Image of the day

Captured by
Craig Bobchin

Coathanger CR 399

About Astromart

My Account

New to Astromart?

Register an account...

Need Help?

Posts Made By: Mark Costello III

December 19, 2011 01:43 PM Forum: Religion

Religious-- forgiveness

Posted By Mark Costello III
The Catholic Church (as most if not all evangelical or fundamental Protestant churches) evidently sees things differently.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05678a.htm



December 23, 2011 10:59 PM Forum: Politics

The Economy Coming Back

Posted By Mark Costello III
The article on the other end of the first link sure didn't look like good news on the economy, not for the President and certainly not for people trying to find work.

I'd just assume see more people buying things made in the US and more people working here. If the President wants to take credit for it or actually helps the economy improve, fine. It's worth the risk of him getting re-elected....

December 29, 2011 05:36 PM Forum: Politics

US Will Strike Iran Militarily

Posted By Mark Costello III
Here's a related news article which appeared in our local newspaper (among a lot of other places).


http://news.yahoo.com/iran-warns-u-over-strait-hormuz-131845193.html

I take this as a sign that the approach of sanctions that the President is taking seems to be working. I'm all for letting him continue to try that approach and not being the aggressor against Iran. If they try to close the Straits of Hormuz, then OK, then we can swat them like the poisonous bugs that they show themselves to be.

January 4, 2012 01:53 PM Forum: Politics

Rick Santorum?

Posted By Mark Costello III
He's mostly fine with me.

January 11, 2012 03:38 PM Forum: Politics

Is Romney a lock?

Posted By Mark Costello III
39% in a backyard state doesn't look like a sure thing to me....

January 12, 2012 01:56 PM Forum: Politics

Basic Pol Sci quiz

Posted By Mark Costello III
94 FWIW

January 13, 2012 09:55 PM Forum: Religion

Why the Chador?

Posted By Mark Costello III
Hi Rob. Let this one go, it's not a big deal to me and probably a lot of other non Muslims that these women wear veils. They're most likely are being modest and that's fine with me. smile I see them around in the bus or in the grocery store, etc. It's no problem with me....

January 16, 2012 02:38 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

beyond beginner

Posted By Mark Costello III
Hello there. My moment came after Christmas in 2004. I went to my parents' in Jacksonville, Florida, to help my brothers cut up a tree that Hurricane Jeane had knocked over into the cove behind their house. I took along a 4" achromatic refractor I had at the time, having gotten back into the hobby only 11 months before that. One night, we had a little star party with some of the nephews and nieces. Neither the moon nor any planets were up at the time so I pointed the achro at the double cluster, the Pleiades, and the Great Nebula of Orion. It was nice to help the kids with the experience by letting each take some time at the eyepiece, telling them about averted vision, and explaining to them what they were seeing. The part about averted vision started a side conversation in which I learned something myself. My Dad who was helping, started talking about how during WWII the Navy taught their sailors averted vision the better to see ships at night.

Now eight years into the hobby and with a 5" achro, I find myself helping out with answers very once in a while. But I still have new experiences and questions, and I still learn from "old pros" hanging around here or on Cloudy Nights (Jon comes to mind, for example)....

January 16, 2012 10:24 PM Forum: Religion

Can we tell them apart....?

Posted By Mark Costello III
Hi Rob, I'll jump in. Yes, from a Christian perspective (that of the first four respondents I presume), you can tell the real deals from those that are not. I put "real deals" in the plural to acknowledge that more than one denomination or body can be grouped under the label Christian.

Instead of identifying those, I'll list some standards by which one can make the call.

1) There is one God (Deut 6:4)
2) But He is three persons (Matt 28:20)
3) Jesus is one of the triune persons, the Word of God made man (any NT book but especially John, Romans, Hebrews, ...)
4) Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead (1 Cor 15:3)
5) We are sinful (Rom 3:23) and can please God only by receiving the risen Jesus as Lord (Rom 9:10)



January 18, 2012 02:15 PM Forum: DVDs and Music and Books That You Recommend

Animal Farm

Posted By Mark Costello III
Lee Spain said:

Animal Farm by George Orwell. It's short. It's relevant. It's about America.

It isn't about America; I hope that it never will be about America. The reader is supposed to pick out Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin among the major characters of this book.

Funding Member

Sponsors


View all sponsors

Search