March 2006 Archives
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March 31, 2006
On Using the "E" Word Every Day from Kindergarten On
This morning's Los Angeles Times has a story about the trials of teachers as they try to teach science in the face of some pupils and parents who are prepared to challenge them at almost every step. The whole article...Read all of "On Using the "E" Word Every Day from Kindergarten On"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:26 PM
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March 30, 2006
A Message from Heart Sick Abny
I plan to spend tomorrow and the weekend working on the abecedary from Beth Shemesh (KTU 5.24) for my next post on the cuneiform short alphabet series, but I decided to finish my translation of RS 94.2284 before that. RS...Read all of "A Message from Heart Sick Abny"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:34 PM
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Angels in the Gaps
Regular readers of The Panda's Thumb are likely to have already seen this but for those who have not, Nick Matzke leads us to an extremely hilarious piece by one Robert C. Newman. Newman takes on the pressing problem (pressing...Read all of "Angels in the Gaps"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:26 AM
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March 29, 2006
Dishonesty? Incompetence? Ignorance?
I'm not sure which it is but Howard Kaloogian is running for Congress to replace Duke Cunningham. He has a picture (as of 11:45 AM PST. these things have a way of disappearing when exposed) on his (very slow) website...Read all of "Dishonesty? Incompetence? Ignorance?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:52 AM
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March 28, 2006
Could Any Syrio-Palestinian Archaeologist Get Away with Saying Something Like This?
This is one of the few cases in which a Mycenaean-era palace can be almost certainly attributed to a Homeric hero. The above quotation is from Yannos Lolos, the Greek archaeologist who made the discovery. The Homeric hero is none...Read all of "Could Any Syrio-Palestinian Archaeologist Get Away with Saying Something Like This?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:23 PM
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A New Horde of Tablets From Ur Found
Italian archaeologists working at the ancient city of Ur in Iraq has discovered about 500 clay and bitumen engraved tablets apparently written in the Sumerian language. They were apparently on the surface because team leader Silvia Chiodi first discovered them...Read all of "A New Horde of Tablets From Ur Found"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:47 PM
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Laying Off Tens of Thousands of Laborers: No Problem
But Laying off 500 White Collar Employees: "Black Tuesday" Seth Jayson writing today for the Motley Fool (registration may be required) made the following observation, Maybe it's because I grew up in a blue-collar mining town, but today's press coverage...Read all of "Laying Off Tens of Thousands of Laborers: No Problem"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:42 PM
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March 27, 2006
The Cuneiform Short Alphabet: Part 8.
This is the eighth in my series of studies of the texts possibly written in the short cuneiform alphabet. You can find the first study, "Amurriyu's Sacrifice to Baal: KTU 1.77" and a table of contents directing you to the...Read all of "The Cuneiform Short Alphabet: Part 8."
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:19 PM
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March 26, 2006
I Own My Blog and Not the Other Way Around (Well Just Maybe)
At the instigation of Grrl Scientist, several folks in the science wing of the bloggosphere are trying to discover whether they own their blogs or their blogs own them. Well here are my results from the definitive quiz on the...Read all of "I Own My Blog and Not the Other Way Around (Well Just Maybe)"
Posted by Duane Smith at 6:23 PM
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March 25, 2006
Another Homo Cranium Found
I'm a little late on this but afarensis, complete with picture, and John Hawks have accounts of the discovery of a new Middle Pleistocene hominid fossil cranium found at Gawis in Ethiopia. The most interesting part of the press release...Read all of "Another Homo Cranium Found"
Posted by Duane Smith at 6:22 PM
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March 24, 2006
Back to Work
Well, the article I've been waiting for has finally arrived. Thank you Harvard interlibrary loan! And thank you Betty Clements, my favorite reference librarian. Now I guess I need to read the thing and integrate it into my work on...
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:52 PM
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March 23, 2006
Liberty and Democracy
I've been following the story of Abdul Rahman who converted to Christianity from Islam and is now facing a death sentence for apostasy under Sharia law in Afghanistan. Having been confronted with international pressure, the Afghan court has found a...Read all of "Liberty and Democracy"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:27 AM
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Still More from Wong on the Hobbit
The other day I told you about the first installment of Kate Wong's update on research into Homo floresiensis or whatever you may think to be represented by the fossils found on Flores Island in Indonesian. Well the second installment...Read all of "Still More from Wong on the Hobbit"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:21 AM
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March 22, 2006
To Swear on Someone Else's Life
While working on RS 94.2284, one of the new Ugaritc tablets, I ran across something that I thought might be of interest to my Biblioblogging friends. In this Ugaritic letter, Abny, who seems to have a raft of problems, says...Read all of "To Swear on Someone Else's Life"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:25 PM
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Twain on Peace of Mind
Stardust Musings and Thoughts for the Freethinker has a quotation from Mark Twain on peace of mind that reflects his thoughts in a very interesting way. My own life experiences tell me that Twain is very much on target here....Read all of "Twain on Peace of Mind"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:35 AM
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March 21, 2006
The Correspondence of a Queen: A Message to the Yarmihaddu
RS 96.2039, MOu 33 (page 96), Tropper 513-514 1) A message from the queen 2) to Yarmihaddu, 3) my brother, say, ────────────────── 4) Tablets: Behold your person 5) who you bought 6) and, for my part, the woman 7) I...Read all of "The Correspondence of a Queen: A Message to the Yarmihaddu"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:42 PM
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The Correspondence of a Queen: A Message to the Queen
RS 94.2479, MOu 32 (Page 94), Tropper, 512-513 1) To the queen, my lady 2) a message of the governor, your servant ────────────────── 3) At the feet of my lady I fall. 4) Let there be peace to my lady....Read all of "The Correspondence of a Queen: A Message to the Queen"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:38 PM
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The Correspondence of a Queen: A Message to Urtēnu
While I wait for the mail that carries an article by Ran Zadok to find its way from Cambridge MA to Claremont CA, I've been looking at the new Ugaritic tablets published in Bordreuil and Pardee's Manuel d'Ougaritique (MOu) and...Read all of "The Correspondence of a Queen: A Message to Urtēnu"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:30 PM
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March 20, 2006
Books that Changed the World
Stranger Fruit leads us to a piece in Sunday's Times Online by the British critic and novelist Melvyn Bragg entitled "The world's best books." Braggs says, . . . I wanted books that I could prove had changed, rootedly, the...Read all of "Books that Changed the World"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:01 PM
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March 19, 2006
What is going on in France?
Like every other American based blog, Abnormal Interests gets its share of visitors from outside the country. I am grateful to have several regular visitors from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. But something quite weird started happening yesterday...Read all of "What is going on in France?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:18 PM
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March 18, 2006
Another Student Exercise from Ugarit
Two good things have happened in the last two days. Yesterday I heard from my favorite librarian that the more important of the two works I've been waiting for is on its way from Harvard. When it arrives, I will...Read all of "Another Student Exercise from Ugarit"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:24 AM
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March 17, 2006
If You Like Alphabets, You'll Love Abecedaria
Yesterday Suzanne McCarthy visited Abnormal Interests and I learned of her blog, Abecedaria, for the first time. I'm a little embarrassed that I haven't run across it before. She's been posting since at least June of 2005. Abecedaria covers all...Read all of "If You Like Alphabets, You'll Love Abecedaria"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:03 AM
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March 16, 2006
Hobbit Update
Kate Wong on Scientific American.com has the first of a multi part update on Homo floresiensis. Or is it a dwarf Homo erectus with an extra small brain or, if you prefer, is it one or more microcephalic Homo sapiens?...
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:06 AM
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Is the Prospect of Civil War in Iraq Grounds for Military Withdrawal?
There is a crescendo of claims coming from the political left, with which I normally identify, that Iraq is slipping into civil war. More concerning than these claims are the supposed implications of this civil war. Of course, it is...Read all of "Is the Prospect of Civil War in Iraq Grounds for Military Withdrawal?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:01 AM
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March 15, 2006
The Strange Case of the Vanishing hayah in Ugaritic
Joe Cathy is beginning a series on the Hebrew verbal system. One of the more vexing verbs in Hebrew is hayah (היה) whose first meaning is often taken as "to become" but its semantic range (to fall out, to happen,...Read all of "The Strange Case of the Vanishing hayah in Ugaritic"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:38 PM
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March 13, 2006
More on the Tel Zayit "abecedary"
Chris Heard at Higgaion has an update on the Tel Zayit "abecedary" that features a very instructive email from Paul Iversen of Case Western Reserve University. If you are at all interested in this topic, go read Chris' post. There...Read all of "More on the Tel Zayit "abecedary""
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:26 PM
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March 11, 2006
When the Police Come Unannounced
Pomona College is a small, well thought of, liberal arts school. Both our children have degrees from Pomona College. Today the Los Angeles Times has a chilling story of a Pomona College professor who, along with his students, was questioned...Read all of "When the Police Come Unannounced"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:27 AM
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March 10, 2006
Newly Available Works on Alalakh
Paul James Cowie on Ancient Near East .net reminds us that the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago is in the process of making an ever-increasing number of works publicly available. One of the works that Paul highlights is...Read all of "Newly Available Works on Alalakh"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:25 PM
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President Bush Is Correct
We should be worried about the "broader message" sent to the Arab and Muslim world by the claimer over the potential sale of operating rights in several of our east coast ports to Dubai Ports World. Not only is this...Read all of "President Bush Is Correct"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:23 AM
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March 9, 2006
Marduk - Ugarit - Early Hebrew
I've been working my way thought the latest Ugarit-Forschungen (Band 36) and the very first article has caused me to reflect on two issues. First, what was the role of Marduk at Ugarit and second, what can one really learn...Read all of "Marduk - Ugarit - Early Hebrew"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:41 PM
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March 8, 2006
Get Real Work Done
Today is Blog Against Sexism Day. I've read several great posts on the subject, none more thought provoking than "Science and sexism" by Janet Stemwedel on Adventures in Ethics and Science . I had just about made up my mind...Read all of "Get Real Work Done"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:31 PM
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Good Math Bad Math
While I love math for its beauty and its power, I seldom blog on it. But like many beautiful and powerful things it is often misused. Now there is a new blog in the blogosphere, Good Math Bad Math ,...Read all of "Good Math Bad Math"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:17 PM
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The Destroyers (perhaps)
Joe Cathy has a recent post in which he posits that word Nephilim that appears in Genesis 6:4 and Numbers 13:33 should be understood as "The Fallen Ones." He is responding to a post by Claude Mariottini. Joe takes up...Read all of "The Destroyers (perhaps)"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:17 AM
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March 7, 2006
Neither Rhyme Nor Reason
Roses are red. Violets are blue. I ride a bicycle. Can you swim? This is the poem my father would recite whenever he wanted to point out that something made no sense at all. It wasn't until today that I...Read all of "Neither Rhyme Nor Reason"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:41 PM
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March 6, 2006
The Joy of Housework Passed
I'm sure there are people who have never ironed a shirt but once upon a time it was hard time consuming work. Here are a couple of flat irons that came into our household by way of Shirley's family. In...Read all of "The Joy of Housework Passed"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:03 PM
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March 5, 2006
Something Else to Worry About
While waiting for interlibrary loan to produce one relatively old book (Walter Wreszinski's Der Papyrus Ebers; Umschrift, Übersetzung und Kommentar, 1913), and one relatively new article (Ran Zadok's "A Prosopography and Ethno-Linguistic Characterization of Southern Canaan in the Second Millenium...Read all of "Something Else to Worry About"
Posted by Duane Smith at 6:28 PM
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March 3, 2006
A Statement of Faith Masquerading as a Resolution of the Missouri Legislature
Missouri legislators are considering the following resolution, not legislation, sponsored by State representative David Sater of Cassville: House Concurrent Resolution No. 13 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY 4572L.02I Whereas, our forefathers of this great nation of the United States recognized a Christian...Read all of "A Statement of Faith Masquerading as a Resolution of the Missouri Legislature"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:32 AM
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March 2, 2006
The Naked Ape and the Other Partially Naked Primates
At the beginning of chapter 27 of Following the Equator, Mark Twain attributed this to "Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar:" Man is the Only Animal that Blushes. Or needs to. And those words are a powerful metaphor for much of the...Read all of "The Naked Ape and the Other Partially Naked Primates"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:23 PM
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March 1, 2006
What a Day! Biology and Biblical Studies
Two blog carnivals went up today. Tangled Bank #48 is up over at Aetiology and Biblical Studies Carnival III is up at Ricoblog. If you really have abnormal interests you might want to try alternating between single posts from Tangled...Read all of "What a Day! Biology and Biblical Studies"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:23 PM
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Jerusalem in the Amarna Tablets
Following up on a discussion on the ANE 2 discussion list, Yitzhak Sapir at Hebrew Bible and ANE History Lists Commentary blog notes the way the place name Jerusalem is written in the Akkadian of Amarna tablet EA 287. He...Read all of "Jerusalem in the Amarna Tablets"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:22 AM
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