It was found on Japan's southern coast over five months ago, and recently has turned out to be the first complete adult remains seen of an extremely rare species of whale.  Identified as a female Longman's beaked whale, the tan and gray 21-foot animal has been described as simply an amazing find.

“It was amazing that we found such a rare whale,” said Nobutaka Kubo, a marine researcher at Kagoshima City Aquarium, which examined the whale with the National Science Museum.

According to reports, the whale died soon after beaching itself on the coast in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima.  It was later buried, only to be dug up again.

“We did some follow-up on the whale because we buried it without knowing what it exactly was, and later received information that it might have been a rare species,” Kubo said. “So we went back and dug it up a week later.”

DNA results matched those of another Longman specimen at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, the National Science Museum said in a statement, thereby confirming the identity of the marine mammal.  The shape of the skeleton and its skull also closely resemble remains of other Longman’s beaked whales preserved overseas.

Known also as Indo-Pacific beaked whales, Longman's beaked whales have long beak-shaped mouths that look much like a dolphin's.  Amazingly, scientists have never identified a living specimen, and a great deal is still unknown about them, including how many there are in the wild and even where they live.

Is There A God?  The Debate Continues
by Jonathan Drake
S: Sacramento Bee (12-9-02)

In a formal and traditional debate composed of two lecterns, a moderator, opening statements, rebuttals and closing statement, Michael Newdow and Cliffe Knechtle discussed the modern age-old question:  Is There A God?

Do you remember Michael Newdow?  He was the Sacramento fellow who challenged the legality of the Pledge of Allegiance because of its reference to God and sued President Bush for mentioning the name Jesus Christ in his inaugural address.  Yeah, that fellow.

In any case, the two men took the stage at Rolling Hills Christian Church in El Dorado Hills to tell the audience why they either do or do not believe there is sufficient evidence to prove there is a God.  Cliffe Knechtle, a Connecticut pastor who travels the country defending Christianity, presented a point-by-point argument that outlined why he believes God exists, while Newdow did just the opposite.

The debate, titled, "The Great Debate: Atheism vs. Christianity," was broadcast via satellite to hundreds of thousands in 1,500 churches across the United States and Canada.  Most in the crowd were churchgoers, yet Newdow was met with courtesy and even applause after sharing his statements.

"People believe what they want to believe," said Newdow, who stood behind the lectern. "They twist the hypothesis to serve their purposes. If 75-year-old Aunt Sally dies ... God decided it was her time. If she lives, God saved her. No matter what happens, you have evidence of God."

"Whatever begins to exist has a cause," Knechtle argued.  "Therefore, the universe has a cause."  Knechtle also chided Newdow for his skeptical scientist approach, calling him an agnostic rather than an atheist.  "An atheist is not someone who says, 'I don't know,' " said Knechtle. "An atheist is someone who says, 'I do know: There is no God, and here is why.' "

Most agreed that minds weren't changed, but felt the debate was a good way to foster public discussion of such a critical issue.

That Choking Feeling . . . 
by Creation Ex Nihilo
S: Answers In Genesis (11-98)

The photo above shows something that is startling to those who, conditioned by the dominant long-age belief of our culture, instinctively feel that such things must take many thousands, if not millions of years.

The specimen, sent by Mr John Heffner, is the cross-section of a metal pipe from a gas field. Inside the pipe, one can clearly see solid rock which has grown in rings from the outside inwards until it left only about a two cm (3/4'') diameter opening.

It is a section of the flowline (a pipe at the surface) fed by the Sonat Minerals 16-1 natural gas well, in Lousiana, USA. The well was drilled into the Austin Chalk formation in January, 1997, then shut until all the new production facilities and piping at the surface were constructed. It started producing in March 1997.

The flow from the well, which then went through this pipe at the surface, consisted of natural gas, condensate and salt water from the host rock layer. This lasted for only three months before problems became apparent. In June, 1997, the well was shut and this flowline pipe was inspected. What they found was the massive amount of ‘scale’ that you see here, which had almost completely choked the flow. Attempts to remove this buildup with pressurized water and mechanical methods were unsuccessful, and therefore the flowline was replaced.

The deposit that has formed inside the pipe consists of completely hard and dense rock. Its appearance is similar to that of the laminated (layered) flowstone deposits, derived from dissolved limestone or chalk, which one finds in caves. A stalactite, for example, sometimes has concentric rings in cross-section. Such rock consists mostly of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), known as the
mineral calcite.

Chemical analysis of the rock by the Petrolite Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri, confirmed that it was around 84% calcium carbonate.  Seeing such solid, layered rock forming in only three months shows that long time-spans are not necessary.  It is just one of the many examples featured which defy various common long-age beliefs.

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