July 2006 Archives
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July 31, 2006
Oh The Horror of it All
The front page of the today's Los Angeles Times features five stories: two on the war in the Near East, one on toxic algae poisoning marine mammals, one on a renewed search for the killer of rapper Biggie Small, and...Read all of "Oh The Horror of it All"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:54 PM
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The Truth About Kansas
Ed Brayton at Dispatches from the Culture War has found an Intelligent Design creationist who tells the truth. Except when fundraising, they don't naturally tell the truth. You can read it in the comments at William Dembski's website. In response...Read all of "The Truth About Kansas"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:08 PM
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July 30, 2006
How to Recognize a Scribal School
Part 3: Training in the alphabetic writing system from Ugarit and training in a second language in the Late Bronze Age In the first post of this somewhat drawn-out series, I took up the use of the formal school tablets...Read all of "How to Recognize a Scribal School"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:40 AM
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July 28, 2006
I Was Wrong Too
I had predicted that those strange folks at The Lords' Witnesses and the True Bible Code would revise their prediction for a nuclear attack on the UN buildings to the August 16-20 timeframe if their six or seventh prediction, by...
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:43 PM
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Friday Pot Blogging
The "pot" pictured below is a lamp, likely from the Middle Bronze I age. But it could be from an even earlier time. This lamp is typical of lamps used over a fairly long period of time. This one was...Read all of "Friday Pot Blogging"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:12 PM
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Akkadian? Charles Halton will Tell You What It Is
If you've ever wondered what I am talking about when I referred to Akkadian, Charles Halton at Awilum has the answer. He just started a series that explains what it is in very clear language. The portion of his explanation...Read all of "Akkadian? Charles Halton will Tell You What It Is"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:24 AM
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July 27, 2006
The Book Meme
I was more or less hoping to avoid this but it looks like Chris Weimer tagged me and I do have social responsibilities after all. Please allow me to begin with a few notes and caveats. In most cases, it...
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:24 PM
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88 Cuneiform Inscriptions Found at the Base of the Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat
Workers restoring the ziggurat at Chogha Zanbil in Iran found 88 cuneiform inscriptions. The inscriptions were found near the base of the ziggurat. The Tehran Times article says nothing of their content, only that they are mostly fragmented. Chogha Zanbil...Read all of "88 Cuneiform Inscriptions Found at the Base of the Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:27 PM
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An Abnormally Interesting New(?) Blog
I just ran across an abnormally interesting blog, Venture, by one G. McLarty. I'm not sure how old it is but it seems that there are only four posts in the archives. Each of them is of considerable interest with...Read all of "An Abnormally Interesting New(?) Blog"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:49 PM
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July 26, 2006
More on the Breath of Life
A few months ago I wrote about what I thought was a rather strange idiom in one of the more recently published Ugaritic tablets, ħ npšk w ħ n[pšy] (I use ħ for het) in RS 94.2284:12. I compared it...Read all of "More on the Breath of Life"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:26 PM
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July 20, 2006
A Short Break
I am taking a short but abnormal trip and will be gone until the middle of next week. Blogging will be light to non-existent until I get back....
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:35 PM
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Confusing a Theological Argument with an Archaeological Argument
I've been watching an ongoing discussion, that on the surface of it is about archaeology. Some of you will know what discussion I'm referring to. I even made a couple of remarks on it the other day. While I link...Read all of "Confusing a Theological Argument with an Archaeological Argument"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:20 PM
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July 19, 2006
Early Reports from Gezer Excavation
A new series of excavations under the leadership of Steven M. Ortiz of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Sam Wolff of the Israel Antiquities Authority completed their first season a couple of weeks ago and very preliminary, popular reports...Read all of "Early Reports from Gezer Excavation"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:13 AM
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July 18, 2006
The Evolution of Brain Volume
The following is a test of a technology that is new to Abnormal Interests and also something that I thought was both abnormally interesting and educational. Try it, you'll like it. Next time anyone tells you there are is no...Read all of "The Evolution of Brain Volume"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:38 PM
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Ugarit-Cola and Pop Culture
Stephen Cook at Biblische Ausbildung has a picture of a well-used can of Ugarit-Cola. Check it out....Read all of "Ugarit-Cola and Pop Culture"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:52 AM
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I Support the Presidents Right to Use the S Word
Except, of course, during involuntarily swearing resulting from hitting my thumb with a hammer or the like, I don't use many obscenities in my daily discourse. Sure, a voluntary obscenity every day or two can spice up one's life. But...Read all of "I Support the Presidents Right to Use the S Word"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:50 AM
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July 17, 2006
Think Like a Scientist
Over at Adventures in Ethics and Science, Janet Stemwedel has a very good post entitled, "Things non-scientists can do to improve communication with scientists." Go give it a read. She offers three suggestions for what are, in reality, educational goals...Read all of "Think Like a Scientist"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:27 PM
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July 16, 2006
World War III and the November Elections
This from The Seattle Times, Gingrich said in an interview Saturday that Bush should call a joint session of Congress the first week of September and talk about global military conflicts in much starker terms than have been heard from...Read all of "World War III and the November Elections"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:53 PM
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A Scribal Exercise or Only a Scribal Error
I'm working on my next post in my series on how to identify a scribal school. This next post will be on "Training in the alphabetic writing system from Ugarit and training in a second language in the Late Bronze...Read all of "A Scribal Exercise or Only a Scribal Error"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:43 PM
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July 15, 2006
This Was Inevitable
There is a message board called Rapture Ready. The message board appears to attract the suicidal and homicidal who want god to do it for them. And sure enough, many who contribute to that message board see the current events...Read all of "This Was Inevitable"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:38 AM
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How is the War in Iraq Going?
Army chief of staff General Peter J. Schoomaker has the answer, "The challenge … is becoming more complex, and it's going to continue to be," Schoomaker mused. "That's why I'll tell you I think we're closer to the beginning than...Read all of "How is the War in Iraq Going?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:40 AM
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July 14, 2006
This Must Have Been Very Good News to the Israelis
"The president is not going to make military decisions for Israel," White House press secretary Tony Snow said. [AP report on Yahoo] And it must have been good news in more ways than one....Read all of "This Must Have Been Very Good News to the Israelis"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:26 PM
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On War Between Hamas, Hezbollah and Israel
I've been trying to formulate a coherent opinion on the latest outburst of violence in the Near East. For some, it seems all too easy to condemn one side or the other. Hamas and Hezbollah are different organizations. Their ultimate...Read all of "On War Between Hamas, Hezbollah and Israel"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:42 PM
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Friday Opium Pot Blogging
Pictured below is a small juglet called a bilbil. This particular bilbil is from somewhere in Palestine and I think it is likely from the Late Bronze age. It's hard to be more specific. It is about 11 cm tall....
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Posted by Duane Smith at 7:33 PM
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July 13, 2006
An Ugaritic Text Written in Syllabic Cuneiform?
The other day I mentioned KTU 10.1 (RS 20.163). It is the only syllabic text from Ugarit that is possibly completely in the Ugaritic language. The tablet was first published by Nougayrol in Ugaritica V, 257. Perhaps the only thing...Read all of "An Ugaritic Text Written in Syllabic Cuneiform?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:14 PM
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July 11, 2006
Very Good News: A Small Step in the Return to the Fraternity of Moral Nations
If true and consistently applied this is great news. For the first time in a long time we will be able to apologize for our actions with our heads up. The Bush administration said Tuesday that all detainees held at...Read all of "Very Good News: A Small Step in the Return to the Fraternity of Moral Nations"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:54 AM
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July 10, 2006
Which of These Tablets is Written in Ugaritic?
I'm working on my next post on how to identify a scribal school and as part of that I've been looking at several additional "school texts." In the course of this activity, I was reminded of something that one or...Read all of "Which of These Tablets is Written in Ugaritic?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:30 PM
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July 9, 2006
Do You Like George Bush?
I got a spam email a little while ago that asked me only one question and offered me a chance to get $500.00 if I participated. I didn't participate. But I did think about that one question. "Do you like...Read all of "Do You Like George Bush?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:05 PM
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July 8, 2006
One Good Reason to Publish Quickly
I ran across a picture the reverse of RS 1957.1 a tablet in Akkadian text found at Ugarit. The tablet is now in a private collection in Norway but was part of the Claremont Ras Shamra Tablets published by a...Read all of "One Good Reason to Publish Quickly"
Posted by Duane Smith at 6:26 PM
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Will They Ever Give Up?
The self-styled "Biblical Scholars" who have failed two or three times at predicting a nuclear attack on the UN building in New York have confessed to their mistake. Well, more accurately, they believe that they made an error but now...Read all of "Will They Ever Give Up?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:06 AM
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July 7, 2006
The Real Deal
What have we come to when an Assistant Director of the FBI has to tell us that an al Qaeda terrorist plot to blow up the tunnel between New Jersey and Manhattan is the "real deal." Mershon said the plan...
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:32 PM
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Friday Pot Blogging
The small juglet pictured below is just a little under 10 cm high (9.6 cm for those who demand more accuracy). It is typical of a type of burnished black slip Iron Age II (1000 - 586 BCE) juglets from...Read all of "Friday Pot Blogging"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:50 PM
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July 5, 2006
More on Noah's Ark Geological Formations in Iran
If you haven't become bored with the whole thing, afarensis has an update on the latest "Noah's Ark discovery." He reports on a National Geographic account of this "find." Give both afarenisis' post and the National Geographic story a read....
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Posted by Duane Smith at 8:35 PM
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New "Documentary" on the Exodus
Jim West addressed this a couple of days ago and I didn't say anything here at the time because . . . well, I can't remember why. I did leave a comment on Jim's post and so did Yakov Ben...Read all of "New "Documentary" on the Exodus"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:46 AM
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July 4, 2006
Something Fundamentally Great About America
Lt. Cmdr. Charles Swift, lawyer for Guantanamo detainee Salim Ahmed Hamdan, said on June 29 after the Supreme Court ruled that the military tribunals set up by the Bush Administration were unconstitutional, Some little guy, you know, a fourth grade...Read all of "Something Fundamentally Great About America"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:27 AM
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July 3, 2006
Would I Vote For a Mormon?
Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times report on a Times/Bloomberg poll on the acceptability of persons having various religions affiliations as candidates for public office, specifically the office of President of the United States. The reports focus on possible Mormon...Read all of "Would I Vote For a Mormon?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:28 PM
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RS 25.130: A Translation of the Akkadian Portion of the Text
A couple of days ago I remarked on the parallel use of the Semitic roots *hry and *yld in RS 25.130:6. What follows is my complete translation of Akkadian of text on RS 25:130. This tablet contains a wisdom poem...Read all of "RS 25.130: A Translation of the Akkadian Portion of the Text"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:31 PM
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July 2, 2006
Contrasting Views
"What this decision has done is, it's hampered our ability to move forward with a tool which we had hoped would be available to the president of the United States in dealing with terrorists," Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told CNN....Read all of "Contrasting Views"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:12 AM
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July 1, 2006
Biblical Studies Blog Carnival VII
Biblical Studies Blog Carnival VII is up at Daily Hebrew. Check it out. Lots of interesting stuff this month. In many ways this collection of posts is the most diversified and, in my way of thinking, the most uneven in...Read all of "Biblical Studies Blog Carnival VII"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:24 PM
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Conceiving and Giving Birth the Akkadian, Ugaritic and Hebrew Way
I'm working my way through the Akkadian of RS 25.130 and it's more fragmentary near equivalents RS 25.34+ and RS 25.434. I probably should have done this before I did my most recent post on how to identify a scribal...Read all of "Conceiving and Giving Birth the Akkadian, Ugaritic and Hebrew Way"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:11 PM
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