Monday, November 30, 2009

My Favorite Chapel this Semester

Below I have pasted the links to the three recordings of the chapel talk about the Bema Seat:

11/4/2009
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead - Mary Whelchel

Here is a link to all the other chapels of this semester:

Some good Winston Churchill quotes

It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.
(What say you to that, Che?)
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.
I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.
Everyone has his day and some days last longer than others.
Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put.
For my part, I consider that it will be found much better by all parties to leave the past to history, especially as I propose to write that history myself.
However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.
(Tell that to DC today)
I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else.
A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
Many more at
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/winston_churchill.html

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Here is a very good YouTube video

This video is of a talk about the true nature of the economy, what
really causes recessions, and how one was stopped quickly using the
opposite of FDR and Obama's strategy. It is nearly an hour long, but if
you can find some time for it, it is well worth watching.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czcUmnsprQI

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

ClimateGate

Dr. Forringer and Fellow 4Bers,

An amazing twist has taken place in the course of the global warming debate.
Information that the Climate Research Unit had been keeping secret against the law (see the link below about CEI suing NASA) has been leaked, and it verifies what true scientists have been saying for years: the hockeystick graph is doctored, and the global warming guys are all out against honest science.

Fox News gives the introduction here.
Two ideas for how the info was made public, as well as a theory of how it was possible to make it public, here.
A real climatologist talks about what this means here.
A summary of some of the files is given here (don't be scared when you see how far you can scroll down; nearly all of it is comments by readers).
For page with a link to a site with a searchable database of all the publicized files, click here.
For a page that sums up most of the important stuff, click here.
Some more links: Washington Times article; Senator Inhofe will call for investigation; CEI will sue NASA for breaking Freedom of Information Act laws; Climate Research Unit fumbles for excuse; Lord Monckton shows all that is wrong
If these links and the links within them are not enough, google "climategate", and see more.
To be fair to the other side, I'll include a link where a Gorist gives an argument against the significance of the revelation... but notice that about everything he says has already been debunked in the earlier links?
If you can watch and read all this and still believe in AGW, ... Wow.

Have fun,
David Nemati

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

A Reason for Even Pacifists to Fight ObamaCare

Here is a video that shows why we need to fight ObamaCare, in case, like Switch, you doubt it is bad enough to warrant putting any effort into fighting it.

Monday, November 2, 2009

One Big Donation

4B,

You have all seen the Got Give? things around campus today.
A fund is being built to supply scholarships for students, pooling all
the donations in an account and giving scholarships from the interest.
The interest rate is about 5%, so if we collectively give $100, then
every year from now on, $5 of someone's scholarship will be because of
4B in Fall '09.
I've got an envelope to make a donation to the Student Foundation
Endowed Scholarship Fund, and I am planning to take it around over the
week. If you can spare some money, even a quarter will give someone
$.0125 every year.

If you somehow suspect me of trying to steal, I will tell you that
Responsibility is my dominant theme according to the StrengthsQuest for
Cornerstones, and I take the Air Force Jr. ROTC Honor Code, which I
recited for three years, very seriously: "On my word of honor, I will
not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those that do." I will keep a
record of how much everyone has put in, and make sure the sum is how
much gets turned in.

I would love to create a legacy for 4B, that we together gave some
significant amount. Pray on it and see how much you think God wants you
to give.

Thank you,
David Nemati
or Post

Monday, October 12, 2009

Soda Cans

Dear fellow birds of prey,

Gen Chem Lab 1's next lab is crushing soda cans, and the students are
expected to bring the cans.
There are several Chem Lab students on this floor, and it's looking like
none of them drink too much soda.
Would anyone who's a soda boozer please make it known to the rest of us,
so that we can ask you for cans once you're done drinking them?

Thank you,
David Nemati and other Gen Chem Lab 1 4Bers

Sunday, October 11, 2009

A Bible Study Plan With Variety

My Dad just emailed me this Bible study plan, with a different genre of
books for each day of the week.

Each genre is divided into 52 parts, making a nice one-year study plan.

If you've already got a plan that's going well, stick with it, but if
you get tired of the plan you're on, try this one.

The PDF is connected to this email. If Blogger can attach PDFs to the
posts without any ado, then it should be viewable from the blog.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

When and where would you prefer

To watch three of the greatest documentary movies every produced?
Unlocking the Mystery of Life is a documentary about how Intelligent
Design makes much more sense, scientifically, than Darwinism.
The Privileged Planet is a documentary about how the idea that Planet
Earth is a mediocre place, a dime a dozen, is totally false, and how the
conditions necessary for life and the conditions necessary for
scientific observation - two totally unrelated things - are exactly the
same.
Darwin's Dilemma, um, uh, I haven't watched it yet; it just came out.
But I think the title speaks for itself.

So, Chuck told me that he could reserve Berry Auditorium or MSC 3; which
would you prefer? (A minor question, mostly for Sophs thru Seniors)
More importantly, which evening of the week would work best for you?
These movies are about 70 minutes each, so the time choices are anywhere
between 6 - 7:10 and 8:20 - 9:30.

Please reply as soon as you can, with which day (Friday, Saturday,
Sunday, or another) would work best for you, and which 70-minute period
on that day would be best - preferably starting at or after 6, so that
everyone can have dinner first, and ending by 9:30, so that we can keep
good Circadian rhythms going.

Thank you,
David Nemati
or Post

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Posting - Ten easy steps, and then one simple step from then on

Okay, Eagles,

If there is something that you think you might like to record on the
blog, but you don't want to go to the trouble of visiting the site,
logging in, clicking New Post, and all that, there is another way.

1) Goto http://www.blogger.com/home
2) Log in, if you are not automatically logged in
3) You should see your Blogger Dashboard, with all of the blogs you are
an author of
4) Under Eagles' Blog of Fall 2009, there will be four hyperlinks - View
Blog, New Post, Edit Posts, and Settings
5) Click Settings
6) The page that takes you to should have say "Posting Options"
7) Under Email Posting Address, click the text entry box that originally
says "secretWords" in pale type, and type in something you can remember
8) Make sure "Publish as posts immediately" is selected
9) Click Save
10) Save the new address you created in your email address book, and
whenever you want to make a post from now on, add that address to your
"To:" list, perhaps as a BCC (blind carbon copy) if you don't want
anyone else to know how to post in your name.

I hope this encourages y'all to add to the blog.
Thank you,
David Nemati
or Post

Friday, September 25, 2009

Re: A two-word term as long as...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longest_word_in_English

Also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu

:)

On Fri, 2009-09-25 at 16:17 -0500, David Nemati wrote:
Supercalafragilisticexpialadocious has been found.
On EbscoHost, http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=12&hid=102&sid=fece8048-caba-4cd1-8d54-e8555f53ebd5@replicon103&bdata=JmxvZ2lucGFnZT1Mb2dpbi5hc3Amc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZlJnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=hch&AN=9501147549
I was reading an article about insomnia treatment for men, titled "Slumber, Jack", and at the end there is a mention of a kind of surgery that can be used to cure sleep apnea, called "uvulopalatopharyngoplasty--surgery". I whimsically counted the syllables of the term that ends with plasty, comparing it the whole way to super...ocious, and found that it came three syllables short. Then I noticed that "surgery" was also part of the term, adding the remaining three syllables.
Also, on Wikipedia it is noted that super...ocious ought to be two words, because "ic" is a suffix and "ex" is a prefix, and hard c's don't come before e's.
I have found a conqueror for Mary Poppins' word! HaHaHa!!!!

A two-word term as long as...

Supercalafragilisticexpialadocious has been found.
On EbscoHost, http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=12&hid=102&sid=fece8048-caba-4cd1-8d54-e8555f53ebd5@replicon103&bdata=JmxvZ2lucGFnZT1Mb2dpbi5hc3Amc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZlJnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=hch&AN=9501147549
I was reading an article about insomnia treatment for men, titled "Slumber, Jack", and at the end there is a mention of a kind of surgery that can be used to cure sleep apnea, called "uvulopalatopharyngoplasty--surgery". I whimsically counted the syllables of the term that ends with plasty, comparing it the whole way to super...ocious, and found that it came three syllables short. Then I noticed that "surgery" was also part of the term, adding the remaining three syllables.
Also, on Wikipedia it is noted that super...ocious ought to be two words, because "ic" is a suffix and "ex" is a prefix, and hard c's don't come before e's.
I have found a conqueror for Mary Poppins' word! HaHaHa!!!!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Romans

Joe Bailey and David Nemati (Indy and Post) have had their second week of studying Romans. This week we had Caspian with us, as well.

The first week we looked deep into Romans 1:1-13 , and this week we explored Chapter 1 verses 14-20. We aren't going fast, but we are going deep, finding what may be meant by each phrase, and wrapping up with applications of everything to our lives. Finally, we pray that God will help us carry out the applications.

As we find the thoughts in the verses, we write them on a markerboard, with a tree showing what follows from what.

There will soon be a link to a Picasa web album containing pictures of the markerboard.

I would recommend that all the rest of you try to take a Sabbath from homework every week, not only so that you can come to this but also because it helps you refocus.

God bless you!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

A Floor Bible Study

Indy and I started a study of the book of Romans, taking each passage apart, and then going back over and finding applications to our lives of each clause. Romans is the most theologically packed book of the Bible, and it will be very rewarding to unpack it.

It is extremely fun, and I plan to continue. If others would like to join us every Sunday, you are more than welcome. This will be continued every week in the afternoon, in the floor lounge. I'm thinking 3-4:30 PM, but it is flexible. Please contact me about it.

In this first time, we started at Rom 1:1, and went through the first two passages - the introductory greeting and Paul's expression of desire to visit the church in Rome - taking us through verse 13.

It is amazing how much Paul packs into his letter. From 1 or 2 hours of study on the first 13 verses, we got the applications that we:
  1. Are saints, beloved by God
  2. Are Gentiles
  3. Must serve for the Gospel
  4. Should regularly pray for others, to the point that we can call God as a witness to how much we pray
  5. Should have faith that we are not ashamed of, to the point that we are known worldwide for it
  6. Must serve God wholeheartedly in the Gospel
  7. Should encourage each other in the faith.
Below are three pictures of what Indy and I got out of our study:

Friday, September 11, 2009

Dinner this Sunday - Delayed

Dear Eagles,

Thank y'all for feeding back about coming to the dinner.
However, I think I will have to delay it, because I have some other
things pressing on me. (Not homework - I'm fixing to keep a Sabbath
every Sunday).
I am pretty sure that I will be able to do it on Sunday the 27th.

Thank y'all,
David Nemati
or Post

PS. If I could have the names of everyone who has a vehicle, I need to
go and buy the ingredients between now and then.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Dinner this Sunday - Cancelled or Changed

Dear Eagles,

Chuck just informed me that since the chili has a vital ingredient of
beer (dark ale, to be precise) it is totally no-go. I can't even prepare
it off-campus, boil off all the alcohol and bring it on.
My apologies to any of you who have structured your schedules around this.
One possibility is that we could still make it, only using Amber
O'douls, a non-alcoholic beer, but that wouldn't be as good.
What do you think? If I get 3 emails requesting that it be done anyway,
with the O'douls, then I'll try to do it.

Thank y'all,
David Nemati
or Post

Monday, September 7, 2009

Dinner next Sunday - More Details

Dear Eagles,

I have announced the chili dinner, now I have some more details to fill in.
The eating should start at 5:00 PM, and so the preparation (the cooking - my work, perhaps assisted by anyone who would like to help) should start no later than 4 - perhaps at 3.

One more thing. It looks like only two 4Bers are fixing (I'm picking up TX lingo!) to come so far. If anyone else would like to have this dinner on Sunday, please follow this link straight to the blog, and put your comment on the post. If you are not able to access the blog, reply to this email.

Thank y'all,
David Nemati
or Post

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Dinner next Sunday: Got a car?

Dear Eagles,

For nearly a year I made dinner for my family, and early on I learned what I think is THE BEST chili recipe. I would like to make it for our floor, probably next Sunday (9/13/09).
I would need to know how many to make it for, so please comment on this post on the blog (this is not only an email, this is also a blog post), saying whether you will or won't be able to eat with the rest of us next Sunday.
If you have tried to make an account but it won't let you, then you can reply to this email. Otherwise, please post a comment on the blog.

Oh, yes, and about the question in the title. Once I know how many will be coming, I will need to buy the ingredients. I have no vehicle, so anyone who has one, please let me know.

Thank you all,
David Nemati
or Post

Saturday, August 29, 2009

June Beetles

I just sat down at my desk to start doing some homework, and I saw several June beetles outside my window. I looked more closely, and saw that they were bustling around some droplet-shaped, 1 cm diameter white things hanging from the surface surrounding the window.
We are hosting June beetle reproduction!
(I'll email and ask my brother at home, who used to be into entomology (he's now into herpetology), whether there is anything bad about June beetles besides the noise they make at night.)

CORRECTION!!! CORRECTION!!!
Those are not June beetles, they are wasps!
If anyone else sees some wasps outside their window, keep your window shut and tell Chuck.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Have $250+ But Need More?

Dear Eagles,

I have been enjoying banking with ING Direct for about two years now, and I can tell you that it is a very good bank.

There are high interest rates - when I started, the CHECKING was making about 2.5% APY, and the savings account was making about 4.3% APY.
With the bad economy, the rates are down to 0.25% and 1.4% respectively, but they are still good.

When you have any questions or complaints, there is one number you call, you get answered pretty quickly, and the first person to answer the phone will be able to help you with everything - no bereaucracy.

And about the title of the post.
Another really nice feature is that if you invite someone to start an account and they do by clicking the link in the email sent through the website, (and they start it with $250 or more), they get a bonus of $25 added to their account and you get $10.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, there is a free debit card that comes with the checking account (you don't need to pay a penny to get the card once you've started the account, or a replacement for it if you lose it). The account also has an Overdraft Line of Credit - you can choose how much beyond the amount of money in the account you can spend, and it has "a competitive APR", to quote the website. (I'm not sure what that APR is, because I have always kept the balance in my account positive.)

If you have both Electric Orange (checking) and Orange Savings, you can keep the bulk of your money in the savings account, earning interest, and a certain amount (like ~$100) in the checking, and once a week, or once a month, look at the website to see how much you've got in the checking, and in one minute you can transfer the amount of money you want from the savings to the checking or vice versa.

The minimum in the savings is $0.00, and the minimum in the checking is the using up of your overdraft line of credit. In other words, there is no minimum in either account.

So, if anyone has the time to set up a new account, and wants to, please email me or leave a comment, and I'll have an invitation sent to you.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Welcome to Fall 2009, Eagles!

Those of you who would like to see another blog to get an idea of what manner to write a post in, click here and take a look around.
(And keep a link to that site if you need any help with math and can't talk to me).

So, the purpose of this blog is to help Eagles communicate, keep a record of memorable events, and provide a means for them to ask each other for help.

To emphasize the third clause, if anyone is having difficulty understanding or remembering something from class, one place to turn for help is the floormates. Because not everyone is in the same place at the same time, it would help to have a same place that we all come to periodically.

Because questions on the blog cannot be guaranteed to be answered in a short amount of time, most questions posted should be things that are perhaps important but not very urgent.

I would expect everyone to visit the blog about once a week, but do not feel that it is more important than classwork; if it's a choice between visiting the blog and doing the work due 7:30 tomorrow morning, do the work. But please try to find some time to visit the blog in.

Thank you all, and God bless,
David Nemati

PS. Sorry it took me this long to put up the first post; I think that probably slowed the activity a lot from what it could have been.