Sharks in Jamaica

Somebody keeps coming to my site, with the search inquiry of whether there are many sharks in Jamaica. Rest assured, if you are going to Jamaica you will not be seeing any sharks in their waters.  They do have nurse sharks, if you go looking for them – a nurse shark looks like a giant catfish. It does not have sharp teeth, though if you grab one unexpectedly, it might hurt you.

Enjoy your trip to Jamaica. When I asked the same question many years ago, I was told “Jamaica has no wildlife that hurts people, relax Mon!”  I don’t know if its true, but it did put me at ease.

A Young Earth/Adam & Eve/How Old is the Earth?

The other night while at dinner, a colleague asked whether I would accept a student’s claim that the earth was only 5,000 years old because the bible tells him its so.  I responded, “Where in the Bible does it say how old the earth is?”  He stated that there was a bishop some time ago, that performed the calculation based on the the ages, etc., of people born from Adam & Eve, as stated in the Bible.

So, I asked, how does this Bishop know how long Adam & Eve were in the Garden of Eden before they tasted the Forbidden Fruit and came to know death?  There is nothing to suggest that Adam & Eve did not live for  4.2 billion years inside the Garden of Eden….hence, there is no reason to suggest that “according to the bible” the earth is only 5,000 or 6,000 years old.

This is One Diver’s Perspective.

The Metric System

I believe that the United States ought to teach the metric system first. I understand that there would be a great deal of difficulty in converting everything to the metric system, especially if you convert before everybody was familiar with it.  But,  the metric system is just easier for solving problems.  If math was made easier because word problems could now be solved, and science was made easier because science problems can be more easily solved, then perhaps our children would grow up less afraid of math and science.

One Diver’s Perspective.

Vegetarian

For many years, I would proclaim that I was a vegetarian between meals.  No meat snacks for me!  Five years ago I gave up red meat.  Four years ago, I made the switch, giving up fish and meat completely (with the exception of one lobster tail and one chicken sandwich while staying in Bonaire).

The reason is primarily an ethical one. I believe it is wrong to kill animals for pleasure. Whether one is given pleasure by causing an animal pain or one is given pleasure by the taste of a bbq steak is really irrelevant. Killing for pleasure is wrong.  It is wrong because it is unnecessary.

If you think about it…. If you think its wrong to set a bag of kittens on fire just because it makes someone happy to do it, you might conclude its wrong to kill an animal to eat when there are vegetarian options available.  Killing and having someone else kill for you is the same thing. Think about it. Consider quitting the meat habit.

Barack Obama and the Race Card

“John McCain and the Republicans, they don’t have any new ideas … the only strategy they’ve got in this election is to try to scare you about me. They’re going to try to say that I’m a risky guy, they’re going to try to say, ‘Well, you know, he’s got a funny name, and he doesn’t look like all the presidents on the dollar bills.’”

When I first read that Barack was playing the race card, my reaction was, “So what?”  But, that was because I thought he was simply using his race to appeal to voters. When I read the story, including the above quote, I thought it was a bit underhanded since it suggests actions by his opponent that have not been taken and which his opponent claims to have steered well clear.

Making accusations that people are “going” to do something is a dangerous game.  After all, if you had to pick one, which presidential candidate do you believe more likely to take the oath of office, have a change of heart, convert to Muslim, grow a beard and wear a turban?  Christian though he may be, he has an Arabic name and his father was a practicing  Muslim, now turned atheist.  Its not hard to imagine a change of faith where the son embraces Islam.

I don’t care what religion the President practices, so long as he respects those fundamental rights to which I’ve grown accustomed.  In other words, Islamic faith is okay by me, as long as its not radical and requiring the death of the infidels.  One thing I cannot abide is dishonesty or the appearance of dishonesty.  Its what makes me intolerant of politicians. Regardless of race. Regardless of gender. Regardless of religion.

This is One Diver’s Perspective.