September 2005 Archives
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September 30, 2005
More on the New Bulla from Jerusalem
Jim Davila of PaleoJudaica leads us to an Ha'aretz article in Hebrew about the bulla I mentioned a couple of days ago. In that post I said, "Barkay (the discoverer) apparently thinks it may come from the time of David."...Read all of "More on the New Bulla from Jerusalem"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:13 PM
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What to do in Iraq: Pullout, "Stay the Course" or the Right Thing
I intended to post this a few weeks ago and Katrina made it seem a little out of place but I think I now need to get this off my chest. I haven't written much about Iraq. My own position...Read all of "What to do in Iraq: Pullout, "Stay the Course" or the Right Thing"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:06 AM
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September 29, 2005
Wild Gorillas Seen Using Tools
Newscientist.com reports that conservation workers have seen the first indication of tool use among gorillas. One instance, caught on film in the Republic of Congo’s Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, involved a lowland gorilla using a metre-long stick to test the depth...Read all of "Wild Gorillas Seen Using Tools"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:58 PM
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Pray for a Miracle
If you haven't seen this, I thought you would enjoy it. When I was a lowly product marketing manager, I would ask engineering team leaders if there were any hidden "pray for a miracle" milestones in their design schedules. Never...Read all of "Pray for a Miracle"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:34 PM
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September 28, 2005
No Big Surprise
I took the Politics Test and here is the answer: You are a Social Liberal (75% permissive)and an... Economic Liberal (25% permissive)You are best described as a: Strong Democrat Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online DatingAlso: The OkCupid...
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:51 PM
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Possible First Temple Period Seal Found in Temple Mount Siftings
Bar-Ilan University archaeologist Dr. Gabriel Barkay has been sifting debris from the Islamic Wakf construction activity in the area know as Solomon's Stables on al-Haram ash-Sharīf (the Temple Mount) for sometime. Yesterday he announced the discovery of a bulla that...Read all of "Possible First Temple Period Seal Found in Temple Mount Siftings"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:19 PM
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September 27, 2005
Katrina Response: It Was a Matter of Strategy
As I said a few days ago, FEMA's response to the Katrina disaster was not primarily incompetence although there was plenty of that. It was a matter of strategy. The Rude Pundit links to the documents that prove it. They...Read all of "Katrina Response: It Was a Matter of Strategy"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:41 PM
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On the Social Value of Religious Beliefs
Writing in the Journal for Religion and Society , Gregory S. Paul offers what he calls "a first look" at "Cross-National Correlations of Quantifiable Societal Health with Popular Religiosity and Secularism in the Prosperous Democracies." Let's start with his conclusion,...Read all of "On the Social Value of Religious Beliefs"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:21 PM
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September 26, 2005
The Cuneiform Short Alphabet: Part 2.
Record of Purchases: KTU 4.31 (RS 5.197+5.212+5.213, UT 57, CTA 207, Syria 14, 103): This is the second in my series of studies of the texts in the short cuneiform alphabet. You can find the first study, " Amurriyu's Sacrifice...Read all of "The Cuneiform Short Alphabet: Part 2."
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:37 PM
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FEMA as the WPA for Incompetents
Michael Brown returns to FEMA as a consultant to help figure out what went wrong. Is FEMA nothing but a make work program for the incompetent? Get the story at CSB News. They got one thing right....Read all of "FEMA as the WPA for Incompetents"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:11 PM
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CBS Forgets the Science When it Comes to What Should be Taught as Science
CBS News just told the story of the Dover trial without a single reference to what scientists think on the subject of evolution but with lots of junk on what lawyers and the general population think. Unbelievable. The write up...Read all of "CBS Forgets the Science When it Comes to What Should be Taught as Science"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:06 PM
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September 25, 2005
Creationism and anti-HIVism: "Opposite Sides of the Same Coin"
Mike the Mad Biologist has a very good post on the thought processes of Intelligent Design Creationists and "anti-HIVists." He uses the recent death of three-year-old Eliza Jane Scovill from AIDS-related pneumonia and her HIV positive mother's HIV denial as...Read all of "Creationism and anti-HIVism: "Opposite Sides of the Same Coin""
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:37 AM
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September 23, 2005
Mr. President, Please Stop Thinking
If you haven't seen or read Waiting for Godot lately you just might want to get your next fix from President Bush rather than Samuel Beckett. You will recall the soliloquy of Lucky where he is ordered to think and...Read all of "Mr. President, Please Stop Thinking"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:20 AM
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September 22, 2005
On Translation
Tyler Williams at Codex Blog has a very good discussion of translation with a great curiosity arousing title to boot, "Dogs, Urine, and Bible Translations." While his comments relate directly to the translation of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian...
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:09 AM
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September 21, 2005
New Blog Meme
Via Profgrrrrl and Pharyngula and afarensis Rules: 1. Go into your archive. 2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to). Mine's from 2/18/05, a post titled "On Ward Churchill" 3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to). 4. Post the...
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:43 PM
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Did President Bush I Criticize President Clinton?
Yes! And while Clinton was in office. The claim made by some, such as Brit Hume, that this never happened is just plain false. Media Matters has the details: Here's my summary. October 13, 1993, Bush I expressed concern about...Read all of "Did President Bush I Criticize President Clinton?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:37 PM
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Crucified Sister Irina Cornici's Body Exhumed
Sometime ago I wrote about a Romanian Nun who died while tied to a cross with her mouth gagged during an exorcism. According to the BBC , authorities have exhumed Irina Cornici's body for further study, A first autopsy concluded...Read all of "Crucified Sister Irina Cornici's Body Exhumed"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:27 PM
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September 20, 2005
Dealing with Creationists (ID and Otherwise)
I'm a little late coming to this discussion but I thought my readers who do not regularly visit more main stream science oriented sites or the important political blogs could use the advice in a this morning's New York Times...Read all of "Dealing with Creationists (ID and Otherwise)"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:30 PM
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Tooth Perikymata and The Length of a Neanderthal's Childhood
Alun calls our attention to a press release announcing work by Debra Guatelli-Steinberg, an anthropologist at Ohio State, suggesting that Neanderthal children may have matured slower than previously thought. It has often been claimed that Neanderthal children matured faster than...Read all of "Tooth Perikymata and The Length of a Neanderthal's Childhood"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:44 PM
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Chris Mooney on the Bush Administration and Plan B
Chris Mooney, the author of The Republican War on Science, has a mini sequel on the Op-Ed page of today's Los Angeles Times. He explains how the current administrating is abusing and ignoring science to prevent the over the counter...Read all of "Chris Mooney on the Bush Administration and Plan B"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:35 AM
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Goodbye to Simon Wiesenthal
Simon Wiesenthal died over night at his home in Vienna at the age of 96. These from the obituary post on the Simon Wiesenthal's website, Simon Wiesenthal, the famous Nazi Hunter has died in Vienna at the age of 96,...Read all of "Goodbye to Simon Wiesenthal"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:31 AM
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September 19, 2005
Fossil DNA and Crystal Aggregates
BBC News is reporting a study of an improved technology for extracting DNA material from fossil bones. As they say, "It could aid the study of the evolution and migration of early modern humans, as well as extinct populations such...Read all of "Fossil DNA and Crystal Aggregates"
Posted by Duane Smith at 6:58 PM
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The 10,000th Abnormal Hit
At 6:42:15 am PDT this morning the site meter recorded the 10,000th hit at Abnormal Interests. More important, the regular reader ship is growing. People visit Abnormal Interests on a fairly regular basis from Rio de Janeiro to Moscow to...Read all of "The 10,000th Abnormal Hit"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:12 AM
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September 18, 2005
The Cuneiform Short Alphabet: Part 1.
Table of Contents (Each post contains a link to a more detailed study in PDF format.) The Cuneiform Short Alphabet: Part 1. (You are here now) Amurriyu's Sacrifice to Baal: KTU 1.77 (RS 6.411, UT 74, CTA 187, Syria 16,...Read all of "The Cuneiform Short Alphabet: Part 1."
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:00 AM
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September 17, 2005
Trying to Find the Right Corpse
This Time Magazine story pretty much speaks for it self. A sample quote from Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions left on his old law professor's voice mail, Jon Kyl [Senator from Arizona] and I were talking about the estate tax. If...Read all of "Trying to Find the Right Corpse"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:06 PM
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September 16, 2005
President Bush, the Heritage Foundation and Katrina's Aftermath
Last night President Bush delivered the speech of his presidency. It was clear, decisive, uplifting and appeared to contain a dose of self criticism. It was also free of the smirking, (yes, there was a half smirk at one point,...Read all of "President Bush, the Heritage Foundation and Katrina's Aftermath"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:17 PM
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September 15, 2005
Googling a Roman Villa
News@Nature.com reports that an Italian computer programmer, Luca Mori, discovered a Roman Villa while studying Google Maps and Google Earth satellite pictures of the region around his town of Sorbolo, near Parma, Italy. His eye was caught by unusual 'rectangular...Read all of "Googling a Roman Villa"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:10 PM
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President Bush on Nations "Struggling with Poverty"
Quick, which of these countries was not in the top five foreign aid contributors as of percentage of their national income in 2004? Denmark Netherlands Norway Portugal United States If you said the United States you are correct. The US...Read all of "President Bush on Nations "Struggling with Poverty""
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:11 AM
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September 14, 2005
Delayed but Not Defeated
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Republicans on Wednesday scuttled an attempt by Sen. Hillary Clinton to establish an independent, bipartisan panel patterned after the 9/11 Commission to investigate what went wrong with federal, state and local governments' response to Hurricane Katrina....Read all of "Delayed but Not Defeated"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:27 PM
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September 13, 2005
Don't Change the Subject: Race is an Issue in the United States
You hear it all the time. Name any issue facing the United States and someone will almost always point out it is worse somewhere else or everywhere else. I was reminded of this the other night watching the Real Time...Read all of "Don't Change the Subject: Race is an Issue in the United States"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:00 AM
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September 12, 2005
FEMA Director Mike Brown Resigns
The man that President Bush called Brownie and said was doing a "heck of a job" resigned today. While I believe that Mr. Brown was the wrong man for the job and that his response to the Katrina disaster was...Read all of "FEMA Director Mike Brown Resigns"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:53 PM
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September 11, 2005
FEMA, Pat Robertson and Katrina
Now that the major news services are noticing the FEMA - Pat Robertson connection, FEMA has updated their website. The fact that Operation Blessing was listed on FEMA's website as one, of at first two, then three charities listed at...Read all of "FEMA, Pat Robertson and Katrina"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:34 PM
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First Electricity from Urine and Now from Cow Dung
What will they think of next? "Researchers found they could generate electricity using the bacteria that occur naturally inside a cow's rumen—the first of four stomachs that breaks down grass and other fodder into a digestible mush. [National Geographic News]"...Read all of "First Electricity from Urine and Now from Cow Dung"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:38 AM
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September 10, 2005
Media and Politics Clash in the Wake of Katrina
Tim Rutten has a very perceptive piece in today's Los Angeles Times. He deals with the clash, sometimes at gunpoint, between politics and the media as it is unfolding in the wake of the Katrina debacle. Here is a sample...Read all of "Media and Politics Clash in the Wake of Katrina"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:57 AM
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September 9, 2005
The Tell Dan Stele and Bayes' Method
Jim West at Biblical Theology, Joseph Cathey at Dr Cathey's Blog, Chris Heard at Higgaion and others have been carrying on an abnormally interesting discussion of historical methodology. You should go back through the threads on their sites to get...Read all of "The Tell Dan Stele and Bayes' Method"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:19 PM
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September 8, 2005
Steve Lopez and Margaret Carlson on the Katrina Debacle
Steve Lopez, President Bush promised to "lead an investigation into what went right and what went wrong." I think I can help shed some light. If you pour money and manpower into Iraq, hire an amateur to run the Federal...Read all of "Steve Lopez and Margaret Carlson on the Katrina Debacle"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:09 AM
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14th Century BCE Tablet Found at Sidon
The Daily Star is reporting that a clay tablet has been found at Sidon. According to preliminary analysis of the writing on the front and back of the tablet, it appears to be a kind of rations list. The markings...Read all of "14th Century BCE Tablet Found at Sidon"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:03 AM
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September 7, 2005
Katrina: God's Punishment for Supporting Israel's Pullout from Gaza
Just in case you think Christians have a monopoly when it comes to crazies, get over to Dispatches from the Cultural Wars and see what Ed Brayton has found....Read all of "Katrina: God's Punishment for Supporting Israel's Pullout from Gaza"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:25 AM
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The Third World in America
Commenting on reporters who liken many of the scenes from the post Katrina Gulf Coast to the Third World, Rosa Brooks, writing in the Los Angeles Times, observes: Apparently none of these ace reporters has ever set foot in Washington's...Read all of "The Third World in America"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:07 AM
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September 6, 2005
New Clues in Search for Original Peking Man Fossils?
One of the great mysteries in paleoanthropology involves the whereabouts of the fossil remains discovered in China before World War II and are popularly called Peking Man. Peking Man is Homo erectus for those that are keeping score. The mystery...Read all of "New Clues in Search for Original Peking Man Fossils?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 5:55 PM
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The Fox in Charge of the Henhouse
According to CNN President Bush wants to get to the bottom of what went wrong in Katrina aid efforts. What I intend to do is lead an investigation to find out what went right and what went wrong," Bush said....Read all of "The Fox in Charge of the Henhouse"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:02 AM
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September 5, 2005
Concern for the Issues, Anti-professionalism, or Both
Crooks and Liars calls our attention to a new CBS Poll that updates earlier polls on how the public sees the relative importance of various factors in selecting a Justice for the Supreme Court. The poll was released today taken...Read all of "Concern for the Issues, Anti-professionalism, or Both"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:38 PM
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The Federal Katrina Response: Another Strategic Failure
Michael Hiltzik writing in today's Los Angeles Times led me to the Testimony of former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Joe M. Allbaugh, before the Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and Independent Agencies Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee...Read all of "The Federal Katrina Response: Another Strategic Failure"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:14 AM
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September 4, 2005
Giving Continuing Assistance to Katrina's Victims
Different people will likely do different things. I view the problem as at least a two-phased issue. First, there are the immediate needs of the victims. While I've never been a great fan of the Red Cross , they seem...Read all of "Giving Continuing Assistance to Katrina's Victims"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:34 PM
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September 3, 2005
Senator Mary Landrieu on Katrina Recover Efforts
The Times-Picayune has the following comments from Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu who toured the strickened area with President Bush yesterday. Yesterday, I was hoping President Bush would come away from his tour of the regional devastation triggered by Hurricane Katrina...Read all of "Senator Mary Landrieu on Katrina Recover Efforts"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:41 PM
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September 2, 2005
Neanderthals and Early Moderns in the Grotte des Fées de Châtelperron
With all the well-deserved attention to the publications of the Chimpanzee genome and the new Chimp fossil, I haven't heard much about another article in Nature Online entitled, "Radiocarbon dating of interstratified Neanderthal and early modern human occupations at the...Read all of "Neanderthals and Early Moderns in the Grotte des Fées de Châtelperron"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:42 PM
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September 1, 2005
What To Do If You Discover Something
Alun has an interesting discussion on what to do as an amateur if you discover something and the professionals will not listen to you. His suggestions boil down to toning down the claims and patience. Suppose I found Atlantis where...Read all of "What To Do If You Discover Something"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:00 PM
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