thing on her reality show with ex husband Nick Lachey.

But, she continues to say them and with such sincere conviction that I cannot help but laugh and then feel a bit sad about the generation of young folks our nation has brought up.

Her latest comment came in an interview about her pregnancy. She said she felt the baby move and then “got big crocodile tears”.

I almost fell out of my chair!

Now my younger audience probably did not even get the stupidity and humor of her comment so I thought I’d try and enlighten them and explain what that phrase actually means.

First, here is the link to the interview. You have to watch a couple of other clips first before you get to it but it’s worth a watch:

http://tv.yahoo.com/daytime/weather-girl-s-surprise-proposal-27564689.html

Okay, here is the history behind the phrase, crying crocodile tears:

The creature known as a crocodile may have a number of skills, but shedding real tears is not amongst them. At one point in history, however, it was believed that crocodiles did produce “crocodile tears” as they devoured their prey, particularly when the size of the prey exceeded the capacity of the crocodile.

From this ancient and erroneous belief came the first literary reference to crocodile tears, meaning false tears shed during hypocritical displays of sadness, empathy or sympathy. Crocodile tears may appear real, but they are intended to be more manipulative than sincere.

The modern concept of hypocritical “crocodile tears” can be traced back to Elizabethan times, if not earlier. Crocodiles were considered to be exotic creatures, rarely seen by the average citizen, but tales of their tear-shedding ways were fairly widespread.

By the mid-1600, writers were already using the phrase “crocodile tears” to describe false displays of sadness or other deep emotions. Unscrupulous politicians and businessmen were often accused of shedding crocodile tears in order to gain favor with commoners.

Shedding crocodile tears is still considered a less-than-respectful practice, especially when the shedder’s true feelings or motivations are well-known. Some people can train themselves to cry at will, including the production of convincing “crocodile tears” when the situation calls for them.

Others might use the acting technique called sense memory to recall a moment of true sadness in order to generate false crocodile tears. As a last resort, a few people have been known to use foreign irritants such as soap or pepper to induce crocodile tears for manipulative effect.

While it is true that crocodiles do not shed emotional tears for their prey, they do excrete a lubricating fluid from lachrymal glands near their eyes. Some have speculated that these glands are stimulated as the crocodile works its jaws during a meal. This is most likely the basis for the ancient belief of emotionally-based crocodile tears.

Regardless of its origins, the practice of shedding crocodile tears is generally considered insulting and demeaning. The shedder is often confronted by others who sense his or her insincerity or dubious motivations. Children who throw temper tantrums may also accompany them with crocodile tears, but parents often learn to ignore the ruse and allow the tantrum to run its course.

Isn’t that just the funniest thing? Jessica was trying to convey how touched she was by feeling her baby move inside her and she could not have choosen a more 180 degree phrase to do it. She never ceases to amaze me!


My New Dragon


Posted by david

So I finally did it.

I went and bought myself a Dragon. Not the mythical beast, but the voice recognition software that helps lousy typist such as myself actually write a 300 word article in less than two hours.

I’m using it now to write this post.

It actually works phenomenally well, however, I do much better writing using a keyboard.

It is difficult for me to think something and then say it instead of actually writing it. That sentence proves what I’m saying.

Let’s just say my writing makes a lot more sense when I actually write. However, in order to actually get something done in a reasonable amount of time I am going to practice using this new software.

Maybe my brain will eventually connect to my mouth as well as it does to my fingers.

I am however impressed with this software! It is not made a mistake yet. Ooops, it just did.

Of course the stupid dog is barking and the TVs blaring in their other room so I’m sure that if I were alone in a quiet room the accuracy would be close to 100%.

I’m actually loving this.

I have not had to type a single word, or use spellcheck, or fix the tons of typographical mistakes I usually make. Hell, it just got typographical right!

The software is pretty expensive. The $89 version works like crap but if you’re willing to drop a couple hundred dollar bills, this version seems pretty awesome.

The setup was really quick, and it took about 4 min. of reading in order for it to get a feel for how you talk and adjust for accuracy, and then you’re ready to go.

I’m thinking once I get used to this, I will save tons of time and frustration not having to type anymore!

Anyway, just wanted to try out my new toy, and I have not been disappointed!

 


Ladies Just Want You For Your Sandwich


Posted by david

This is a gals take on the Subway commercial that shows how most women really behave, and of course how most men respond to pretty women who want their sandwich.

My take is a lot simpler, the girl is hot and she could have my sandwich if she wanted it too! Uhhh, if I were single of course.

Written by Erica:

I don’t usually let commercials get my goat.  Yes, they are awful.  Yes, women always do the laundry and men can’t figure out how to take cold medicine.  Commercials insult us all.  It’s hard to make news out of that.

But even given the sad state of gender relations in commercials, this latest commercial for the Subway Melt is over the top awful.  We all know womens is just after you for your sammiches.  And here Subway is courageous enough to tell the real story.

The setting is a cubicle farm-style office.  A schlumpy man (Todd) is sitting at his desk, about to enjoy a Subway Melt.

A beautiful woman (Samantha) walks up and asks if the schlumpy man will be her boyfriend.  When he, dumbstruck with his good fortune, agrees to her proposal, she reaches over the cubicle wall and steals his sandwich.  The schlumpy guy protests weakly.  Samantha overrides his objections with, “I’m your girlfriend, silly!”  She takes his sandwich and leaves.  Todd is sad.

Let’s set the timer for 20 seconds, and see how many problems we can rattle off.  The inference that schlumpy guys aren’t able to date beautiful women on their own merits.  The predatory woman.  The old trope that girlfriends take all your stuff.  The inability of anyone on television to act like a decent human being.  (I’m willing to be that if the beautiful woman had asked if he would give her half his sandwich, he would have acquiesced.)  The fallacy of the Nice Guy (they finish last, and women constantly take advantage of them).

Phew, I’m exhausted.

And as if realizing the severity of their crime, the producers have overdubbed it with children’s voices, like that will help defuse the horror of what is happening.  It’s not terrible!  It’s little kids!  Aren’t they cute?  Little kids?  NO IT JUST MAKES IT WORSE.  Aside from being unsettling, it only reinforces the idea that all of these terrible stereotypes originate on the playground.  That we are all just mindlessly acting out the gender roles we learned in first grade.

Actually that part may be true.  Now I am sad.

I have a couple of suggestions here.  I will address each party separately.

Samantha, you’re a beautiful woman, and apparently a successful businesswoman as well.  You can afford to buy your own damn Subway Melts.  It’s a sandwich, not a Lexus.

Haven’t you ever heard “Independent Women” by Destiny’s Child?  “The shoes on my feet?  I bought it.  The clothes I’m wearing?  I bought it.  The rock I’m rockin’?  I bought it.”  Rewrite that song.  Add “The sandwich I’m eating?  I bought it.”

You can do it, Samantha.  You’re strong enough, affluent enough, and resourceful enough to buy your own sandwich.  I have faith in you.

Todd, you need to understand that people can only take advantage of you if you let them.  I know it may be part of your narrative that “I was so nice to so-and-so, but they treated me like dirt.”  It can feel good to cast yourself as a victim.  Self-righteous.  But that’s no way to live.

Start small: learn to counter-offer.  Next time try saying “No, but I’ll give you a bite,” or “No, but you can have my chips.”  It’s your sandwich, you bought it, you deserve to eat it.


Google’s Newest Update For Local Search


Posted by david

A little more than eight months after unveiling “Panda,” an update to Google’s search algorithm that puts a higher priority on high-quality content, the search giant has announced a new update that aims to provide users with “the most up-to-date results.”

This is good news for us becasue most local business owners do not update their sites very often so our blog style sites with new and relevant content should become even more powerful… also, we can charge comapnies to add content on a more regular basis.

“Given the incredibly fast pace at which information moves in today’s world, the most recent information can be from the last week, day or even minute, and depending on the search terms, the algorithm needs to be able to figure out if a result from a week ago about a TV show is recent, or if a result from a week ago about breaking news is too old,” Google says in a blog post announcing the big change.

This latest update is expected to affect as much as 35 percent of all searches on Google, the company says. The Panda update, which had businesses scrambling to stay maintain their search rankings, was said to affect 12 percent of searches.

Specifically, Google says the update will impact searches for recent events or “hot topics,” regularly occurring events, and searches for information that changes often but isn’t necessarily a trending topic or recurring event.

“This change better determines the level of freshness needed for each query and promotes fresher results accordingly,” a Google spokesperson says. “We’re continuously working to improve our search algorithm so that we provide users the most relevant answers to their queries.”

“It seems to me that the biggest impact on small-business owners will be that, in some industries, it will be near impossible to get visibility with a small, rarely-updated website,” says Matt McGee, executive news editor at SEO-focused news site Search Engine Land. “If the business is in an industry where there’s regular news, where things change on a frequent basis, it looks like never-updated websites won’t have much chance of being visible on a lot of queries.”

One effective way for businesses to generate fresh content for their website is to create and frequently update a business blog, McGee recommends. You can write short, informative posts on topics such as industry news or new on your business’s new products or services.

“Blogs have always been great SEO weapons,” McGee says, “and this change only seems to emphasize the value of publishing quality content on a regular basis.”


Your USP


Posted by david

Twenty some years ago, my girlfriend and I vacationed in sunny Fort Lauderdale, Florida. One day while we were driving on crowded University Drive, I saw the oddest thing.

It was a little yellow car with big black mouse ears on the roof, and a big black tail on the back of the vehicle. It even had black whiskers painted on the front of the car. It looked like a big yellow toy mouse on wheels – something you might see at Disney World. I had never seen anything like that on the road before anywhere. I was staring at that thing like I was a little kid. I simply could not take my eyes off that car.

Anyway, it turns out that little yellow mouse car belonged to one of the most successful pest control companies in the state of Florida – a company called Truly Nolen. I found out later, they had a whole fleet of those yellow mouse cars.

I’ve been in marketing for over twenty years. I thought I’d seen everything. But that particular Unique Selling Proposition really made an impression on me.

Here’s what master copywriter, Michel Fortin had to say about a USP in his article How to Hook (More) Copywriting Prospects.

“Time and time again, I’ve told many aspir­ing copy­writ­ers and mar­keters that a USP is what dis­tin­guishes you from the pack. It increases per­ceived value, exper­tise, and cred­i­bil­ity — with­out need­ing to state it outright.

Just by being 10% dif­fer­ent, unique, orig­i­nal, or spe­cial is enough to make you stand out like a sore thumb in an over­crowded, hyper­com­pet­i­tive marketplace.”

What about you? What can you do differently to make your business stand out in the crowd – to beat the competition and bring in more business? Do you have your thinking cap on?

Remember, “Just by being 10% dif­fer­ent, unique, orig­i­nal, or spe­cial is enough to make you stand out like a sore thumb in an over­crowded, hyper­com­pet­i­tive marketplace.”


Our New Country Will Value Common Sense


Posted by david

Sometimes I read a story and I really fear for humanity.

Below is a story about a mom and dad who ate a couple of sandwiches while grocery shopping and forgot to have the wrappers scanned when they checked out.

They were arrested for shoplifting and sent to jail.  That would be bad enough but they had a two year old with them who was taken by social services and not returned to the parents until the next day… horrifying, especially when considering how many kids in real danger are ignored by this pathetic group of worthless human beings.

So, they steal $5 worth of sandwiches and buy $50 worth of groceries?  Or you could argue they bought the groceries in order to steal the sandwiches… obviously an over site. Even if you want to stick to the letter of the law, which is shaky here because there was obviously no intent to steal, and have them face a penalty for shoplifting, just give them a citation to appear in court if you want.

But no, they held them at the store for four hours.  Then each was taken in handcuffs in two separate police cars to jail, wasting God knows how many tax payer dollars, and had to post bail to get out.  Meanwhile their two year old is taken from them and put into a strangers hands, again costing the taxpayers.

Horrifying!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not even imagine what the parents or the little child went through.

Oh yeah, the mom was pregnant too and used to be in the air force… way to treat our vets!

Here’s the article and if you do not agree that this was wrong, please, do not apply for citizenship to our new country!  Here is the link tot he story to read the comments left.

HONOLULU (AP) — Nicole Leszczynski couldn’t imagine that two chicken salad sandwiches would land her and her husband in jail and her 2-year-old daughter in state custody. But it happened five days ago, when the 30-weeks-pregnant woman forgot to pay for her snack while grocery shopping.

“It was the most ridiculous chain of events that happened,” she said while sobbing Monday. “It’s still hard to believe what happened.”

Leszczynski, 28, and her husband Marcin, 33, were handcuffed, searched then released on $50 bail each. Their ordeal at the police station lasted a few hours, but their daughter Zofia spent the night away from her parents in a case that has sparked nationwide outrage and forced the Safeway supermarket chain to review the incident.

The family had moved to an apartment near downtown Honolulu from California two weeks ago. Still settling in, they ventured out Wednesday to stock up on groceries, took the bus, got lost, and ended up at a Safeway supermarket.

Famished, the former Air Force staff sergeant picked up the two sandwiches that together cost $5. She openly munched on one while they shopped, saving the wrapper to be scanned at the register later.

But they forgot to pay for the sandwiches as they checked out with about $50 worth of groceries.

“When the security guard questioned us, I was really embarrassed, I was horrified,” she said. They were led upstairs, where the couple expected to get a lecture, pay for the sandwiches, and be allowed on their way.

But store managers wouldn’t allow them to pay for the sandwiches, she said.

“I asked to talk to a manager and he said it was against their policy to pay for items that left the store,” she said. “The security guard said we were being charged with shoplifting.”

Four hours later, a police officer arrived and read them their rights. A woman from the state Child Welfare Services arrived to take Zofia away.

The pregnant mother said she tried to keep her composure until Zofia, who turns 3 in December, left the store. “I didn’t want Zofia to be scared because she’s never spent a night away from us. She didn’t have her stuffed animal. She didn’t have her toothbrush.”

But as soon as her daughter left, “I got completely hysterical. I went to the bathroom and I threw up,” she recalled.

A Honolulu police spokeswoman said it was procedure to call Child Welfare Services if a child is present when both parents are arrested. The store’s management did not know the girl would be taken away, said Susan Houghton, a spokeswoman for California-based Safeway Inc.

The national supermarket chain said it was looking into the incident. “It was never our intent to separate a mother from her child. That was a very unfortunate consequence to this situation,” Houghton said. “We understand the outrage. We are concerned about how this was handled.”

Leszczynski called the incident “so horrifying, it seemed to escalate and no one could say, ‘this is too much.’”

The couple was handcuffed and driven separately to police headquarters a few blocks away, where they were searched, had their mug shots taken and then released after paying bail. A police officer escorted them back to the store — which banned them for a year, Leszczynski said — where they picked up their groceries and walked home just before midnight.

“We basically stared at each other all night. We woke up at the crack of dawn and called (the state child welfare office),” Leszczynski said. While they waited, Leszczynski vented about the experience on babycenter.com and contacted a lawyer for help with being reunited with Zofia. At the lawyer’s suggestion, they took their story to the media.

Zofia was returned after an 18-hour separation from her parents.

The couple is charged with fourth-degree theft, a petty misdemeanor, and has a court date on Nov. 28, according to the city prosecutor’s office. The family hasn’t decided whether it will pursue legal action against Safeway.

Houghton said the company will review the police report and store security footage before deciding whether to press charges.


Message in a Bottle


Posted by david

I love old stuff.  And, I often wish I could go back to my youth before cell phones, computers… texting.

Here is a great story about a guy who has sent bottles out across the ocean in hopes of getting mail back… not email, not an impersonal text, but rather real hand written messages.

Here’s the story and a link to his video, check it out!  Oh, this guy would make a great addition to our new country!

Social networking in its oldest form

Over the last two decades, Harold Hackett has sent out over 4,800 messages in
a bottle from Prince Edward Island, Canada’s smallest province along the
Atlantic coastline.

Every message asks for the finder to send a response back to Hackett, and
since 1996 he has received over 3,100 responses from all over the world.

In this First Person account, Hackett talks about the items people have sent
him and the unexpected side effects from his hobby.

Watch the video here:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14859116


Movie Review – Lifted


Posted by david

I’m not a fan of the Lifetime channel.  I’m not sure how my wife sits through movie after movie watching women be abused and exploited… not my cup of tea but most women seem fond of the channel.

I say this because most women, my wife included would call me an emotional dope, lacking in feelings and compassion because I despise the movies on this worthless channel.

Truth is… I cry, I really do.  This is not something I would do in front of anyone but alone, when watching and inspiring movie, I will shed a tear.

Those tears come because I do have feelings.  And in our new country, the one we will soon build and populate with people who think like I do, we will have emotions and will care for the well being of others.

We will be moved by others, those who have lost loved ones, those who suffer and have to deal with an often unfair life.

So, with that in mind, this brings me to this movie review.

When a movie can bring someone to tears it means, at least to me, that it has a story that needs to be told.

And, if it is a movie that has bad acting, directing and from a small studio and can still produce a man to crying like a baby it should be held in even higher regard.

The movie lifted is small budget and maybe could be described as a bit hokie.  The acting is not so great but in spite of it all it makes you think and it solicits raw emotion.

Normally I would do a full review but what I did this time was looked into the reviews others had left to see if someone would say something bad about this movie.

I wanted to find someone who gave it one star and bad comments so we would all know the type of people who will not be welcome to our new country… In fact, they will be considered enemies of our new nation.

I was pleased to find that for the most part, the commenter’s left 5 star reviews, some of which I included because it showed how moving this movie really is.

Several people said they had never left a review but were compelled to do so by this stirring flick. ( These people may make great additions to our country and prove that there are still good people left in this world!)

Of course I found the folks with the one star ratings… I knew they would be there. I can’t even fathom what it would feel like to be so dead and hateful inside.

Yes, the movie had some bad acting, may have been cliche, even a bit slow at points.

But if you watched this movie and have any respect at all for our country and those who serve it, you would never in a million years leave some of the comments I read, unless you were filled with a lot of evil and were cold and dead inside.

Pretty harsh, and I would even understand someone not liking the movie but either leaving no comment or one that was sympathetic of our military and their families.

I know there will be those who disagree with me and that’s fine, we are trying to weed out those who will not be granted citizenship anyway, so fire away with your comments.

And, speaking of comments, here are some 1 star comments as well as just a tiny sampling of the many, many 5 star reviews. Again, the fact that so many people left positive comments warms my heart and gives me hope.

5 Stars: First time watching this.. this brought lots of memories, great ones, sad ones and angry ones.. The point was that I have never thought about life in general as much as i did while watching this movie.. every one goes through a tough stuff from time to time.. but we all need supporters.. I would give this movie 10000000000000000 stars and more.. amazing movie.. I’m dying to watch it once again.. I’ve never cried in any movies until this one..!!!! LOVE THE MOVIE..

5 Stars: I loved this movie. It was very heartwarming and also stirred many emotions. My son is on his second deployment in Afghanistan as I write this. I found this to be a very beautiful dedication to those who serve our country. God bless all those who are serving in the military and all their family.

5 Stars: I DON’T write reviews for movies but I have to for this one. This is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. I can’t even describe the emotions that ran through me as this movie unfolded. If you are looking for a movie that you can relate to or just to pass the time, this is it.

5 Stars: For me this was the movie of the year. I truly enjoyed it from beginning to end. I found it to be heart-warming and soul stirring all at once.

5 Stars: Have seen many movies but this is the 1st one that has moved me to write a review … yet I am speechless!

5 Stars: This is the only movie that I will ever preview on this site…Thank You God For our Soldiers.. Fallen or still with us. This was an amazing potrait of what our familys give up to keep OUR COUNTRY FREE! Grab a box of tissues and settle in for a life changing (in my opinion) movie! The relationship between mother and son is a all too familier one that we face in todays society. I pray that anyone who watches this will see what the U.S.A really stands for, or rather the familys and soliders that made our country…..

1 Star: white trash… bad acting.. stupid story… good to show to slow boys and people with ideology from the 20′s…  ( does this ridiculous comment even warrant one from me?)

1 Star: Lifted is a movie filled with the stereotypical views of the modern family as told by the xenophobic, jingoistic, proselytizers who have never left their gentrified neighborhoods. Set against the backdrop of a teen singing competition, young Henry Matthews has to deal with school bullies, a drug addicted mom, his fathers recent deployment to Afghanistan and a plot twist “lifted” from one of the biggest movies of 1999, someone needs to let M. Night Shyamalan know his twist ending was stolen. Henry hits the stage and growls his way through covers of pop songs, enhanced by the generic beats from his fathers laptop computer. Lifted is the perfect example of how post September 11th America has taken the idea of patriotism and used it as a marketing tool and means to make money.  ( this commentor obviously has a thesauras and fancies himself an intelligent word smith – too bad he’s so self absorbed and hateful to over look the movies weakness and see how beautiful the message was.)

1 Star: You are all a bunch of emotionally blinded people with your empty patriotism. Dream on you simple minded fools.  ( huh?)

1 Star: Pretty cheesy acting, and singing. If you’re tired of J.Beiber, you’ll roll your eyes with this one. The boy is 5 years younger, and sings like a girl. And the father acting like 50 cent is just a joke. And every performance is prerecorded with obvious autotune.  ( the music represented the boys relationship with his father, who cares about autotune?)

2 Stars: Not a movie I would sit through again. The plot is sentimental, but it did not bring me to tears. It is an appropriate movie more targeted for young teens.  ( I’m a middel aged man and I cried, the fact that you did not means you are emotionally dead inside)

Lifted

Year Released:2010
Rating: PG-13
Run Time: 108 minutes

The chance to shine in a singing competition offers
much-needed hope for a Southern middle-schooler who’s drowning in
worries, from bullies in the halls to turmoil at home — and the news
that his reservist father has been called back to Afghanistan.

Cast:

Uriah Shelton,                     Trace Adkins,                     Nicki Aycox,                     Maggie Ballard,                     Anna Marie Dobbins,                     Cory Gluck,                     James Handy,                     Alan Hunter,                     Dash Mihok,                     Ruben Studdard
Director:
Lexi Alexander
Genres:
Children & Family Movies,                     Dramas,                     Social Issue Dramas,                     Family Dramas

Old Earth Vs. New Earth


Posted by david

The large majority of my family counseling practice revolves around couples attempting to save their marriages.  When I ask them to tell me how old they believe the earth to be, I’m constantly amazed at the variety of answers I receive.

The number one answer is:  What does that have to do with our marriage… followed by a myriad of ages ranging from six thousand to fifteen billion years.  Very few have ever said they did not know.

It’s clear to me that most people have formed an opinion as to whether we are living on a fairly new earth as the Biblical scholars will state, or a very old earth as the scientist, fossil records and radio active dating would have you believe.

When you act as a mediator, it’s important to find common ground between conflicting spouses, especially when you base a large part of that mediation around Biblical principles.  If one person says we live on a new earth and the other says an old one, I know I have my work cut out for me.

Neither person wants to feel like they are wrong and in my opinion, most people have made their decision on the age of the earth despite very compelling evidence to the contrary.  A Christian who believes we live on an earth that is only six thousand years old has to rely heavily on faith and ignore sound scientific and archeological data, and basically say that such data is wrong, or has been fabricated.

Someone who believes we are living on a very old earth has to believe we are here purely by random chance and must ignore the mind numbing complexity and improbability of our existence…much less consider the question, where and how did all this come into being in the first place…to which there currently is no credible “scientific” answer.

When I tell my clients that both views are right, we start heading towards that mutual ground so important to a healthy marriage.  If we can solve this most emotional and controversial of subjects, other marital conflicts are put in perspective and more easily overcome.

So, how can both sides of this argument be right?  Well, my friend, time is relative to where it is measured from, and most of us self centered folks measure the age of the earth, and more importantly, the age of the universe from the wrong place.

First, it’s important to understand that Genesis starts with the creation of the universe, NOT the earth.  In fact, during the first two of the six days of Genesis, there was no earth as we know it so we cannot use current earth based time; As Genesis 1:2 clearly states “And the earth was unformed….”

Understanding that the six days of Genesis and the time following Adam are not measured from the same place, allows us to have both a very young, and a very old earth, and here’s why…

Einstein, in his theory of relativity, proved the rate at which time passes is not the same at all places.  Differences in gravity and velocity at which we travel change the rate at which our time flows…and everything in the universe is in motion.

At the time of the big bang, (also known as quark confinement) the universe was expanding at a much quicker rate than it is today.  Science has determined the temperature and hence the frequency of radiation energy in the universe at quark confinement.  This article is not intended as a physics lesson but for clarity, radiant energy, or electromagnetic radiation is basically all the forms, both visible and invisible to the human eye, of light rays…the standard cosmic time piece.

Scientist have given us the age of the universe as fifteen billion years old by measuring the current cosmic background radiation as compared to what it was at the time of quark confinement; That radiant energy had a frequency a million, million times greater than today’s reading of 3 degrees Kelvin. (Very near absolute zero)

All of this to simply say, the universe was expanding much faster than it is today so, according to Einstein’s theory when you apply it to the known parameters, time moved a million, million times faster than it does currently.  One day as we think of it now, actually took billions and billions of years to pass when the universe, and the pre Adam earth were in their infancy.  You could effectively say that we had a ratio of a million-million-to-one and when multiplied out over six days as we think of them now, those six days actually equal, drum roll please…fifteen billion years!  How absolutely perfect is that?

If one minute passed on the cosmic clock at the time of creation, measured from that point, not the earth, it would take a million, million minutes to pass on today’s earth from our local perspective. Time is relevant from where it’s measured and the first six days were measured not from earth but at varying places in an expanding universe.  We have certainly been wrong in the past as to the idea that humans and the earth are the center of the universe around which everythin else revolves so stretch that mind of yours just a little bit.

Theologians have determined the age of the earth by counting the generations since the arrival of Adam, giving us an earth age of six thousand years, but you must remember, Adam did not arrive on the scene until day six.  I remember asking a man of the cloth how the earth could only be six thousand years old when archeologist had found million year old dinosaur bones as evidence to a much older earth.  He told me that the Devil had put them there to deceive us.  Another told me it was God who placed them there to test our faith.

I absolutely could be wrong about this, but I’m afraid it’s this type of blind reasoning that gives Christians a bad name sometimes.  I know it made me think twice about accepting God into my life, I just could not ignore the scientific evidence piling up like religious “scholars” so easily could.  I’m so happy I stumbled onto a theory that actually makes a little more sense and satisfies both sides of the equation…And I know God does not want us to except Him by blind faith alone because the Bible clearly states you must know God with all your heart, soul and MIND.

This article is not implying that God meant anything other than a 24 hour day in which there was a day and a night, but rather explains how that 24 hour period, measured from another place, could give us enough time to explain the inconsistencies science has placed before us.

In no way have I meant to offend anyone but rather my intent was to offer, for debate, a reasonable compromise to a very troubling question for a great many people.  In fact, this concept has allowed me to help hundreds of people save their marriages and come closer to God.  It sure beats killing people who do not agree with your religious views and I know in my heart, God is probably tired of all the blood shed in His name.