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Is carbon-14 dating accurate? (read the whole article or dont answer)? Answers in Genesis: Upholding the Authority of the Bible from the Very First Verse Upholding the Authority of the Bible from the Very First Verse United Kingdom United States Other Countries ... Country: United States Language: English Good news About us Contact us Home Get Answers Store Magazine Events Creation Museum Media Creation Education Support Jobs Get Answers Article archives Creation archives TJ archives E-newsletters Feedback Devotionals Creation scientists Bookstore Monthly specials Books Multimedia Magazine Translations Answers magazine Current issue Article archive Kids Answers Subscribe Renew Event calendar Request an event Video conference coordinators Speaker biographies Creation Museum Museum blog & photos Walk-through News archive Photo archive Video archive Museum support Media Search media Answers Radio Radio archive Mini-Dramas Radio stations Video on-demand Press kit Creation education Study guides Curricula Online books PowerPoint Book reviews Writing projects Support Monthly partners Pray for the ministry Items & services needed Volunteer Planned Giving Jobs Jobs at Answers in Genesis Other creationist jobs Email to a friend Print-Friendly Answers Magazine Subscribe Now! Answers, the new Bible-affirming magazine from Answers in Genesis, is now shipping! Answers features articles on a variety of topics that impact Christians today, and includes a detachable chart, a pullout children’s magazine, excellent layman and semi-technical articles and bonus content from the AnswersMagazine.com website. Our writers, scientists and publishing team believe you’ll be thrilled with Answers. So why wait? Subscribe today! What about carbon dating? by Don Batten (editor), Ken Ham, Jonathan Sarfati, and Carl Wieland First published in The Revised and Expanded Answers Book Chapter 4 How does the carbon ‘clock’ work? Is it reliable? What does carbon dating really show? What about other radiometric dating methods? Is there evidence that the earth is young? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related articles: Radiometric Dating Questions and Answers RATE research reveals remarkable results—a fatal blow to billions of years RATE group reveals exciting breakthroughs! Rating radiodating Radiometric dating breakthroughs The parable of the candle Recommended Resources: Thousands … Not Billions Thousands … Not Billions (DVD) Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth— Volume 1 & Volume 2 & DVD The Revised and Expanded Answers Book Refuting Evolution People who ask about carbon-14 (14C) dating usually want to know about the radiometric1 dating methods that are claimed to give millions and billions of years—carbon dating can only give thousands of years. People wonder how millions of years could be squeezed into the biblical account of history. Clearly, such huge time periods cannot be fitted into the Bible without compromising what the Bible says about the goodness of God and the origin of sin, death and suffering—the reason Jesus came into the world. Christians, by definition, take the statements of Jesus Christ seriously. He said, ‘But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female’ (Mark 10:6). This only makes sense with a time-line beginning with the creation week thousands of years ago. It makes no sense at all if man appeared at the end of billions of years. We will deal with carbon dating first and then with the other dating methods. How the carbon clock works Carbon has unique properties that are essential for life on earth. Familiar to us as the black substance in charred wood, as diamonds, and the graphite in ‘lead’ pencils, carbon comes in several forms, or isotopes. One rare form has atoms that are 14 times as heavy as hydrogen atoms: carbon-14, or 14C, or radiocarbon. Carbon-14 is made when cosmic rays knock neutrons out of atomic nuclei in the upper atmosphere. These displaced neutrons, now moving fast, hit ordinary nitrogen (14N) at lower altitudes, converting it into 14C. Unlike common carbon (12C), 14C is unstable and slowly decays, changing it back to nitrogen and releasing energy. This instability makes it radioactive. Ordinary carbon (12C) is found in the carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air, which is taken up by plants, which in turn are eaten by animals. So a bone, or a leaf or a tree, or even a piece of wooden furniture, contains carbon. When the 14C has been formed, like ordinary carbon (12C), it combines with oxygen to give carbon dioxide (14CO2), and so it also gets cycled through the cells of plants and animals. We can take a sample of air, count how many 12C atoms there are for every 14C atom, and calculate the 14C/12C ratio. Because 14C is so well mixed up with 12C, we expect to find that this ratio is the same if we sample a leaf from a tree, or a part of your body. In living things, although 14C atoms are constantly changing back to 14N, they are still exchanging carbon with their surroundings, so the mixture remains about the same as in the atmosphere. However, as soon as a plant or animal dies, the 14C atoms which decay are no longer replaced, so the amount of 14C in that once-living thing decreases as time goes on. In other words, the 14C/12C ratio gets smaller. So, we have a ‘clock’ which starts ticking the moment something dies. Obviously, this works only for things which were once living. It cannot be used to date volcanic rocks, for example. The rate of decay of 14C is such that half of an amount will convert back to 14N in 5,730 years (plus or minus 40 years). This is the ‘half-life.’ So, in two half-lives, or 11,460 years, only one-quarter will be left. Thus, if the amount of 14C relative to 12C in a sample is one-quarter of that in living organisms at present, then it has a theoretical age of 11,460 years. Anything over about 50,000 years old, should theoretically have no detectable 14C left. That is why radiocarbon dating cannot give millions of years. In fact, if a sample contains 14C, it is good evidence that it is not millions of years old. However, things are not quite so simple. First, plants discriminate against carbon dioxide containing 14C. That is, they take up less than would be expected and so they test older than they really are. Furthermore, different types of plants discriminate differently. This also has to be corrected for.2 Second, the ratio of 14C/12C in the atmosphere has not been constant—for example, it was higher before the industrial era when the massive burning of fossil fuels released a lot of carbon dioxide that was depleted in 14C. This would make things which died at that time appear older in terms of carbon dating. Then there was a rise in 14CO2 with the advent of atmospheric testing of atomic bombs in the 1950s.3 This would make things carbon-dated from that time appear younger than their true age. Measurement of 14C in historically dated objects (e.g., seeds in the graves of historically dated tombs) enables the level of 14C in the atmosphere at that time to be estimated, and so partial calibration of the ‘clock’ is possible. Accordingly, carbon dating carefully applied to items from historical times can be useful. However, even with such historical calibration, archaeologists do not regard 14C dates as absolute because of frequent anomalies. They rely more on dating methods that link into historical records. Outside the range of recorded history, calibration of the 14C clock is not possible.4 Other factors affecting carbon dating The amount of cosmic rays penetrating the earth’s atmosphere affects the amount of 14C produced and therefore dating the system. The amount of cosmic rays reaching the earth varies with the sun’s activity, and with the earth's passage through magnetic clouds as the solar system travels around the Milky Way galaxy. The strength of the earth’s magnetic field affects the amount of cosmic rays entering the atmosphere. A stronger magnetic field deflects more cosmic rays away from the earth. Overall, the energy of the earth’s magnetic field has been decreasing,5 so more 14C is being produced now than in the past. This will make old things look older than they really are. Also, the Genesis flood would have greatly upset the carbon balance. The flood buried a huge amount of carbon, which became coal, oil, etc., lowering the total 12C in the biosphere (including the atmosphere—plants regrowing after the flood absorb CO2, which is not replaced by the decay of the buried vegetation). Total 14C is also proportionately lowered at this time, but whereas no terrestrial process generates any more 12C, 14C is continually being produced, and at a rate which does not depend on carbon levels (it comes from nitrogen). Therefore, the 14C/12C ratio in plants/animals/the atmosphere before the flood had to be lower than what it is now. Unless this effect (which is additional to the magnetic field issue just discussed) were corrected for, carbon dating of fossils formed in the flood would give ages much older than the true ages. Creationist researchers have suggested that dates of 35,000 - 45,000 years should be re-calibrated to the biblical date of the flood.6 Such a re-calibration makes sense of anomalous data from carbon dating—for example, very discordant ‘dates’ for different parts of a frozen musk ox carcass from Alaska and an inordinately slow rate of accumulation of ground sloth dung pellets in the older layers of a cave where the layers were carbon dated.7 Also, volcanoes emit much CO2 depleted in 14C. Since the flood was accompanied by much volcanism, fossils formed in the early post-flood period would give radiocarbon ages older than they really are. In summary, the carbon-14 method, when corrected for the effects of the flood, can give useful results, but needs to be applied carefully. It does not give dates of millions of years and when corrected properly fits well with the biblical flood. Other radiometric dating methods There are various other radiometric dating methods used today to give ages of millions or billions of years for rocks. These techniques, unlike carbon dating, mostly use the relative concentrations of parent and daughter products in radioactive decay chains. For example, potassium-40 decays to argon-40; uranium-238 decays to lead-206 via other elements like radium; uranium-235 decays to lead-207; rubidium-87 decays to strontium-87; etc. These techniques are applied to igneous rocks, and are normally seen as giving the time since solidification. The isotope concentrations can be measured very accurately, but isotope concentrations are not dates. To derive ages from such measurements, unprovable assumptions have to be made such as: The starting conditions are known (for example, that there was no daughter isotope present at the start, or that we know how much was there). Decay rates have always been constant. Systems were closed or isolated so that no parent or daughter isotopes were lost or added. There are patterns in the isotope data There is plenty of evidence that the radioisotope dating systems are not the infallible techniques many think, and that they are not measuring millions of years. However, there are still patterns to be explained. For example, deeper rocks often tend to give older ‘ages.’ Creationists agree that the deeper rocks are generally older, but not by millions of years. Geologist John Woodmorappe, in his devastating critique of radioactive dating,8 points out that there are other large-scale trends in the rocks that have nothing to do with radioactive decay. ‘Bad’ dates When a ‘date’ differs from that expected, researchers readily invent excuses for rejecting the result. The common application of such posterior reasoning shows that radiometric dating has serious problems. Woodmorappe cites hundreds of examples of excuses used to explain ‘bad’ dates.9 For example, researchers applied posterior reasoning to the dating of Australopithecus ramidus fossils.10 Most samples of basalt closest to the fossil-bearing strata give dates of about 23 Ma (Mega annum, million years) by the argon-argon method. The authors decided that was ‘too old,’ according to their beliefs about the place of the fossils in the evolutionary grand scheme of things. So they looked at some basalt further removed from the fossils and selected 17 of 26 samples to get an acceptable maximum age of 4.4 Ma. The other nine samples again gave much older dates but the authors decided they must be contaminated and discarded them. That is how radiometric dating works. It is very much driven by the existing long-age world view that pervades academia today. A similar story surrounds the dating of the primate skull known as KNM-ER 1470.11 This started with an initial 212 to 230 Ma, which, according to the fossils, was considered way off the mark (humans ‘weren’t around then’). Various other attempts were made to date the volcanic rocks in the area. Over the years an age of 2.9 Ma was settled upon because of the agreement between several different published studies (although the studies involved selection of ‘good’ from ‘bad’ results, just like Australopithecus ramidus, above). However, preconceived notions about human evolution could not cope with a skull like 1470 being ‘that old.’ A study of pig fossils in Africa readily convinced most anthropologists that the 1470 skull was much younger. After this was widely accepted, further studies of the rocks brought the radiometric age down to about 1.9 Ma—again several studies ‘confirmed’ this date. Such is the dating game. Are we suggesting that evolutionists are conspiring to massage the data to get what they want? No, not generally. It is simply that all observations must fit the prevailing paradigm. The paradigm, or belief system, of molecules-to-man evolution over eons of time, is so strongly entrenched it is not questioned—it is a ‘fact.’ So every observation must fit this paradigm. Unconsciously, the researchers, who are supposedly ‘objective scientists’ in the eyes of the public, select the observations to fit the basic belief system. We must remember that the past is not open to the normal processes of experimental science, that is, repeatable experiments in the present. A scientist cannot do experiments on events that happened in the past. Scientists do not measure the age of rocks, they measure isotope concentrations, and these can be measured extremely accurately. However, the ‘age’ is calculated using assumptions about the past that cannot be proven. We should remember God’s admonition to Job, ‘Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?’ (Job 38:4). Those involved with unrecorded history gather information in the present and construct stories about the past. The level of proof demanded for such stories seems to be much less than for studies in the empirical sciences, such as physics, chemistry, molecular biology, physiology, etc. Williams, an expert in the environmental fate of radioactive elements, identified 17 flaws in the isotope dating reported in just three widely respected seminal papers that supposedly established the age of the earth at 4.6 billion years.12 John Woodmorappe has produced an incisive critique of these dating methods.13 He exposes hundreds of myths that have grown up around the techniques. He shows that the few ‘good’ dates left after the ‘bad’ dates are filtered out could easily be explained as fortunate coincidences. What date would you like? The forms issued by radioisotope laboratories for submission with samples to be dated commonly ask how old the sample is expected to be. Why? If the techniques were absolutely objective and reliable, such information would not be necessary. Presumably, the laboratories know that anomalous dates are common, so they need some check on whether they have obtained a ‘good’ date. Testing radiometric dating methods If the long-age dating techniques were really objective means of finding the ages of rocks, they should work in situations where we know the age. Furthermore, different techniques should consistently agree with one another. Methods should work reliably on things of known age There are many examples where the dating methods give ‘dates’ that are wrong for rocks of known age. One example is K-Ar ‘dating’ of five historical andesite lava flows from Mount Nguaruhoe in New Zealand. Although one lava flow occurred in 1949, three in 1954, and one in 1975, the ‘dates’ range from less than 0.27 to 3.5 Ma.14 Again, using hindsight, it is argued that ‘excess’ argon from the magma (molten rock) was retained in the rock when it solidified. The secular scientific literature lists many examples of excess argon causing dates of millions of years in rocks of known historical age.15 This excess appears to have come from the upper mantle, below the earth’s crust. This is consistent with a young world—the argon has had too little time to escape.16 If excess argon can cause exaggerated dates for rocks of known age, then why should we trust the method for rocks of unknown age? Other techniques, such as the use of isochrons,17 make different assumptions about starting conditions, but there is a growing recognition that such ‘foolproof’ techniques can also give ‘bad’ dates. So data are again selected according to what the researcher already believes about the age of the rock. Geologist Dr Steve Austin sampled basalt from the base of the Grand Canyon strata and from the lava that spilled over the edge of the canyon. By evolutionary reckoning, the latter should be a billion years younger than the basalt from the bottom. Standard laboratories analyzed the isotopes. The rubidium-strontium isochron technique suggested that the recent lava flow was 270 Ma older than the basalts beneath the Grand Canyon—an impossibility. Different dating techniques should consistently agree If the dating methods are an objective and reliable means of determining ages, they should agree. If a chemist were measuring the sugar content of blood, all valid methods for the determination would give the same answer (within the limits of experimental error). However, with radiometric dating, the different techniques often give quite different results. In the study of the Grand Canyon rocks by Austin, different techniques gave different results.18 Again, all sorts of reasons can be suggested for the ‘bad’ dates, but this is again posterior reasoning. Techniques that give results that can be dismissed just because they don’t agree with what we already believe cannot be considered objective. In Australia, some wood found in Tertiary basalt was clearly buried in the lava flow that formed the basalt, as can be seen from the charring. The wood was ‘dated’ by radiocarbon (14C) analysis at about 45,000 years old, but the basalt was ‘dated’ by potassium-argon method at 45 million years old!19 Isotope ratios or uraninite crystals from the Koongarra uranium body in the Northern Territory of Australia gave lead-lead isochron ages of 841 Ma, plus or minus 140 Ma.20 This contrasts with an age of 1550-1650 Ma based on other isotope ratios,21 and ages of 275, 61, 0,0, and 0 Ma for thorium/lead (232Th/208Pb) ratios in five uraninite grains. The latter figures are significant because thorium-derived dates should be the more reliable, since thorium is less mobile than the uranium minerals that are the parents of the lead isotopes in lead-lead system.22 The ‘zero’ ages in this case are consistent with the Bible. More evidence something is wrong—14C in fossils supposedly millions of years old Fossils older than 100,000 years should have too little 14C to measure, but dating labs consistently find 14C, well above background levels, in fossils supposedly many millions of years old.23,24 For example, no source of coal has been found that lacks 14C, yet this fossil fuel supposedly ranges up to hundreds of millions of years old. Fossils in rocks dated at 1–500 Ma by long-age radioisotope dating methods gave an average radiocarbon ‘age’ of about 50,000 years, much less than the limits of modern carbon dating24 (see pp. 65–69 in The Revised and Expanded Answers Book for why even these radiocarbon ages are inflated). Furthermore, there was no pattern of younger to older in the carbon dates that correlated with the evolutionary/uniformitarian ‘ages’.24 This evidence is consistent with the fossil-bearing rock layers being formed in the year-long global catastrophe of the biblical Flood, as flood geologists since Nicholas Steno (1631–1687) have recognized. Even Precambrian (‘older than 545 Ma’) graphite, which is not of organic origin, contains 14C above background levels.25 This is consistent with Earth itself being only thousands of years old, as a straightforward reading of the Bible would suggest. Many physical evidence contradict the ‘billions of years’ Of the methods that have been used to estimate the age of the earth, 90 percent point to an age far less than the billions of years asserted by evolutionists. A few of them follow. Evidence for a rapid formation of geological strata, as in the biblical flood. Some of the evidence are: lack of erosion between rock layers supposedly separated in age by many millions of years; lack of disturbance of rock strata by biological activity (worms, roots, etc.); lack of soil layers; polystrate fossils (which traverse several rock layers vertically—these could not have stood vertically for eons of time while they slowly got buried); thick layers of ‘rock’ bent without fracturing, indicating that the rock was all soft when bent; and more. For more, see books by geologists Morris26 and Austin.27 Red blood cells and hemoglobin have been found in some (unfossilized!) dinosaur bone. But these could not last more than a few thousand years—certainly not the 65 Ma since the last dinosaurs lived, according to evolutionists.28 The earth’s magnetic field has been decaying so fast that it looks like it is less than 10,000 years old. Rapid reversals during the Flood year and fluctuations shortly after would have caused the field energy to drop even faster.29, 30 Radioactive decay releases helium into the atmosphere, but not much is escaping. The total amount in the atmosphere is 1/2000th of that expected if the universe is really billions of years old. This helium originally escaped from rocks. This happens quite fast, yet so much helium is still in some rocks that it has not had time to escape—certainly not billions of years.30 A supernova is an explosion of a massive star—the explosion is so bright that it briefly outshines the rest of the galaxy. The supernova remnants (SNRs) should keep expanding for hundreds of thousands of years, according to physical equations. Yet there are no very old, widely expanded (Stage 3) SNRs, and few moderately old (Stage 1) ones in our galaxy, the Milky Way, or in its satellite galaxies, the Magellanic Clouds. This is just what we would expect for ‘young’ galaxies that have not existed long enough for wide expansion.31 The moon is slowly receding from the earth at about 4 centimeters (1.5 inches) per year, and this rate would have been greater in the past. But even if the moon had started receding from being in contact with the earth, it would have taken only 1.37 billion years to reach its present distance from the earth. This gives a maximum age of the moon, not the actual age. This is far too young for evolutionists who claim the moon is 4.6 billion years old. It is also much younger than the radiometric ‘dates’ assigned to moon rocks.32 Salt is entering the sea much faster than it is escaping. The sea is not nearly salty enough for this to have been happening for billions of years. Even granting generous assumptions to evolutionists, the sea could not be more than 62 Ma years old—far younger than the billions of years believed by the evolutionists. Again, this indicates a maximum age, not the actual age.33 Dr Russell Humphreys gives other processes inconsistent with billions of years in the pamphlet Evidence for a Young World.34 Creationists cannot prove the age of the earth using a particular scientific method, any more than evolutionists can. They realize that all science is tentative because we do not have all the data, especially when dealing with the past. This is true of both creationist and evolutionist scientific arguments—evolutionists have had to abandon many ‘proofs’ for evolution just as creationists have also had to modify their arguments. The atheistic evolutionist W.B. Provine admitted: ‘Most of what I learned of the field [evolutionary biology] in graduate (1964-68) school is either wrong or significantly changed.’ 35 Creationists understand the limitations of dating methods better than evolutionists who claim that they can use processes observed in the present to ‘prove’ that the earth is billions of years old. In reality, all dating methods, including those that point to a young earth, rely on unprovable assumptions. Creationists ultimately date the earth historically using the chronology of the Bible. This is because they believe that this is an accurate eyewitness account of world history, which bears the evidence within it that it is the Word of God, and therefore totally reliable and error-free. Then what do the radiometric ‘dates’ mean? What do the radiometric dates of millions of years mean, if they are not true ages? To answer this question, it is necessary to scrutinize further the experimental results from the various dating techniques, the interpretations made on the basis of the results and the assumptions underlying those interpretations. The isochron dating technique was thought to be infallible because it supposedly covered the assumptions about starting conditions and closed systems. Geologist Dr Andrew Snelling worked on dating the Koongarra uranium deposits in the Northern Territory of Australia, primarily using the uranium-thorium-lead (U-Th-Pb) method. He found that even highly weathered soil samples from the area, which are definitely not closed systems, gave apparently valid ‘isochron’ lines with ‘ages’ of up to 1,445 Ma. Such ‘false isochrons’ are so common that a whole terminology has grown up to describe them, such as apparent isochron, mantle isochron, pseudoisochron, secondary isochron, inherited isochron, erupted isochron, mixing line and mixing isochron. Zheng wrote: Some of the basic assumptions of the conventional Rb-Sr [rubidium-strontium] isochron method have to be modified and an observed isochron does not certainly define valid age information for a geological system, even if a goodness of fit of the experimental results is obtained in plotting 87Sr/86Sr. This problem cannot be overlooked, especially in evaluating the numerical time scale. Similar questions can also arise in applying Sm-Nd [samarium-neodymium] and U-Pb [uranium-lead] isochron methods.37 Clearly, there are factors other than age responsible for the straight lines obtained from graphing isotope ratios. Again, the only way to know if an isochron is ‘good’ is by comparing the result with what is already believed. Another currently popular dating method is the uranium-lead concordia technique. This effectively combines the two uranium-lead decay series into one diagram. Results that lie on the concordia curve have the same age according to the two lead series and are called ‘concordant.’ However, the results from zircons (a type of gemstone), for example, generally lie off the concordia curve—they are discordant. Numerous models, or stories, have been developed to explain such data.38 However, such exercises in story-telling can hardly be considered as objective science that proves an old earth. Again, the stories are evaluated according to their own success in agreeing with the existing long ages belief system. Andrew Snelling has suggested that fractionation (sorting) of elements in the molten state in the earth’s mantle could be a significant factor in explaining the ratios of isotope concentrations which are interpreted as ages. As long ago as 1966, Nobel Prize nominee Melvin Cook, professor of metallurgy at the University of Utah, pointed out evidence that lead isotope ratios, for example, may involve alteration by important factors other than radioactive decay.39 Cook noted that, in ores from the Katanga mine, for example, there was an abundance of lead-208, a stable isotope, but no Thorium-232 as a source for lead-208. Thorium has a long half-life (decays very slowly) and is not easily moved out of the rock, so if the lead-208 came from thorium decay, some thorium should still be there. The concentrations of lead-206, lead-207, and lead-208 suggest that the lead-208 came about by neutron capture conversion of lead-206 to lead-207 to lead-208. When the isotope concentrations are adjusted for such conversions, the ages calculated are reduced from some 600 Ma to recent. Other ore bodies seemed to show similar evidence. Cook recognized that the current understanding of nuclear physics did not seem to allow for such a conversion under normal conditions, but he presents evidence that such did happen, and even suggests how it could happen. Anomalies in deep rock crystals Physicist Dr Robert Gentry has pointed out that the amount of helium and lead in zircons from deep bores is not consistent with an evolutionary age of 1,500 Ma for the granite rocks in which they are found.40 The amount of lead may be consistent with current rates of decay over millions of years, but it would have diffused out of the crystals in that time. Furthermore, the amount of helium in zircons from hot rock is also much more consistent with a young earth (helium derives from the decay of radioactive elements). The lead and helium results suggest that rates of radioactive decay may have been much higher in the recent past. Humphreys has suggested that this may have occurred during creation week and the flood. This would make things look much older than they really are when current rates of decay are applied to dating. Whatever caused such elevated rates of decay may also have been responsible for the lead isotope conversions claimed by Cook (above). Orphan radiohalos Decaying radioactive particles in solid rock cause spherical zones of damage to the surrounding crystal structure. A speck of radioactive element such as Uranium-238, for example, will leave a sphere of discoloration of characteristically different radius for each element it produces in its decay chain to lead-206.41 Viewed in cross-section with a microscope, these spheres appear as rings called radiohalos. Dr Gentry has researched radiohalos for many years, and published his results in leading scientific journals.42 Some of the intermediate decay products—such as the polonium isotopes—have very short half-lives (they decay quickly). For example, 218Po has a half-life of just 3 minutes. Curiously, rings formed by polonium decay are often found embedded in crystals without the parent uranium halos. Now the polonium has to get into the rock before the rock solidifies, but it cannot derive a from a uranium speck in the solid rock, otherwise there would be a uranium halo. Either the polonium was created (primordial, not derived from uranium), or there have been radical changes in decay rates in the past. Gentry has addressed all attempts to criticize his work.43 There have been many attempts, because the orphan halos speak of conditions in the past, either at creation or after, perhaps even during the flood, which do not fit with the uniformitarian view of the past, which is the basis of the radiometric dating systems. Whatever process was responsible for the halos could be a key also to understanding radiometric dating.44 Conclusion There are many lines of evidence that the radiometric dates are not the objective evidence for an old earth that many claim, and that the world is really only thousands of years old. We don't have all the answers, but we do have the sure testimony of the Word of God to the true history of the world. Recommended resources Thousands … Not Billions (DVD) Christians no longer have to puzzle over the seemingly glaring contradiction between dating methods and the Bible's account of earth history. Radioisotopes & the Age of the Earth (DVD) Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth—Volume 1 (Hardcover) Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth—Volume 2 (Hardcover) Results of a young-earth creationist research initiative Does Carbon Dating Disprove the Bible? (Booklet) The Young Earth (Softcover) Explains in easy-to-understand terms how true science supports a young age for the Earth. Evidence For a Young World (Booklet) Contains a dozen natural phenomena which conflict with the evolutionary idea that the earth is billions of years old. The Mythology of Modern Dating Methods (Softcover) References and notes Also known as isotope or radioisotope dating. Today, a stable carbon isotope, 13C , is measured as an indication of the level of discrimination against 14C. Radiation from atomic testing, like cosmic rays, causes the conversion of 14N to 14C. Tree ring dating (dendrochronology) has been used in an attempt to extend the calibration of carbon-14 dating earlier than historical records allow, but this depends on temporal placement of fragments of wood (from long dead trees) using carbon-14 dating, assuming straight-line extrapolation backwards. Then cross-matching of ring patterns is used to calibrate the carbon ‘clock’—a somewhat circular process which does not give an independent calibration of the carbon dating system. K.L. McDonald and R.H. Gunst, ‘An Analysis of the Earth's Magnetic Field from 1835 to 1965,’ ESSA Technical Report IER 46-IES, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington D.C., p. 14, 1965. B.J. Taylor, ‘Carbon Dioxide in the Antediluvian Atmosphere,’ Creation Research Society Quarterly, 30(4):193-197, 1994. R.H. Brown, ‘Correlation of C-14 Age with Real Time,’ Creation Research Society Quarterly, 29:45-47, 1992. Musk ox muscle was dated at 24,000 years, but hair was dated at 17,000 years. Corrected dates bring the difference in age approximately within the life span of an ox. With sloth cave dung, standard carbon dates of the lower layers suggested less than 2 pellets per year were produced by the sloths. Correcting the dates increased the number to a more realistic 1.4 per day. J. Woodmorappe, The Mythology of Modern Dating Methods, Institute for Creation Research, San Diego, CA, 1999. Ibid. G. WoldeGabriel et al., ‘Ecological and Temporal Placement of Early Pliocene Hominids at Aramis, Ethiopia,’ Nature, 371:330-333, 1994. M. Lubenow, The Pigs Took It All, Creation 17(3):36-38, 1995. M. Lubenow, Bones of Contention, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, pp. 247-266, 1993. A.R. Williams, Long-age Isotope Dating Short on Credibility, CEN Technical Journal, 6(1):2-5, 1992. Woodmorappe, The Mythology of Modern Dating Methods. A.A. Snelling, The Cause of Anomalous Potassium-argon ‘Ages’ for Recent Andesite Flows at Mt. Nguaruhoe, New Zealand, and the Implications for Potassium-argon ‘Dating,’ Proc. 4th ICC, pp.503-525, 1998. Note 14 lists many instances. For example, six cases were reported by D. Krummenacher, Isotopic Composition of Argon in Modern Surface Rocks, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 6:47-55, 1969. A large excess was reported in D.E. Fisher, Excess Rare Gases in a Subaerial Basalt in Nigeria, Nature, 232:60-61, 1970. See note 14, p. 520. The isochron technique involves collecting a number of rock samples from different parts of the rock unit being dated. The concentration of a parent radioactive isotope, such as rubidium-87, is graphed against the concentration of a daughter isotope, such as strontium-87, for all the samples. A straight line is drawn through these points, representing the ratio of the parent:daughter, from which a date is calculated. If the line is of good fit and the ‘age’ is acceptable, it is a ‘good’ date. The method involves dividing both the parent and daughter concentrations by the concentration of a similar stable isotope—in this case, strontium-86. S.A. Austin, editor, Grand Canyon: Monument to Catastrophe, Institute for Creation Research, Santee, CA, pp. 120-131, 1994. A.A. Snelling, Radiometric Dating in Conflict, Creation, 20(1):24-27, 1998. A.A. Snelling, The Failure of U-Th-Pb ‘Dating’ at Koongarra, Australia, CEN Technical Journal, 9(1):71-92, 1995. R. Maas, Nd-Sr Isotope Constraints on the Age and Origin of Unconformity-type Uranium Deposits in the Alligator Rivers Uranium Field, Northern Territory, Australia, Economic Geology, 84:64-90, 1989. See note 20. Giem, P., Carbon-14 content of fossil carbon, Origins 51:6–30, 2001. Baumgardner, J.R., Snelling, A.S., Humphreys, D.R., and Austin, S.A., Measurable 14C in fossilized organic materials: confirming the young earth creation-flood model, Proc. 5th ICC, pp. 127–142, 2003. Ibid. J. Morris, The Young Earth, Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 1994. Austin, Grand Canyon: Monument to Catastrophe. C. Wieland, Sensational Dinosaur Blood Report, Creation, 19(4):42-43, 1997, based on M. Schweitzer and T. Staedter, The Real Jurassic Park, Earth, pp. 55-57, June 1997. D.R. Humphreys, Reversals of the Earth's Magnetic Field During the Genesis Flood, Proc. First ICC, Pittsburgh, PA, 2:113-126, 1986. J.D. Sarfati, The Earth's Magnetic Field: Evidence That the Earth Is Young, Creation, 20(2):15-19, 1998. L. Vardiman, The Age of the Earth’s Atmosphere: A Study of the Helium Flux through the Atmosphere, Institute for Creation Research, San Diego, CA, 1990. J.D. Sarfati, Blowing Old-earth Belief Away: Helium Gives Evidence That the Earth is Young, Creation, 20(3):19-21, 1998. K. Davies, Distribution of Supernova Remnants in the Galaxy, Proc. Third ICC, R.E. Walsh, editor, pp. 175-184, 1994. D. DeYoung, The Earth-Moon System, Proc. Second ICC, R.E. Walsh and C.L. Brooks, editors, 2:79-84, 1990. J.D. Sarfati, The Moon: The Light That Rules the Night, Creation, 20(4):36-39, 1998. S.A. Austin and D.R. Humphreys, The Sea’s Missing Salt: A Dilemma for Evolutionists, Proc. Second ICC, 2:17-33, 1990. J.D. Sarfati, Salty Seas: Evidence for a Young Earth, Creation, 21(1):16-17, 1999. Russell Humphreys, Evidence for a Young World, Answers in Genesis, 1999. A review of Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science, National Academy of Science USA, 1998, by Dr Will B. Provine, online at http://fp.bio.utk.edu/darwin/NAS_guidebook/provine_1.html, February 18, 1999. See Woodmorappe, The Mythology of Modern Dating Methods, for one such thorough evaluation. Y.F. Zheng, Influence of the Nature of Initial Rb-Sr System on Isochron Validity, Chemical Geology, 80:1-16, p. 14, 1989. E. Jager and J.C. Hunziker, editors, Lectures in Isotope Geology, U-Th-Pb Dating of Minerals, by D. Gebauer and M. Grunenfelder, Springer Verlag, New York, pp. 105-131, 1979. M.A. Cook, Prehistory and Earth Models, Max Parrish, London, 1966. R.V. Gentry, Creation's Tiny Mystery, Earth Science Associates, Knoxville, TN, 1986. Only those that undergo alpha decay (releasing a helium nucleus). Gentry, Creation's Tiny Mystery. K.P. Wise, letter to the editor and replies by M. Armitage and R.V. Gentry, CEN Technical Journal, 12(3):285-90, 1998. An international team of creationist scientists is actively pursuing a creationist understanding of radioisotope dating. Known as the RATE (Radioisotopes and the Age of The Earth) group, it combines the skills of various physicists and geologists to enable a multi-disciplinary approach to the subject. Interesting insights are likely to come from such a group. This chapter from the book The Revised and Expanded Answers Book, published and graciously provided at no charge to Answers in Genesis by Master Books, a division of New Leaf Press (Green Forest, Arkansas). By downloading this material, you agree to the following terms with respect to the use of the requested material: AIG grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to print or download one (1) copy of the copyrighted work. The copyrighted work will be used for non-commercial, personal purposes only. You may not prepare, manufacture, copy, use, promote, distribute, or sell a derivative work of the copyrighted work without the express approval of AIG. Approval must be expressed and in writing, and failure to respond shall not be deemed approval. All rights in the copyrighted work not specifically granted to you are reserved by AIG. All such reserved rights may be exercised by AIG. This Agreement, and all interpretations thereof, shall be deemed to be in accordance with Kentucky law. Any dispute arising out of this Agreement shall be resolved in accordance with Kentucky law in the Circuit Court of Boone County, Kentucky, which court shall be deemed to be the court of proper jurisdiction and venue. Help keep these daily articles coming. Find out how to support AiG. Good News | About us | Contact us | Privacy policy Home | Get Answers | Store | Events | Creation Education | Media | Radio | Creation Museum | Support Chinese | Danish | Dutch | French | German | Greek | Hungarian | Italian | Japanese | Korean | Russian | Spanish Copyright © 2006 Answers in Genesis

Where can I go online to hear the censored version of "Cooking by the book" by Lazy Town featuring Lil Jon? I something on Comcast On Demand called Stupid Reviews 69, it was a montage of stupid people getting hurt, they was playing this song and what made laugh so hard because explicit words was getting beeped out, it sounded funnier than Read a Book http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfLAv3JHRwY Where can I get the censored version of this song...well lil jon part If this is your first time hearing it, what do you think of it

Major League Baseball 2k9 Features List. Just Letting you known? Homerun Derby presented by State Farm * New best of the best mode. Test your skills against the top 20 HR hitters. * Classic mode streamlined for faster gameplay New Playoffs Mode * Jump right into a playoff scenario without having to play through a whole season. * Get all of the rewards of the World Series celebrations if you win. Topps Trading Cards * Greatly simplify the user experience to unlock trading cards. Better players are harder to unlock. * Unlock them both by playing with and against the player * Build trading card teams with no budget restrictions and take them online. * Review the trading cards in books anywhere in the game. Reelmaker * Add SFX and graphic overlays to in-game replays to create your own highlight reel. * You can have the game digitize the reel and upload it to 2KSports.com to share with the world. * Rate reels and directors through our simple 2Krating system VIP Viewer * View all of your user stats in one place. * Your abilities are graphed out, displayed in chart form, and comparable against league averages. Trophies * Implement the new Sony PS3 trophy system * On 360 each time you unlock an achievement you get a new trophy added to your display case. Pitching * Pitching – Unique pitching controls with increased accessibility for pick-up-and-play users. * Improved pitching controls - Simplified controls to 2-step pitching – hold and gesture * Catcher’s will call for pitches according to the hitter’s weaknesses Hitting * Influence hit – The users will be able to influence a fly ball or groundball with new controls. * New bunting controls – Improved bunting will make it easier to lay down a bunt. * Zone hitting – Users will be able to put the bat on the ball with our new zone hitting feature. * Hit distribution – Improved hit distribution for a wide variety of hits. Fielding * Fielding – Upgraded fielding system with new ability to quick throw when in a rush. * Fielding AI – Improved fielding AI will highlight the player’s true ability. * Quick Throws – Quick throws will allow the user to throw on the run or start a double play quicker. * Hold the ball – Users will be able to cancel a throw and throw to a different direction on the fly. Baserunning * Simplified controls for the user for stealing and baserunning. Signature Style * More than 300 new signature animations, making MLB2K9 the most realistic baseball sim to date. Real-time Living World * Anything that happens in a baseball stadium happens in 2K9 in Real Time. * Players will move from the dugout to the batter’s box and from the bullpen to the mound. * Players warm up by throwing around the horn, bat swinging practice, etc. * Umpire, ball boys, coaches – All onfield personnel will be moving naturally to and from their positions. * Celebrations – Players will react properly to a regular end-game to walkoff home run, to no-hitter and World Series celebration. * Vendors move in the crowd * Fans react to home runs and foul balls Release Date for This Game is March 2009 Trailer,screen-shots more news coming soon Game coming to X-Box 360,Nintendo Wii,PS3,PSP. The Best Graphics on the game will on ps3 and 360

Online business ideas? I recently purchased a book called Internet riches, so I wanted to start an online company. It was telling me to create a website full of content, and throw some ads and affiliate products on the site to make money. Ive heard from other people that this is the best way to go. I decided I would create a website on cell phone reviews and specs since I love cell phones. I would join verizon, AT&T, sprint affiliate programs and sell their phones on my site. I know I would be competiting eith cnet, mobiledia, phone dog, etc., but if each site is doing well, there is another room for a player. But when I was reading entrepreneur magazine, they featured many online companies that have websites where users could interact on. That got me thinking. There is a huge demand for profitable websites, but there is no key website that let's people buy,sell,trade, and auction websites. I could fill this gap. The problem is, I have no coding knowledge, and I got quoted 50k from a web developer. Should I just do the cell phone site? Should I'd make money with the cell phone site and put it towards the website trading site? Please help me. Also, could the cell phone site eventually make me six or more figures a year?

Are my online business ideas good? I recently purchased a book called Internet riches, so I wanted to start an online company. It was telling me to create a website full of content, and throw some ads and affiliate products on the site to make money. Ive heard from other people that this is the best way to go. I decided I would create a website on cell phone reviews and specs since I love cell phones. I would join verizon, AT&T, sprint affiliate programs and sell their phones on my site. I know I would be competiting eith cnet, mobiledia, phone dog, etc., but if each site is doing well, there is another room for a player. But when I was reading entrepreneur magazine, they featured many online companies that have websites where users could interact on. That got me thinking. There is a huge demand for profitable websites, but there is no key website that let's people buy,sell,trade, and auction websites. I could fill this gap. The problem is, I have no coding knowledge, and I got quoted 50k from a web developer. Should I just do the cell phone site? Should I'd make money with the cell phone site and put it towards the website trading site? Please help me. Also, could the cell phone site eventually make me six or more figures a year?

Does anyone shop their 360 blog? I have met so many wonderful artists of great plush toys, original graphic tshirts, bags, bags with faeries, AMERICANA knitted caps, scarves and afghans for babys. SO many shops need to be featured and I create a nice profile of their websites. That's how I use my 360 blog so please take a look around. Lots of things that Young Woman and Ladies will like to browse. Men's t-shirts are online, too. Beefcake graphics. And comic book reviews too. each blog entry or many is singled out to show a picture of an item from someone's online store. the product is there with a link to it and the store. I feature many different stores in my blog.

Is this a good deal for SAT prep? SAT course at Bayside High School features: 18 hours of live course instruction. 3 full-length proctored practice tests followed by detailed score reports analyzing strengths and weaknesses. 24/7 access to The Princeton Review’s Online Student Center. All books and materials included in tuition. Dynamic, fun and engaging teachers who are experts in the SAT. Satisfaction guaranteed or we'll work with you again for free. Reduced tuition: $550/student

Need help embedding subforums into a web page? I'm building a book review site right now and would like to implement a forum service like phpbb inside of a webpage. The purpose of this forum would be to let users post reviews in a given subforum and then have their thread appear on the static web page I created. I'm looking to use a forum in such a way that I can take a piece of code that just has a sub-forum in it along with a login section and "post new thread" link. Other than that I don't want there to be anything else, meaning that I don't want there to be users online, navigation links or anything else like that. An example is at the end below the hashed lines -=-=-=-=-=- I know it isn't the best way to go about doing this, but any CMS solution that I've come across has not been able to do what I want it to easily, and I can't afford to hire someone. Instead I'm just doing this myself with simple HTML and CSS. I would think that I could take a snippet of forum code and paste it in the page, but I lack any PHP experience and would not know how to go about doing this. I am willing to pay for a solution such as vbulletin if need be, but I just want to make sure that it can do what I need to. Feature wise all I really want is there to be a username, avatar and style settings - anything else is a bonus. I plan on having a dedicated forum section on the site which these review subforums would reference to, but if possible I'd like these to be completely hidden elsewhere - not necessary but would be great. The forum system DOES however need to have limitless subforum capabilities. -=-=-=-=-=- Review Page Generic text for the review page ______________________________ | Embedded Subforum | | | | | | Thread 1 | | Thread 2 | | Thread 3 | | Thread 4 | | Thread 5 | | Thread 6 | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------- FOOTER -=-=-=-=-=- Thanks for your help. Adam Lawton

Music magazine questionnaire for rock/metal fans for survey, please help? For my AS media coursework I need to create a music magazine and need to get a questionnaire answered by 30 people. So if you can answer my questionnaire I'd be really greatful. Thanks. 1.Are you male or female? Male [] Female [] 2.How old are you? Under 16 [] 16-20 [] 21-25 [] 25-30 [] 31-35 [] 36+ [] 4.Do you think style is important? Yes [] No [] 5.What do you do right now? School/college [] University [] Unemployed [] New to Working [] Working (established) [] 6.What type of living situation do you have? On your own [] With parents [] With friends [] With a partner [] In student housing [] With your family (e.g. with children, spouse, etc) [] Other [] _________ 7.If you read any rock/metal magazines, which? Kerrang [] Rock Sound [] NME [] Alternative Press [] Metal Hammer [] Q [] Other [] ___________________________________________________ 8.Where do you usually buy your magazines? Newsagents [] Supermarket [] Subscription [] Online [] Shops (e.g. HMV) [] Other [] 9.How often do you prefer magazines to come out? Every Week [] Every Fortnight [] Every month [] Bi-monthly [] Seasonally [] 10.How much would you normally expect to pay for a magazine? £2.00 £2.50 £3.00 £3.50 11.Which genres of rock and metal do you listen to? Alternative [] Black Metal [] Death Metal [] Electro [] Emo [] Gothic Rock [] Grunge [] Hard Rock [] Heavy Metal [] Indie Rock [] J-Rock [] Nu Metal [] Pop Punk [] Pop Rock [] Power Pop [] Punk [] Screamo [] Thrash Metal [] Other [] ____________________ 12.Which of these names do you think sounds best for a music magazine? Wild Side Rock Show Breakaway Rock World Lightspeed 13.Which colours would work best in a rock/metal magazine? Black [] White [] Grey [] Red [] Yellow [] Blue [] Green [] Pink [] Purple [] Orange [] Brown [] 14.What types of articles do you prefer? News [] Interviews [] Reviews [] Features [] Other [] ______________________________________________-- 15.Which of these persuade you to buy a magazine? Friend Recommendation [] Because you usually buy it [] Articles on bands you like [] Layout [] Images [] Writing style [] Other [] ____________________________________________ 16.Which layout do you prefer for a magazine double page article? Image on one page, text on another [] Images on top half of pages, text below [] Several images spread around page with text around it [] Image(s) covering page with text over it [] 17.Which of the following do you like included in magazines? Posters [] CDs [] Stickers [] Competitions [] 18.How do you listen to music? CDs [] Internet [] Vinyl [] Cassettes [] Radio [] Ipods [] MP3 [] Phone [] Other [] ___ 19.How often do you go to concerts/gigs? Very Often Sometimes Occasionally Rarely Never 20.Aside from music, which of the following are you interested in? Film & DVD [] Games [] Books [] Technology []

Could you check my language mistakes? "Detailed product information The internet provides much more details then other sources. It can provide details of: price, colour choices, description of features and specifications, technical advice, promotion deals. You are also able to see high quality pictures of the products which you can rotate, zoom in and out. In additional, they can now use images, sound and video to present their products. The Internet can provide information about the business to other businesses and potential investors. Websites can also be used to explain the target market of particular business, which sector it operates in and its product range, futures planes etc. Customer services Most of online stores provide very good customer service. The main advantage of it is that: • Website are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week • FAQ (Frequently ask questions) provides impediment help • Online complaint forms • Various options for customers like contact forms etc. These all help to give online customers a better level of service and allow to make requests or comments at any time! Online stores are available 24/7 The business can be open 24 hours a day and seven days a week. This allows it to take orders, make appointments, take customers queries and make sales. Online websites never close so this means customers can visit the shop at any time and purchase goods. It makes communication with customers, suppliers and other businesses more efficient and effective and gives ability to provide quick information and reliable advice before and after sales The Internet is always up-to-date Catalogues quickly go out of date. The internet can be updated immediately giving customers choice of the latest products and promotions. It also informs potential customers about stock availability, delivery charges etc. Product reviews There are many independent websites which offer product reviews directly from customers who have already purchased the item. The main advantage of it is that potential customers are able to read independence opinions before purchase. Advice In the Internet there is a lot of websites which offer useful advice and information to potential customers e.g. wikipedia, chat rooms and forums where people are discussing certain topics and share their knowledge and expedience. Comparing In the internet there is a lot of discusses groups and chats. Potential customers are able to compare and talk about particular product and talk about it before purchases. Customers can see and compare the prices between businesses very easily. It gives customers much greater power of the internet. Dynamic pricing It is the dynamic adjustment of prices according to market conditions and customers dement. This means that customers can benefit form prices because it is always up-date and it changes. The airline industry and hotels are two examples where customers can save due to dynamic pricing. For example, when a few hotel rooms are booked the, availability is very good and prices are quite cheap. When fewer rooms are available the prices increase. Responsive transactions The Internet gives the chance to conduct immediate transactions and immediately have the satisfaction of knowing that you bought something online. The grate example of it is ebay where people can bid in real time on auctions. It gives the satisfaction of knowing that we the won auction and bought something online."

Utilizing the capabilities of the World Wide Web? I have a book that is receiving tremendous accolades. With the goal of reacing the masses, I have been given advice regarding book promotion by people within the industry. But to really catch fire, I feel that somebody who knows and understands the inner workings of the Internet and marketing within that medium is what I truly need. I would love to find someone who has that skill set and could help me to work my book into the public eye online. I am willing to share in the subsequent successes. My book has been featured prominantly in written publications and websites, with very positive and glowing reviews. I just feel that a 'young gun' who knows how to execute an Internet marketing campaign could exlode my book into the next stratosphere. It is absolutely loved by those lucky enough to know about it, but the trick to competing with the big publishing houses is to find a way to reach people without loads of cash. Can anyone help?

virgin mobile shuttle...not what it cracked up to be or what? plz answer these questions? what is wrong with the new virgin mobile shuttle...i read on every review online saying that it had buddy beacon, youtube, myspace, face book, ESPN, and weather APPs but it has none of those...i even went to youtube mobile from it's browser and it doesn't work...what up with that...every review said it had those APPs and it doesn't...and for some reason when someone sends me a video...it doesn't show it or anything....just a blank text....i love the phone cause i can send pix and flix and it's a slider phone...definatly is virgin mobile best phone...but why does it say it has all these feature when it doesn't

Could you answer this quick survey about social networking websites? It's for my media coursework... I have to ask a certain amount of people these questions. I would appreciate your input. Thanks. Q1 Age? a) Under 14 b) 14-16 c) 17-20 d) 21-30 e) 31+ Q2 Gender? a) Male b) Female Q3 Which of these social networking websites do you use the most? a) face book b) bebo c) tagged d) friendster e) netlog f) netlog g) my space h) Hi 5 i) other- please state Q4 How many hours, on average, a week do you spend on the social networking sites you belong to? a) Less than an hour b) 1-2 hours c) 4-6 hours d) 10 + hours Q5 What is the main reason you visit social networking sites? a) To make friends b) To network with existing friends c) To find a bf/gf d) To relieve boredom e) To improve business networking Q6 What are your favourite features? a) Games b) Apps c) Find friends d) Groups e) Video/photo sharing f) Blogging g) Mail Q7 What features would you like to see improve? a) Games b) Apps c) Find friends d) Groups e) Video/photo sharing f) Blogging g) Mail Q8 What other kinds of websites do you visit? a) Chat b) Educational c) Video/photo-sharing d) Online gaming e) Review/ information sharing.

Help me get my Account back? My main Yahoo! Answers account has been (unjustly) suspended and I will not rest until I have it back because I am SO sick and tired of people reporting things and it getting deleted without question. No one looks at any of the appeals (Don't listen to anyone when they tell you they have mods for this stuff- they don't. 95% of it is automatic) and I am tired of getting the same old appeal message back. Here is what I wrote them: I have been a well-respected member of Yahoo! Answers for over a year now and my account was just suspended because I asked where I could read a book online. I am not accepting this. I have been using the Answers! system appropriately since 2007 and have thousands of points, hundreds of answers, and hundreds of questions. There was absolutely no reason for my account to be suspended and I swear to God I will not rest until I have it back because this is injustice at its worst. And this is what they sent me back: We reviewed your case, and decided that your account is not eligible for reinstatement. BS. If someone (as in, some PERSON) would have reviewed my case they I would have my account back right now. I use Yahoo Answers religiously and I will not stop until I have MY account back. I think all of us who have been wronged need to get together and do something about this 'report' feature. I don't think there should even be one. This is the internet. It is within no one's rights to be able to report someone else's question for 'not being a question' or whatever other reasons they may have (sometimes you don't even get one) because it is our right to post whatever we want on this internet for others to see. If they don't like the looks of it, they don't have to look. It's that simple.

Which webcam should I choose between these two? I've been looking around on the net and flicking through the new Argos book, and I've narrowed it down to these two. I'm not sure what the description on Argos means by "manual face tracking", maybe it was an error? It will be used to chat online through WLM and YIM. Since there are no reviews for the Bush webcam, I don't really know which one I should get, what with one having better specs than the other, but the other one has a more detailed description with more features (unless Argos just didn't list them). Maybe someone who has either one could give me a mini review?? I'd also like to say, that I know some Logitech webcams are better, but I'd rather not spend so much money just on a webcam. Mikomi webcam http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&catalogId=1500002201&langId=-1&searchTerms=6754611 Bush webcam http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&catalogId=1500002201&langId=-1&searchTerms=9246102 Thanks to anyone who gives advice, Dylan

Can anyone tell me if the hardcover copy of The Neverending Story is really worth buying over the paperback? I'm living in the Philippines and I am about to order The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. It's not available anywhere in my country and so I have to order it from an online shop. I'm torn between buying the hardcover edition and the paperback edition. The price of the hardcover edition is twice as much as the paperback edition. Based on the reviews of this book, the hardcover edition has a better feature compared to the paperback one--the fonts are colored in two colors to distuinguish the story from the Fantasia scenes and those in the "real" world. Since I haven't seen the book yet, I am not quite convinced if the hardcover edition is really worth that extra cash. Please help.

I am trying to convince my parents to buy me a macbook pro i wrote this list well what do you think? 20 Reasons Why I Need a Macbook Pro 1.Macs are more reliable. In the past 8 months my computer has had to have the Os re-installed 4 times, 3 for hard drive problems and 1 for a virus. Mac’s are very reliable machines according to consumer reports, and multiple reviews online such as C-net, Notebook reviews, Consumer reports, ECT. Mark the Mac book pro as a very good Computer, better than a PC. 2.Macs Run windows to! On a Macbook Pro I Can Run Windows as well as Mac OS X through Boot Camp. So in way I will get the best of both worlds I can run Mac OS X for internet and video editing and music editing, then I can run Windows Vista for Games, Office, and Windows Exclusive programs I might need. 3.I Know How to Use Macs. I can use a Mac much better than a PC. I was taught how to use them in elementary school. Right down to how to use all of the Mac office programs. 4.No Viruses! On Macs there are no viruses, which means that I can /surf the web with confidence my computer is safe. 5.If my Mac breaks no problem! With Apple care I can call Apple and my problem is fixed either by an apple expert helping me through it our by sending my computer to apple. Were as with a PC if it breaks Basically your screwed, first you have to find the problem, then call support then figure out how to fix it, then try do to do all of the things that you have no clue on how to do. No no no no with a Mac I call apple and since Macs are so simple with a description of my problem I have an answer. 6.A Mac Will Help Me in School. Last year I had 12 late or missing essays and research assignments because my computer was broken. On a Mac if it breaks I just send it to apple and in a few days I get a new computer for free. But it takes weeks to fix a PC. 7.They Last Forever!!!!!! On a Mac the Requirements to run software are very slim, the average life of a Mac is about 5 years compared to the 2 year life of a PC. 8.I can Use a Mac for Everything!!! Since Macs run Windows and Mac OS X there is no such thing as incompatible software. 9.You May Say at This Point “I am Convinced you need a Mac, But why a Macbook pro?” Well a Macbook pro is a notebook, which means I can use it anywhere. For example what if I have a huge report I have to do over the weekend but we are going to grandmas house, well I could take my Macbook pro and I could work on a report, and study for a test with a preloaded study guide. 10.I will get A’s on my report Card. With a Mac there are no viruses and they are notably reliable so there is no excuse of my computer had a virus, or the “it was broken” excuse. A Macbook pro will help me excel in school and in extra activities I do such as movie making and video games and there is guitar learning software. 11.Since I will be using the computer I should get the computer I want to use. What you guys have to remember is that the next computer I’m going to get will be my computer, so in that case I should get the computer that I want to use, not the one that you want me to use. 12.If I get the Macbook pro I will have enough space on my desk to do other things. Such as homework, or work. Right now my desk is too crowded with CRT monitors to do work; well a laptop would take care of that. 13.There is a brand new update. An update came out on June 5th which means that I will get the most advanced technology now. 14.A Macbook pro is the most powerful notebook and most powerful Mac other than the Mac pro. 15.I have two lives. If I came home from school one day and I found my computer broken my dell, I would have to wait for dad to fix it. But with a Mac I can run Windows and OS X so if OS X dies I can use windows because it uses a separate portion of the hard drive, and vise versa. 16.Apple is the only company that makes the software and the hardware. On a Mac the software is made to use all of the advantages of the hardware. Were as on a PC the software is made to be used on 100 companies computers 17.All the programs I use and want to use are on Mac. I use iTunes and that’s a program designed for Mac. I cant use iMovie, or Logic. 18.A new OS is about to be released. Leopard is about to be released, with many more features than tiger. 19.I can use .mac. .mac is a net based e-mail and web page publisher and internet storage. With many other features. 20.Macs just work. Macs are so simple a caveman can use them, they work so well, and they are so easy to use that you can use it to learn languages, or to learn how to play an instrument. They just work, were as with a PC needs to have lessons to learn how to use it. With a Macbook pro I can just do everything and have everything work. Reasons 1-20 are the reasons I need a Macbook pro. oh yeah and btw im not asking people about the classic mac or windows im asking if my list is good, dont answer if your gonna say something such as "buy a pc instead"

Here's a pop quiz on money in politics: Who gives more money to federal candidates, MoveOn.org? or? Here's a pop quiz on money in politics: Who gives more money to federal candidates, the National Rifle Association or MoveOn.org? Answer: MoveOn. And it isn't even close. In the last two election cycles, MoveOn.org Political Action Committee spent more than $58 million in pro-Democrat political advocacy, according to Federal Election Commission records. In just the 2006 election cycle, MoveOn.org spent $27 million in advocacy to elect a Democratic majority in Congress and used its formidable fund-raising clout to propel numerous Democratic challengers to House and Senate victories. By comparison, the NRA PAC donated $11 million in 2006. "They give away and raise about three times as much as the National Rifle Association," said Massie Ritsch, communications director for the Center for Responsive Politics. "A tremendous amount of money, especially when you consider how quickly they came on the scene." Brief History, Lasting Impact Founded in 1998 by Wes Boyd and Joan Blades, MoveOn.org started as an online petition to stop the impeachment of President Bill Clinton in the aftermath of the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. Boyd and Blades, software engineers from Berkeley, Calif., posted a petition on the Internet seeking signatures for Congress to censure Clinton and "move on" to other domestic issues. The online petition attracted like-minded liberals and MoveOn began a near-continuous dialogue with its members about what it should do to influence American politics. It created its PAC in 1999 and began attracting money for the 2000 campaign, raising, according to reports, $250,000 in the first five days and $2 million for the entire cycle. Though impressive for its first cycle, MoveOn did not find its true voice or tap into deep-seated anti-war angst until after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. "To combat terrorism, we must act in accordance with a high standard that does not disregard the lives of people in other countries," reads a petition drawn up by the organization after the attacks. "If we retaliate by bombing Kabul and kill people oppressed by the Taliban dictatorship who have no part in deciding whether terrorists are harbored, we become like the terrorists we oppose." That dovish advocacy flowed seamlessly into MoveOn's campaign against the Iraq war, leading to a wider Internet following, bigger membership and larger contributions. MoveOn continued its anti-war campaign after the invasion of Iraq and mobilized money and members in the 2004 presidential election, rallying around Howard Dean's campaign and helping propel him to front-runner status in the polls and shattering all previous online fund-raising records. A Funnel of Funding The 2006 election cycle thrust MoveOn into the ranks of potent pro-Democrat organizations. Never before had the group's ability to identify candidates and collect small donations on their behalf yield bigger results. "MoveOn has grown into one of the biggest political action committees in the country," Ritsch said. "MoveOn collects money and says to its members 'We're going to pass that money along.' They're a conduit. They are aggregating and assembling all the money and pooling their resources so it adds up to big influence." MoveOn backs candidates and asks members to send contributions on their behalf. They pass the donations on directly and handle all the paperwork. "They're speaking for the grassroots," Ritsch said. "This is a form of bundling." A quick tally of MoveOn-directed contributions in the 2006 election cycle, according to records compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, offers a sample of the impressive size of its donations: — Sen. Robert Byrd, West Virginia = $834,211 — Sen. Claire McCaskill, Missouri = $382,531 — Sen. Jon Tester, Montana = $301,788 — Sen. Sherrod Brown, Ohio = $287,622 — Sen. Bob Casey, Pennsylvania = $160,780 Those contributions helped build a Senate Democratic majority as four of the five entered the Senate for the first time. McCaskill and Tester won razor-thin victories over well-funded GOP incumbents Jim Talent and Conrad Burns. MoveOn-directed contributions also propelled several Democratic challengers to House victories, among them: Nick Lampson, Texas' 22nd District, $156,883; Tim Mahoney, Florida's 16th District, $145,334; Zack Space, Ohio's 18th District, $141,298; Michael Arcuri, New York's 24th District, $129,685; Joe Donnelly, Indiana's 2nd District, $123,035, and Tim Walz, Minnesota's 1st District, $102,657. "They can help you a lot if you're a (MoveOn) candidate," said Byron York, White House correspondent for the conservative National Review magazine and author of "The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy," a book on powerful liberal groups and their organizing practices. "They live by the $25, $50 and $100 contributions. They have become a real powerhouse in Democratic circles. The smaller the contributions, the more people it takes to come up with a big amount of money. They can legitimately say they represent a large segment of the Democratic primary electorate," York said. MoveOn's clout was visible most recently in the muted and belated response from prominent Democrats in the aftermath of the organization's full-page New York Times advertisement last week questioning whether congressional testimony by Army Gen. David Petraeus, head of Multinational Forces in Iraq, would "Betray Us?" On Capitol Hill, Democrats avoided the issue for days as did the party's top presidential candidates. Only after days and days of coverage did prominent Democrats declare the advertisement out of bounds. Tale of Torment MoveOn directs no contributions to Republican candidates or incumbents, instead avidly spending money against the GOP. It spent more than $2.5 million in 2006 in independent expenditures against Republicans. House GOP incumbents who lost in 2006 and saw significant MoveOn independent expenditures against them can testify. Among those hardest hit: Charlie Bass, New Hampshire's 2nd District, $143,266; Chris Chocola, Indiana's 2nd District, $245,603; Melissa Hart, Pennsylvania's 4th District, $297,603; and Nancy Johnson, Connecticut's 5th District, $444,424. Two House Republicans survived the MoveOn independent expenditure onslaught in '06, Rep. Deborah Pryce, who represents Ohio's 15th District, absorbed $417,623 in MoveOn wrath but won a narrow victory nevertheless. Pryce recently announced she will not seek re-election to a ninth term. Rep. Thelma Drake of Virginia's 2nd District won a second term with 51 percent of the vote after withstanding $529,535 in MoveOn independent expenditure torment, giving her the distinction among House Repubicans of taking the most expensive independent expenditure punch MoveOn threw in the 2006 campaign and living to tell the tale. MoveOn also punishes Democrats who stray from their liberal, anti-war world view. MoveOn ran a radio ad against Michigan Democratic Rep. John Dingell when he announced his opposition to higher fuel economy standards for automobiles and light trucks. The script of the brief radio campaign portrayed a conversation between a father and son about something called a Dingellsaurus. The child asks his father what that is. The script reads in part: "Someone who's been in Congress so long, he forgets about the people who sent him there," says the father. "Are there any around today?" asks son, Billy, to which the father replies: "Our own Congressman John Dingell. He's standing in the way of the first energy bill ever that would really combat global warming. It would also help the auto companies in the long run and that means more jobs." "Is a Dingellsaurus dangerous?" Billy asks. The father replies: "Very, because if the Dingellsaurus gets his way, we could all be extinct." Earlier this month, MoveOn ran a brief television campaign against Washington Democratic Rep. Brian Baird after he returned from a trip to Iraq and announced the Bush troop surge may be achieving important military gains. The ad featured an anti-war Iraq veteran. The script reads in part: "Keeping American soldiers in Iraq for an indefinite period of time being attacked by an unidentifiable enemy is immoral and irresponsible." It asked viewers to "Tell Rep. Baird: Support Our Troops. Bring Them Home." "Just because MoveOn only supports Democrats doesn't mean it supports all Democrats," Ritsch said.

WARNING :Diamond Productions, Inc. aka Diamond Productions Talent Booking aka Commercial Cast (http://www.comm STAY AWAY FROM THIS SO CALL MODELING AGENCY. THEY SCAM BOTH ME AND MY SON.PLEASE READ BELOW Easy Background Check Diamond Productions, Inc. aka Diamond Productions Talent Booking aka Commercial Cast (http://www.commercialcast.org/) by Christina Aston Superb "Magazine"; Animations "International" March 15, 2005 [Last Updated: September 13, 2005] Addresses 5602 Baltimore National Pike Suite 200 Catonsville, MD 21228 3500 Dolfield Ave. Box 68012 Baltimore, MD 21215 2226 MADISON AVENUE BALTIMORE, MD 21217 Inquiries Several people, both parents and aspiring models and actors, have asked about Diamond Productions, wanting to know if it is legit. The following information was developed in response to public interest. Report March 15, 2005 [Last Updated: September 13, 2005] Ownership/Leadership Diamond Productions Talent Booking is owned and operated by Christina Aston, an aspiring actress in Baltimore, MD. Website The Diamond Productions website is not www.diamondproductions.com, but www.commercialcast.org. Licensing/Bonding It was confirmed in March 2005 by the Maryland Department of Labor that Diamond Productions does not need a license (state licensing requirement was repealed in April 2003), but it does have to pay a surety bond in the amount of $7,000, and it has paid this fee. Diamond Productions, therefore, can do business as a modeling and talent agency in Maryland. However, one of the prohibited acts under the employment law for talent agencies is charging registration fees or advance fees: "An employment agency may not. . . . charge a client a registration fee or collect in advance from a client a payment for service to be performed for the client to obtain employment." Consumer Comments Consumers have reported Diamond Productions asked them to pay a registration fee in the amount of $75.00. This was called a job guarantee fee. BBB The Better Business Bureau (at the time of writing) received complaints, but it has no unresolved complaints. However, the BBB also noted Diamond Productions has not been forthcoming about basic business information: "The Bureau has requested basic information from this company. The Bureau has not received a response." Comments Before doing business or giving money away, consumers should ask Diamond Productions what information they refused to give the BBB and why. The BBB's standard request for information is not invasive and only intended to protect the public, and most companies provide the requested information. Background Diamond Productions claims it has been in business for 10 years (http://commercialcast.org/sys-tmpl/faqaboutus/) [March 15, 2005]. The website of the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, however, records it was registered in 1998: "Date of Formation or Registration: 09/10/1998." The record also showed DP's status was "Forfeited," which means "its existence has been ended by the State for some delinquency." The details for DP: "THE ENTITY WAS FORFEITED FOR FAILURE TO FILE PROPERTY RETURN FOR 1999." "Good standing": "No." References All of the references or "Testimonials" DP provided on its website were html text which could not be verified. You cannot tell if they were made up. The About Us page did not provide the names and testimony of any industry leaders or major clients recommending CommercialCast and its unusual practices. Unusual Practices Diamond Productions aka CommercialCast is not your typical modeling and talent agency. In fact, after reviewing many different modeling companies, it is fair to say there is nothing like Diamond Productions. It is quite unusual, and not in an obviously good way. For example, DP says it is not an agency (even though the Maryland law defines an agency as a company that "provides a client with information to enable the client to obtain employment"), but it has paid the surety bond, which is required of every employment (modeling/talent) agency. A model on one modeling website, CurvyChick.com, sarcastically called Diamond Productions a "'non-agent' agency." It is also called Diamond Productions Talent Booking, according to the BBB. Booking agencies for modeling and acting jobs typically charge no fees for anything before talent works. DP charges a registration fee and charges talent for several extra services. Typically modeling agencies always take a commission, usually 20%; whereas DP says it does not collect any commission. DP says it also does "a phone audition service which guarantees talent participation in on-the-spot auditions." (http://commercialcast.org/sys-tmpl/animationsinternational/) [March 15, 2005]. This is highly unusual. Unknown talent receive notices of guaranteed bookings or "Booking Confirmations" for commercials, etc., when they have never even met with the client. Normally, talent goes to an audition or more than one audition, actually speaks in front of the client or casting director, who can evaluate their look and discern their talent. You have to wonder what kind of clients book talent they have never met. Telephone calls are no substitute for meeting one-on-one. Fees, Fees, and More Fees Diamond Productions charges talent advance fees. After they are "booked," they are asked to pay a $75.00 "job guarantee" fee. > I recently replied by sending a head shot and resume for a casting call > to a website called www.commercialcast.org. I received a response stating > that I had been selected to appear in a television ad for XXXX. A speaking > role for a spec commercial. It seems pretty detailed with an address, the > amount of pay and shooting date. They do however require a $75.00 job > guarantee fee. Here is all the information that was emailed to me. I am > supposed to pay and respond by XX-XX so if you have any information it > would be greatly appreciated. This socalled job guarantee fee is not common of modeling/talent agencies and it is widely regarded as unethical to charge talent any registration fees, no matter what terms, phrases, or words are used to conceal or blur the fact they are registration fees. Talent, further, are asked to pay audition fees. "To participate in the current auditions, you will need to pay a one-time access fee of $60 to Diamond Productions to obtain full access for a period of one year." Reputable modeling and talent agencies do not charge audition fees. (http://commercialcast.org/sys-tmpl/animationsinternational/) [March 15, 2005]. Diamond Productions has devised as many ways as possible to take your money before you work. For an internet "marketing tool" or scrapbook, called a "magazine," you must pay $25. You can pay even more if you want to be featured on their website: SUPERB MAGAZINE IS AN ONLINE MAGAZINE TO BE VIEWED BY SUBSCRIPTION HOLDERS ONLY. TO BECOME A SUBSCRIPTION HOLDER, YOU MAY RECEIVE ONLINE COPIES OF EACH MONTHLY ISSUE FOR THE AMOUNT OF $25 FOR 6 MONTHS. . . . 1 MONTH APPEARANCE FEE = $50.00. (http://commercialcast.org/sys-tmpl/scrapbook/) [March 15, 2005]. Consumers also report they were asked to pay DP for classes by video. This was highly unusual and self-serving, because the talent had apparently already been booked--before the training! Why would an agent book talent if it had not been trained or it felt that training was needed? Obviously it normally would not do this, but in the DP case, it gets paid a nice chunk of change. > I am an aspiring actress and had submitted to this company who now > says it will book me in a commercial for XXXXX. All I need to do > is come up for a preparation workshop to guarantee my spot. They > sent me an email with a contract that looks very good. Please let > me know about this as I have to sign up by XXXXX to reserve my > spot. DP's commercialcast website indicates they book talent in California: Commercialcast New York is our Talent Booking Division for New York based talent. This division handles talent to be cast in the New York, New Jersey and the Washington, DC areas. A wide rangs [sic] of bookings are handled in the Los Angeles area of California as well. (http://www.commercialcast.org/sys-tmpl/door/) [March 15, 2005]. California law, however, is extremely strict with respect to advance fees charged to talent. Labor Code 1700, for example, prohibits talent agencies from charging any fees for anything before talent gets work. Talent agencies are not even allowed to collect fees, even if they keep none of them for themselves. The law is set like that because so many scams charged talent advance fees. How the scheme works Since DP is uncommon in its fee schedule, not charging commissions, you have wonder why. The only rational explanation is DP thinks or knows it can make more money from charging talent fees instead of getting commissions. What other explanation is there? There is not enough information available yet to call DP a scam, even though it charges advance fees for registration and classes like many modeling scams, but there is an obvious scheme. The scheme is designed to get talent to pay them before they work and even if they don't work. The lure is very strong when talent receives a "Booking Confirmation" notice. This makes it appear as if talent has already got a job. Excitement takes over. It appears as if they are so close to working as an actor or model, the hardest part is complete. Now all they have to do is show up or pay a little fee to guarantee a job. The fee seems so trivial in comparison to the mega bucks they could earn; it seems worth it. This has the effect of stringing talent along. Then they are told about the acting seminar or video. Less than $200? Nothing compared to the big bucks they'll earn from commercials and residuals, right? Not so fast! The fact that DP does not take commissions could mislead talent into thinking they are getting a deal, i.e., after they work, they keep all the money, nothing gets cut for the agency. If the payout, however, is very small, because the job was very minor, it does not help talent, and it is certainly not a "deal." Money Back If you want your money back, know that DP paid $7,000 into an "insurance" fund for those who feel they were misled, and you could make a claim for a portion of this money. (First-come, first-served

is this poetry award a fraud? A personal note from the desk of: Howard Ely, Managing Editor -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Alaina Jordan, Recently, we informed you by mail and by email that our editors have certified your poem "Knight In Shining Armor" as a semi-finalist in our International Open Poetry Contest. If you have already returned your proof, we thank you for your timely response. But if you haven't done so . . . Alaina . . . Imagine Your Poem Featured On A Page By Itself In A Beautiful Coffee-table Edition! As I also mentioned in my letter, and in celebration of the unique talent that you have displayed, we wish to publish your poem in what promises to be one of the most highly sought-after collections of poetry we have ever published. Immortal Verses* will be a classic, coffee-table quality hardbound volume printed on fine-milled paper specifically selected to last for generations. It will make a handsome addition to any library, a treasured family keepsake, and a highly-valued personal gift. And best of all, this magnificent volume will showcase the poetry of Alaina Jordan on an entire page itself! NO OBLIGATION WHATSOEVER Before going any further, Alaina, let me make one thing clear . . . your poem was selected for publication based on your unique talent and artistic vision. We believe it will add to the importance and appeal of this edition. In this regard, you are under no obligation whatsoever to submit any entry fee, any subsidy payment, or to make a purchase of any kind. Of course, many people do wish to own a copy of the anthology in which their artistry appears. If this is the case, and you have not already ordered or reserved your copy, we welcome your order - and guarantee you will be satisfied. Please see your special discount information if you would like to order a copy of Immortal Verses*. SO WHAT HAPPENS NOW? Regarding the publication of your poetry, if you have not already returned your proof with your approval to publish, you must now proofread your poem, which appears on your Artist's Proof. Please carefully review your poem for typographical errors and make any necessary changes. The Artist's Proof also verifies that "Knight In Shining Armor" is your original work of art. And Alaina, let me assure you, your poem remains your property - Immortal Verses* is copyrighted as a compilation. This means that you retain the copyright to your own work of art. And if you haven't done so already, you must also decide if you would like to have some personal information about yourself and your poetry included in this elegant edition. In this way, readers can gain a greater awareness of your motivations, the meaning poetry has in your life, the story behind your poem, or your personal or philosophical point of view. Your biography will be featured on a page by itself, directly opposite your poem - you will thus have two full pages in the book devoted to you and your artistry. And although we must charge a nominal fee for this service, you are under no obligation to include this information. Your poem can be published without it if you wish. Please see your Artist's Proof for further information. Again, congratulations, Alaina. We feel you have a special talent and we believe your poem will add to the importance and appeal of this edition. Your contribution to Immortal Verses* is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Howard Ely Managing Editor P.S. Alaina, you should be genuinely proud of your accomplishment. You have been selected to participate in this very special edition because of your unique vision. It is our pleasure to publish fine poetry such as yours in this historic volume. And, if you decide to order Immortal Verses*, we are so certain that you will love the quality of the edition and the way your poetry is presented, we can proudly offer an unconditional guarantee. If for any reason you are dissatisfied, simply return your book within 90 days and your money will be promptly refunded. You may also return the Artist's Proof we previously mailed you if you find that more convenient than ordering online. If you have not responded, we must hear from you soon if you wish to be included in this historic poetry edition. If you have already returned your Artist's Proof by mail, you need take no further action to authorize publication. Proofread your poem and order the hardbound anthology now! Read what others have to say! * Immortal Verses is a working series title only. The actual title of your book may differ. If you are having an issue with the images and links or if you want to view this email as a web page, open here. To ensure you receive emails from Poetry.com, please add poetry@poetry-email.com to your address book now. This email was sent by: Poetry.com - 1 Poetry Plaza Owings Mills, MD, 21117, To Unsubscribe: Unsubscribe

Need someones opinion on my essay? Scientology is a religion started by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard in 1954. Since it's start, Scientology has been growing steadily, but is it as innocent as it seems. Many people, including ex members, and many national governments consider this so called Religion to be nothing more than a glorified cult. After watching and observing the feedback and actions of the "Church of Scientology", many people became angered by their perceived injustices. Thus, the collective known as Anonymous was formed. Anonymous is a collective or super consciousness, made of many people all around the world. It can be easiest compared to the Borg, of the Star Trek universe. Anonymous started as a joke, on web boards and image bulletins online. Many of these boards allowed users to post without creating an account, attributing their posts to "Anonymous." From this rose many jokes, attributing the identity of "anonymous" to one person or another, and referring to the collective as one person. When a Scientology recruitment video featuring Tom Cruise was leaked onto the Internet, it spread like wildfire, due in part to the hilarity of it. After numerous postings to such boards, Scientology tried to censor the video, with the goal of removing it from the Internet completely. This angered many people, who felt their rights were being violated. Thus, the group known as Anonymous was formed. After much research and deliberation, it was decided that Scientology as a whole could not exist peacefully in it's current form, so many decided to start a campaign against it. Because of the nature of this campaign, many participants decided not to put their identity at risk, thus, the retained the identity as Anonymous. Scientology has been called by many a "cult of greed and power," the name owing to an article written by Time magazine. While freedom of religion is a founding principle of the United States, Scientology cannot exist as it is without being harmful to all who are associated with it. Part of the core doctrine of Scientology entails the undergoing of hypnosis to eliminate bad memories from past lives from hampering the practitioner in their life. These bad memories, according to official Scientology material, are caused by alien souls called theatans. The process of hypnosis and the removal of these "theatans" is called "Auditing." These auditing sessions can cost upwards of $500 each, and are required of all members throughout their life as a scientologist. In this auditing, people are led to believe that they are sick if they don't believe in the Scientology doctrine. They are also told that it is not their fault, but that of an event that happened millions of years ago. This is a common pattern among cults, preaching the innocence of cult members, while enforcing the evils of the outside world, claiming only those who believe are alright. Another core belief of Scientology leads to the direct alienation of family members of scientologists. According to Hubbard's writings, there are many people who are fundamentally flawed in their personality, who only revel in destruction, and actively oppose the betterment of man. He refers to these people as SPs, or suppressive persons. He also states that since Scientology is, according to their own doctrine, trying to help man, that anyone who opposes it, or does not agree with it, is labeled as an SP. Scientology law states that any communication with an SP will mark you as a traitor to Scientology, so many new members are forced to cease communication with family members and friends. Hubbard was quoted as talking to a friend and saying"If you want to make a little money, write a book. If you want to make a lot of money, create a religion." In a Scientology internal memo, he was also quoted with "Make money. Make more money. Make other people make money." Scientology's founder couldn't even tell the truth to his followers. L Ron Hubbard wrote a book series for his followers that was supposed to be an autobiography. Within this series, he claimed, among other things, to be a decorated war hero, a nuclear physicist, and commander of a sub hunter ship in World War II. Research shows that many of his superiors in his brief stint in the military thought him to be belligerent, schizophrenic, and egotistical. The only class he ever took on nuclear physics, he flunked in the first semester. He also exaggerated about his naval career. Hubbard was briefly in charge of a fishing boat that had been converted into a freighter. Interviews with his crewman showed that the ship had never seen any “real action” as Hubbard had claimed. Recent review by California judge Paul Breckenridge says that "The organization clearly is schizophrenic and paranoid, and this bizarre combination seems to be reflective of its founder LRH," and "The evidence portrays a man who has been virtually a pathological liar when it comes to his history, background and achievements." Anonymous has bee Anonymous has been leading a series of online and real world protests, including what is known as Operation Chanology, which is a full blown year long Scientology protest. They also have been leading a campaign to click on Scientology advertisements wherever they can be found, based on knowledge that many Scientology ads are based on a pay per click system, where every user that clicks the advertisement gets redirected to the Scientology website, but at the same time, charges Scientology a small amount of money. It is unknown at this point whether this has had any effect. Scientology has been leading their own campaign though. They have released several DVDs and videos claiming anonymous is a terrorist group. They have also started employing members of their group to dress as police officers in an attempt to intimidate protest goers. Scientology excels at discrediting those who speak against them. In the words of their founder, L. Ron Hubbard, "We are slowly and carefully teaching teaching the unholy a lesson. It is as follows: We are not a law enforcement agency, but we will become interested in the crimes of people who seek to stop us. If you oppose Scientology we promptly look up - and find and expose - your crimes. If you leave us alone we will leave you alone. It's very simple. Even a fool can grasp that, and don't underrate our ability to carry it out." "Never discuss Scientology with the critic. Just discuss his or her crimes, known and unknown."Scientology has a history of this form of defense. When criticized, Scientology attempts to discredit the critics who are speaking ill of it. Often times, Scientology will use the same retorts, generally consisting of "you can't say that about my religion" and "what are your crimes" Scientology has led many well documented campaigns against their critics, including what has become known as "Operation Freak out." Operation Freak out was a Scientology campaign to have journalist Paulette Cooper arrested or declar declared mentally unstable. Ms. Cooper had written an article for the British magazine, Queen, in 1969. After a suit from the Church of Scientology, Cooper wrote the article into a full length book titled "the scandal of Scientology" and became a High-Priority target of Scientology. Scientologists planned to make bomb threats in her name to the Arab consulate and obtain her fingerprints on a letter to the consulate claiming the same. Ultimately, Operation Freak out was never put into effect due to two of the main conspirators being arrested in burglary charges. Overall, Scientology has no rights to exist as a religion and to continue using such methods as they do. Currently, Scientology has been outlawed in many countries, and it is under risk of losing it's tax exempt status here in the United States. Germany has declared Scientology to be a dangerous cult, and has outlawed it's practice. Despite it's controversial nature, Scientology continues to recruit more members through num numerous "front groups." Scientology has numerous groups that it uses to recruit new members through various methods, including "Narconon" which targets drug addicts, and "Alconon" which targets alcoholics. The names of both of these groups were intentionally chosen to be similar to other groups of the type. Though Anonymous has managed to bring attention to the Scientology funding for these groups, the Church continues to deny any association other than to provide funding. Scientology front groups have even been found giving lectures at public schools, encouraging students to read from L. Ron Hubbard's book, Dianetics. So who will win in this battle of the wills? Though Scientology does have a lot of money and a large number of followers at its disposal, Anonymous has the will to do what they believe needs to be done. They have the tools to mask their identities to block Scientology's attack tactics, and they have the truth. Anonymous members are often assisted by Ex-Scientologi by Ex-Scientologists who know what it's like to be in the cult, and know how it functions. Given the time, who knows, maybe Scientology will cease to be, or at least reform it's practices. Only the future will tell. I apologise about the way it's broken up It would not let me post the whole thing in one mass

Amazon Kindle vs. Sony Reader: which is better? I am a college student and am totally frustrated this semester after having teachers post literally hundreds of pages of readings on online eReserves. It's too expensive to print out the pages and it's hard to read them on my laptop. I want to get one of these digital book readers to transfer my pdf's onto. Though the Kindle seems to get better reviews, I'm leaning more towards the Reader for my purposes. It seems like you can transfer .pdf's directly onto it, whereas with the Kindle you need to email them somewhere to be formatted. I also don't really want the wireless internet feature, which is the main perk of the Kindle; I'd much rather have a USB and do everything on my computer. Have you tried either of these? Which do you prefer? Which is better? Or is neither worth the money?