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Kentucky Makes Plans for a New Creationist Theme Park

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Hotel Europe in Huis Ten Bosch theme park, Nag...
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I recently heard that a county in Kentucky is opening a creationist theme park that includes a life-sized reproduction of Noah’s Ark. Kentucky is already home to the Creationist Museum, which sits just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. The newest theme park will include attractions that represent the wonders of the created universe including an exhibit explaining why natural selection is not the same as evolution and a planetarium that reveals the inner workings of God’s great creation.

Of course, there has been some opposition to the theme park. Organizations that focus on separation of church and state issues have pointed out that the theme park is receiving tax breaks from the state. The project has support from Kentucky’s governor, Steve Beshear. I think that this is problematic. Kentucky residents shouldn’t be expected to foot the bill for this theme park. The state’s laws allow the government to contribute to tourist attractions, but this seems like an infringement on the rights of non-Christians in the state.

On the other hand, the theme park promises to create more than 900 jobs. That’s a lot of state income tax to help pay for the project. Still, this is a slippery slope that blurs the lines between church and state. After all, a mega-church could also be considered a tourist attraction, but that doesn’t mean the state should offer its financial support.

As a Christian, I can’t wait to go visit this theme park. As an American, though, I worry about the implications of any government supporting a religious enterprise. After all, how would Christians feel if it was theme park based on Muslim beliefs? They probably wouldn’t be so supportive. That’s why it is important for us to separate our religious and political beliefs. They are not the same, and they never should be the same.

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Take Time to Find Yourself in 2011

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If you’re like millions of Americans that put other’s needs before their own, you’re probably feeling a little bit lost as your own identity is replaced as a mom, a dad, a spouse, a worker.

NBC’s hit television show, The Biggest Loser, essentially helps people lose weight. What eventually happens on the show is that people confront the real issues that forced them to gain weight. By the time they leave the show, not only have they lost weight, but they have found themselves or centered themselves within their existence. In a strange way, their transformation is like a prepaid credit card.  The more effort they put into their journey, the more dividends are paid out on the other side.

Millions of American’s are on the eve of making resolutions to lose weight. How about doing something different and making a commitment to getting back to being you? If you have passions that you haven’t explored in a while, revisit them. If you loved to sing and dance when you were younger, pick it up again. If you liked sports when you were younger, find a league for adults that lets you release you’re pent up athlete.

If your children are over the age of 10, and especially if you have a child that is over 12 years old, let them take care of each other for awhile. If you’re kids are old enough, let them fend for themselves for a couple of hours while you go to the gym or have a date night with your partner.

2011 can be a time for change and it can also be a time to getting back to the person you used to be.  For those that have put others before themselves, it’s time to get back to finding what made you unique and special.

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International News: Some Great Academic Resources

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A great many people think that the only news sources you need to pay any particular attention to are those from your own country. However, some of the wealthiest people on Earth have learned and internalized the notion that the best news sources may very well be housed in a country to which you have never traveled. Nearly every country on the planet has its own news sources, and they all have something valuable to offer. You might wonder how a news source could be compared to a source of academic wisdom, if you’ve never given it much thought. You need only consider that like every other stage of the world’s history, we have our own place in books which are yet to be written.

We have both a past behind us, and a future ahead of us. And seeing as the newspaper reporters of today are the first historians for events yet unfolding, the simple truth is that their stories are the best view we can have of where we are today, other than actually being there. If you don’t want to be in the middle of a revolution or a natural catastrophe, often an international online newspaper is your best source of information. But it isn’t just information on the hard questions of who or where.

For the most part, the most important thing to understand about the history we’re writing right now is what the driving forces are behind it. The more you understand what the people right then and there are thinking, the closer you’ll be to the real scoop. And often times, the best way to figure out the story is from an observer based in a distant country. Far too often, local reporters have too many conflicts of interest obstructing their pursuit of truth. But when you get to another country, the truth can actually be known.

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Newspapers Still Have Great Relevance

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newspapers (Tehrān)
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If you spend a lot of time on the Internet, you might feel like it’s the only real source to get information from. While it’s certainly a great source of information from all over the world, it’s not the only place where you can find what you need to know. You can also look to newspapers. Many of them have online versions, and some of them are completely online now, but others still have print editions. Even if your Internet connection is down, you can still stay informed by using your local newspaper to find out about what’s going on in your community.

When you limit your news to what’s online, it’s harder to find out about community happenings. You may know what’s going on in the rest of the world, but that doesn’t really give your much information about the area right around your home. If you knew more about the local events, you could get out and do things instead of staying home on the Internet. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the Internet, but getting out in your community is also a great choice, and a newspaper can help you do that.

A lot of people still write for newspapers, too, even though the market for them is shrinking slightly. There are still opportunities for people who want to both read papers and write for them. Don’t give up on the older things that have worked so well for so long, just because technology has moved forward. You can still find a lot of good in the things that were popular before the Internet, and find ways to enjoy all that the newspaper has to offer. By reading it, you’ll learn a lot of great things about the area in which you live.

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