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How the Global Flood Preserved History

The global flood has provided one of the most dramatic fossils ever discovered that shows a flying reptile, a Pterosaur, locked in combat with a fish known as Aspidorhynchus.

How the Global Flood Preserved HistoryThe fish has its jaws clamped tightly around the Pterosaur’s wing, and both animals are preserved together in stunning detail.

What we are seeing is not the slow work of millions of years, but a snapshot frozen in time — a violent struggle instantly cut short.

This fossil poses a serious problem for the idea of slow sedimentation.

If these creatures had been buried gradually, scavengers, decay, and water movement would have destroyed the scene.

Instead, both predator and prey were rapidly entombed before they could even separate, capturing the moment forever in stone.

Such preservation only happens when overwhelming forces bury living creatures suddenly under massive amounts of sediment.

From a biblical perspective, this is exactly what we would expect from the global Flood described in Genesis.

As the waters surged and sediment flowed, countless animals were buried in mid-action—eating, swimming, giving birth, even fighting for life.

This fossil is one of thousands that record catastrophe on a massive scale, not the calm passage of deep time.

Tall Tales

Far from being a tale of evolution and millions of years, the Pterosaur and fish locked together in stone testify to the reality of God’s judgment through the Flood, very likely just thousands of years ago.

For those that might argue that fossilization takes millions of years, it might be important to know that science can fossilize wood in just under a week.

Planet earth can and does change it’s land forms over short periods of time.

Mount St. Helens

After it’s eruption in 1980, the mud flows cooled and settled, they began to solidify.

Over time, the volcanic ash and debris mixed with water formed a cement-like material, which eventually hardened into rock.

This process contributed to the geological changes in the area surrounding Mount St. Helens, creating new land forms and altering river paths.

I’ve quite often wondered what kind of fossils I might find under the sedimentary rock that Mount St. Helens created just 45 short years ago — who knows — I might find a fossilized fish, or an elk, or maybe even a bear.




 

Macro‑Friendly vs. Actual Food

Macro‑Friendly vs. Actual Food

Macro-friendly foods are those optimized for their macronutrient profile—most often high in protein, lower in fats and carbs, and providing more food volume for fewer calories. The term is popular among people tracking their macros (protein, carbs, fat) for specific fitness or weight loss goals.

Foods described as macro-friendly often have a higher protein-to-calorie ratio, making them supportive of muscle-building or fat-loss diets.

Often, these foods are processed or modified versions of traditional foods (e.g., protein wraps, low-fat sauces, sugar-free syrups) to help meet calorie or macro targets while feeling fuller and more satisfied.

Macro-Friendly Example Swaps

Food Type Regular Option (Actual Food) Macro-Friendly Substitute
Mayonnaise Full Fat: 90cal/10g fat/0g prot/0g carb Fat-Free: 10cal/0g fat/0g prot/2g carb
Tortilla Flour Tortilla: 300cal/10g fat/7g prot/46g carb Joseph’s Lavash: 100cal/4g fat/10g prot/14g carb
Ranch Dressing Hidden Valley: 145cal/15g fat/0g prot/2g carb Bolthouse Farms: 45cal/3g fat/1g prot/3g carb
Syrup Aunt Jemima: 210cal/0g fat/0g prot/52g carb Cary’s Sugar-Free: 20cal/0g fat/0g prot/5g carb

Pros of Macro‑Friendly Foods

    • Help you eat larger portions for the same or fewer calories
    • Facilitate easier adherence to calorie/macro-based diets, crucial for weight loss or muscle building
    • Prioritize protein intake, supporting satiety and muscle maintenance

Limitations & Considerations

    • Macro-friendly foods can be heavily processed to fit specific dietary goals. They may lack the micronutrients or other health benefits of whole, minimally-processed foods.
    • Focusing solely on macros can lead to choices that neglect food quality, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
    • Long-term health is best supported by a foundation of whole foods: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean meats, nuts, and seeds, which provide nutrient density beyond macros.

Macro-Friendly vs. Actual (Whole) Food

Actual food (whole food) refers to minimally processed, nutrient-rich foods that naturally contain both macro and micronutrients essential for overall health.

Macro‑friendly foods prioritize macro ratios and calorie control but may lack the complexity and nutritional value of whole foods.

Personal Thoughts

Whenever I think Macro-friendly, I often imagine some scientist in a lab somewhere pouring over a stack of spreadsheets.

Whenever I think of actual food, I’m reminded of how I’ve eaten the real deal my entire life. Whole milk, cheese, butter, beef, salad, sugar, and so on and so forth.

Somehow I’ve managed to stay as close to a real diet as possible though, and even after all of these years my weight has varied ever so slightly from when I was in high school.

Some might call me lucky but I don’t think luck has much to do with it. There’s nothing wrong with a little exercise and sunshine — it does a body good, and so does real food.




 

AOL Announces It’s Discontinuing Dial-Up Internet

AOL Announces It's Discontinuing Dial-Up Internet

AOL has officially announced it will discontinue its dial-up Internet service, along with related software (AOL Dialer and AOL Shield), effective September 30, 2025.

This marks the end of one of the most iconic names from the early days of consumer internet.

AOL stated that its decision follows routine product evaluations, reflecting how dial-up has become obsolete due to widespread high-speed alternatives.

While the shutdown will not affect other AOL services such as free email, users who still depend on dial-up—often in rural areas—will have to seek alternatives like satellite or wireless internet.

At its peak in the 1990s, AOL introduced millions to the internet and maintained millions of dial-up subscribers into the 2000s.

By 2021, the number of AOL dial-up users had dwindled to the low thousands.

Despite its legacy, modern web traffic and services are largely incompatible with the slow speeds of dial-up, making this move expected in the industry.

The announcement generated nostalgia across communities who recall the dial-up era’s distinctive modem sounds and “You’ve got mail” alerts.

Technological Obsolescence

Like AOL dial-up, legacy 2G and 3G mobile networks, older data transmission standards (SONET/SDH), and copper line services (AT&T, Verizon) are being retired because modern alternatives (fiber, 4G/5G, broadband) offer vastly superior speed, reliability, and compatibility.

Dwindling Users

Most shutdowns occur after customer numbers drop to near zero — AOL’s dial-up users fell from millions to the low thousands, similar to what happened with other legacy services before they were discontinued.

Across telecom and internet services, shutdowns are often accompanied by weeks or months of notices, efforts to migrate remaining users, and recommendations for alternatives (broadband, wireless, cloud).

In both AOL’s case and others, there remain pockets of users (especially rural and low-income) who rely on outdated platforms for lack of alternatives. Shutdowns can expose gaps in infrastructure and digital equity.

Ongoing Sunsets

The pace of legacy sunsets is quickening in 2025: major network shutdowns for 2G, 3G, DS0, older digital TV, and even hosting platforms are all taking place globally this year and next.

sources —

https://help.aol.com/articles/dial-up-internet-to-be-discontinued




 

Hirta Island in the St Kilda archipelago of Scotland

Hirta Island, in the St Kilda archipelago of Scotland

Hirta Island is the largest island in the St Kilda archipelago, located in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, about 40 miles west of the mainland in the North Atlantic. It’s a rugged, remote place, known for its dramatic cliffs, seabird colonies, and unique history.

Hirta spans about 1,575 acres, with steep cliffs rising to 1,400 feet at places like Conachair, the highest sea cliffs in the UK. Its landscape is shaped by harsh winds and waves, creating a stark, treeless terrain with grassy slopes and rocky outcrops.

Hirta was inhabited for possibly 2,000 years, with a small population (never more than 180) living off fishing, seabirds, and sheep. The islanders developed a unique, communal lifestyle, relying heavily on the millions of gannets, fulmars, and puffins for food and oil. By 1930, the remaining 36 residents were evacuated at their own request due to disease, isolation, and unsustainable living conditions. The last native, Rachel Johnson, died in 2016 at 93.

Now uninhabited except for seasonal visitors, Hirta is managed by the National Trust for Scotland. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site (designated 1986) for both its cultural significance and natural environment. The island hosts a small military radar station, and conservation workers and researchers visit regularly. Ruins of stone houses, cleits (unique drystone storage huts), and the old village at Village Bay remain.

Hirta is a haven for seabirds, with the world’s largest colony of northern gannets and significant populations of puffins and fulmars. It’s also home to the endemic St Kilda wren and a primitive breed of Soay sheep, which roam wild.

Getting to Hirta is tough — boat trips from the Outer Hebrides take several hours and depend on weather. No public airstrip exists, though a helicopter pad serves the military base. Visitors need permission from the National Trust, and tourism is tightly controlled to protect the ecosystem.

The island’s isolation shaped a distinct Gaelic culture, with traditions like the “Parliament” (a daily meeting of men to organize tasks). St Kilda’s story has inspired novels, films, and music, romanticizing its solitude and resilience.

sources–

https://www.goingthewholehogg.com/visit-st-kilda-scotland/

https://www.travelawaits.com/2479225/visit-hirta-the-remote-scottish-ghost-island/




 

President Trump’s Executive Order No. 14224

President Trump’s Executive Order No. 14224

President Trump’s Executive Order No. 14224, signed on March 1, 2025, designates English as the official language of the United States and rescinds a Clinton-era mandate (Executive Order No. 13166) that required federal agencies and recipients of federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speakers.

There’s been quite a lot of talk about this executive order out there on the interwebs of late, what with most of the conversations revolving around the elimination of having to press 1 for English.

I, like most out there, can’t stand having to press 1 for English every single time we call for support or customer service. Often times upon after pressing 1 for English we get folks that can barely speak it anyhow so what’s the point?

President Trump’s Executive Order allows agencies to decide whether to continue offering services in languages other than English, emphasizing flexibility to prioritize English while not explicitly prohibiting multilingual services.

Regarding the specific phrase press 1 for English, commonly associated with automated phone systems, the executive order does not directly address private sector practices or mandate changes to such systems.

It focuses on federal government operations and agencies, encouraging English use to promote unity and efficiency.

Private companies, such as those operating customer service lines, are not obligated by this order to alter their language options, so whether or not you encounter press 1 for English depends on individual company policies, which remain unaffected by the order.

Since the order applies to federal agencies, not private businesses, you may still encounter press 1 for English in private systems unless companies voluntarily align with the order’s emphasis on English. Executive Orders only apply to the Federal Government and it’s agencies.

With regard to interactions with federal agencies (e.g., Social Security or immigration services), the order’s implementation could reduce multilingual options in some cases, but agencies can still choose to offer them. The practical impact remains unclear, as it depends on how agencies interpret and apply the flexibility granted by the order.

The White House stated that the order aims to “promote unity, establish efficiency in government operations, and create a pathway for civic engagement,” arguing that a shared language strengthens national cohesion and empowers legal immigrants to achieve the American Dream.

Supporters, including conservative activists like Charlie Kirk, celebrated the move as a step toward national unity, while critics, such as United We Dream and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, argued it could create barriers for non-English speakers, particularly in accessing healthcare, legal aid, voting, and education.

President Trump’s order has raised concerns among immigrant advocacy groups, who fear it may disproportionately affect the estimated 68 million U.S. residents who speak a language other than English at home, including 42 million Spanish speakers and 3 million Chinese speakers.

More than 30 states already designate English as their official language, and while the order does not ban multilingual services outright, its implementation could lead to reduced language access in some regions, depending on agency decisions.

Critics, including Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner, have voiced opposition, citing potential cultural exclusion, while supporters argue it reflects the reality of English as the dominant language in the U.S., where 78.3% of people speak only English at home, according to 2018-2022 Census data.

The long-term impact of Executive Order No. 14224 remains uncertain, as agencies have discretion to maintain existing language services, and future administrations could always reverse the policy since it’s just an Executive Order and hasn’t been codified via the Congress.