Weblog 4

God vs. Science
Can Darwinian evolution withstand the criticisms of Christians who believe it contradicts the creation account in the Book of Genesis? There are two different strong arguments for this question, one from a scientific standpoint and from a religious standpoint. This debate predates Darwin’s position, however this issue is being promoted by scientists who are opposed to the thought of Intelligent Design. Scientists find it hard to believe that life started here accidentally.  Richard Dawkins is a spokesman that wasn’t hard to find to support the scientific argument on how life started.  He argues that most Americans want it all, they want they want access to MRIs and miracles. Dawkin’s states that most Americans hope that science and God are in harmony and that indeed science is of God.

Arguing the other side of this ongoing debate is Francis Collins who is seeking common ground between both sides.  Collins continues to study genome and mining it for medical breakthroughs. He is also a forthright Christian who converted from atheism when he was 27. Collins believes that science is compatible with the Christian faith, while Dawkins argues that the thought of whether a supernatural creator exist is a scientific question which he answers as no.

In my personal opinion I agree with Dr. Collins, I feel that God and science should be able to reach common ground. As Collins states God’s existence cannot be completely contained within nature and is outside of science’s ability to weigh in. I don’t feel there is a person or persons that can say definitely whether there is a God and what people should believe in. Who am I to tell someone that they can or cant believe in something just because we cant see it or test it scientifically.

Both Collins And Dawkins offer great arguments depending on what you believe. However I think Collins argument is the most realistic. How can you say something or someone is not valid because you cant see them. Dawkins states that belief in miracles is contradictory to the spirit of science. Whereas Collins believes that studying the natural world is an opportunity to observe God’s creation. In conclusion why cant both sides agree that the basic account of evolution is compatible with God’s having designed it.

Weblog 1

Part I

I believe that people are really and good deep down but sometimes don’t know what the right thing to do is…..

I believe that society is made up of many different cultures and that’s what makes us unique….

I believe that government tries to govern the best way they know how but lose sight of how most Americans make ends meat and take care of there families….

I believe that justice is not always fair, some people commit crimes and don’t get any punishment and some commit crimes and get to much punishment….

I believe that knowledge is power, knowledge is what gives you the opportunity to experience and achieve different things in life….

I believe that science helps us to understand many things going on with the world and the human body, and will continue to work to find cures with cancer….

I believe that reality is something people choose not to deal with…..
I believe that life is what you make it, we are all in control of our own destiny….

I believe that happiness is not based on how much money or what material items you have but is how you feel inside about yourself….

I believe that goodness cannot be faked and it is either in you to be good or its not….

I believe that death is inevitable, how you deal with it and cherish the memories is what is  important….

I believe that God is real and that you don’t have to go to church to prove that you believe…

Part II

I believe that happiness is definitely not based on the material items or how much money you have. Yes money may give you financial stability and allows you to purchase things you may not be able to afford otherwise. If you are not happy with yourself having all the money in the world is not going to change that. It will mask how you really feel for a while but that feeling of emptiness will come back. There are several families right now barely making ends meet but they aren’t missing anything because they have plenty of love for each other.

Take myself for instance, I am a single parent working two jobs and going to school, its tough some days. But I feel like I am accomplishing something and I will definitely appreciate it once I reach my ultimate goal. Kids these days see all of these electronic items, clothes and shoes but they don’t earn them and I am guilty of it just giving my son things because I want him to have more than I had growing up but what lesson am I teaching him. I am hoping that by my son seeing me go to school and work hard to reach my goal that he will see how you feel by working towards something and not just having money and getting video games and the latest shoes.

Part III

On the opposing side there are some with money that feel it’s a means to an end. Having the money gives the opportunities they may not have had otherwise. The opportunity to go to an elite school to get a top education which will enable them to help others. Maybe the opportunity to use there money to sponsor others that are less fortunate. Money does give you more of a voice at times to be heard about issues affecting us today but does everyone with money use any of it for good purposes.

Reflection 1

How has your writing evolved? What change have you noticed in your writing over time?

Writing has been a struggle for me since I was in high school but over the years my writing has evolved for the better. Writing has never been one of my strongest points but I believe it is improving. I am learning how to write in different formats and express my personal opinion more instead of just focusing on the facts. I am learning how to accept constructive criticism and edit my writing so that my readers can better understand and follow what I am trying to say. Part of this change comes from personal experiences and the fact that I have a 15 year old son in high school. I have to help him write papers and I understand what the teachers are looking for now. So this process is helping both of us evolve into better writers.

One of my main issues is that I have so much to say sometimes and I don’t know how to write it so that everyone will understand  and follow what I am trying to say. That is something I still need to work on, focusing on one idea and elaborating on it. I tend to jump around in my writing and then try to tie everything back in at the end of the paper. This class is definitely a challenge and it is helping me to think more about what I am writing and how I organize my ideas. I am not as afraid as I was before about putting my thoughts and ideas down on paper however I need to remember to focus on my audience.

Weblog 2

Part I

1. President Obama’s proposed healthcare reform
2. Why isn’t there more help for working single parents
3. The price of healthy food
4. The lack of help for kids before they commit a violent crime
5. Teachers who just go to work and don’t really care if a child is learning
6. Race issues in 2009
7. Traffic issues at all of the area bridges and tunnels
8. The economic crisis
9. Violence in the communities
10. Why is kanye west always saying something he has to apologize for

Part II

Traffic issues at all of the area bridges and tunnels

I travel through the Hampton roads bridge tunnel for work 5 days a week and I still don’t understand why traffic backs up the way it does. I have traveled through the tunnel during different times of the day and it seems that it doesn’t make a difference. I have listened to the reports from VDOT stating why they think traffic is so bad and what they can do to fix it. I still didn’t see where they are making any attempts to fix it, and once you get through the tunnel usually there isn’t any traffic, why? I understand there is going to be more people on the road during certain times of the day but if everyone drove like they were supposed to there would be fewer accidents. Those accidents cause an already heavy traffic time to get worse because of course they have to close the tunnel at that point to clear the accident. Also the speed limit through the tunnel is 55 mph please explain to me why drivers slow down causing everyone behind them to hit breaks? This causes a chain reaction that ends up backing traffic up for several miles. And with the traffic through the tunnels the way it is I don’t see why VDOT is still looking to lay off employees, I think they need all of the manpower they can get.

Part III

I know the economy right now is tight which is causing several companies to lay off employees however some of those layoffs are affecting public safety. I am sure managing the area bridges and tunnels in the area is a very tough and demanding job. They have to make sure everything is up to code and that repairs are made in a timely fashion without affecting commuters to much. Sometimes I just wonder if they could go about things a little differently when making decisions to close down one lane in the tunnels. I try to be patient while driving because I already know what to expect, but should it really take an hour to make it to my destination which is technically a 30 minute drive? I have several friends that live on the peninsula that rarely come to visit me because of the fear of being caught in traffic at the tunnel. I know that most of the decisions that are made in reference to when repairs will be made and closing the tunnel are sometimes made by lawmakers who don’t travel through the tunnel. And I would like them to take the trip so that they can see what commuters go through daily and maybe we can work together to come up with a solution

introduction

Hello everyone

I have never written a blog before so this will definitely be a challenge, but I am sure I will get the hang of it. English is not one of my strongest subjects but maybe that will change this semester.