November 2007 Archives
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November 30, 2007
Tyler Williams Needs Help!
Please help Tyler with this month's Biblical Studies Carnival. He is willing to pick up a bouncing ball for us but he also needs our help. You should submit your nominations for the Carnival, including your own posts, at BlogCarnival.com...Read all of "Tyler Williams Needs Help!"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:09 PM | TrackBack (0) | Abnormal Archive Link |
Happy Birthday, Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born in Florida, Missouri, on November 30, 1835. That makes him 172 years old today. Well, it would have made him 172 if he hadn't died in 1910. Thank you old Mark; you still make us...Read all of "Happy Birthday, Mark Twain"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:19 PM | TrackBack (0) | Abnormal Archive Link |
November 29, 2007
Does Karl Rove Have Twain Syndrome?
Mark Twain' Autobiography has this little ditty on Twain's memory, When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not; but my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so I cannot remember any...Read all of "Does Karl Rove Have Twain Syndrome?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:04 AM
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November 28, 2007
Whence Came Hebrew?
Anson Rainey kindly sent me a copy of the paper he presented at the Society of Biblical Literature meeting in San Diego, "Redefining Hebrew - A Transjordanian Language." Unfortunately, I was unable to hear his paper at the meeting. This...Read all of "Whence Came Hebrew?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:37 PM
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November 27, 2007
It Takes Guts to Write Like That
Well, the pattern of intestines may have motivated writing in spirals and in boustrophedon. Over the last week or so, I've exchanged emails with Rochelle Altman on scribal schools, literacy and related subjects. In one email, she said the following...Read all of "It Takes Guts to Write Like That"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:38 AM
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November 25, 2007
"Psalms for Safety"
I'm can't remember who or what led me to this abnormally interesting paper, "Psalms for Safety: Magico-Religious Responses to Threats of Terror," by Richard Sosis. I was finally able to get hold of Sosis' paper today. It appears in the...Read all of ""Psalms for Safety""
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:45 PM
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November 23, 2007
On Reading Papers
I listened to about forty papers at the Society of Biblical Literature annual meeting and in all but one of them the presenter read from a manuscript. Some presenters read their papers well; some did not. Because of this, I...Read all of "On Reading Papers"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:43 PM
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November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving
In many ways, Thanksgiving is the best of the holidays. With the exception of the cook, and it is a significant exception, the only obligation is to talk and eat. There are no worries about inappropriate or unwanted gifts or...Read all of "Happy Thanksgiving"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:20 AM
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November 21, 2007
Four Stone Hearth is Up
Carl Feagans presents the 28th edition of the anthropology carnival, Four Stone Hearth, at Hot Cup of Joe. Take a look. The picture of the guy with the nose ring is great and so are the articles. Both my regular...Read all of "Four Stone Hearth is Up"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:28 PM
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November 20, 2007
The Big Biblical Hebrew Problem
On a couple of occasions during the Society of Biblical Literature meeting I was involved in discussions of technology improvements with regard to integrating Hebrew or Greek words and phrases into our otherwise English manuscripts. The older more mature of...Read all of "The Big Biblical Hebrew Problem"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:44 PM
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November 19, 2007
Oral Tradition Is Not a Concept
I'm back for the Society of Biblical Literature meeting. Over the next few days, I will post a few brief thoughts on some of the papers and sessions. On Saturday afternoon, I attended the "Hebrew Scriptures and Cognate Literature Section...Read all of "Oral Tradition Is Not a Concept"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:09 PM
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November 16, 2007
Off to San Diego
Tomorrow morning I'm off to San Diego and the first Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting that I've meaningfully attended in over three of decades. I have dropped by others on special occasions now and then but it was in...Read all of "Off to San Diego"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:52 PM
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November 14, 2007
The Gods of the Philosophers Don't Bring Rain
John Hobbins of Ancient Hebrew Poetry and I had a little dialog over a period of a few of days last week on . . . Well, I'm never exactly sure what these kinds of discussions are on. At one...Read all of "The Gods of the Philosophers Don't Bring Rain"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:47 PM
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November 13, 2007
There's More to San Diego Than Biblical Literature and Zoos
Those of you who will be attending the Society of Biblical Literature meeting in San Diego starting this coming Saturday are well aware of the occasions to renew friendships, the endless papers, the opportunities to learn, the endless papers, the...Read all of "There's More to San Diego Than Biblical Literature and Zoos"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:08 PM
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November 12, 2007
November 13th - Judgment Day
Don't miss it. A documentary on the Kitzmiller v. Dover School District will be on NOVA. Below is a short preview of Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial. If you know what Kitzmiller v. Dover School District is, you will...Read all of "November 13th - Judgment Day"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:37 PM
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November 10, 2007
Two Thousand Horses
KTU 2.33 is a letter from Iwri-Tharruma to the queen of Ugarit. If we could be certain of the historical context of this letter, it would be of some greater importance than it is. For my purposes, I call your...Read all of "Two Thousand Horses"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:45 AM | TrackBack (0) | Abnormal Archive Link |
November 8, 2007
Teams of Horses for Teams of People
RS 20.211A is the largest of 11 or so fragments belonging to an administrative tablet from Ugarit. The tablet originally had over 35 lines of which line 8' is the most complete. And even it needs a little reconstruction. 1...Read all of "Teams of Horses for Teams of People"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:46 PM | TrackBack (0) | Abnormal Archive Link |
November 7, 2007
I Resemble That Remark
I take my title from an old and not very funny parody that goes back at least to the Three Stooges. It could even be older. Anyway, Eric Cline writes in a solicited comment (be sure to scroll down to...Read all of "I Resemble That Remark"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:46 PM | TrackBack (0) | Abnormal Archive Link |
November 6, 2007
In Which I Worry About the Election
No, not that election; the one held today. Locally we voted for members of the Community College School Board and the board of the Unified School District. I didn't think the community college board is much of a problem. I...Read all of "In Which I Worry About the Election"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:34 PM
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November 5, 2007
The World’s Oldest Inscription?
I'm always skeptical of these kinds on claims. Iran Press TV is reporting the discovery of an inscribed brick at Jiroft, near the Halil Roud historical site. Besides the picture below and a few comments from Yousof Majid Zadeh, head...Read all of "The World’s Oldest Inscription?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:14 PM | TrackBack (0) | Abnormal Archive Link |
November 4, 2007
2800 Years Down a Horse's Nose
This post continues my series on KTU 1.85, the Ugarit veterinary text. You can find more information on this text and links to other posts in the series at the gateway post. I touched on the main point of this...Read all of "2800 Years Down a Horse's Nose"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:22 PM
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November 3, 2007
The "Difference-Maker" and Samuel Beckett
John Hobbins asked two questions of Chris Hallquist. I'll take the liberty of answering them for myself. The first question is, (1) Is there a need for a difference-maker beyond the human individual or a human collectivity, depending on the...Read all of "The "Difference-Maker" and Samuel Beckett"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:59 AM
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November 2, 2007
Abnormal Interests - Best of the Lesser Blogs?
Someone nominated Abnormal Interests, this very blog, for a 2007 Weblog Award. Who? I do not know. For what reason? I have no idea. All I know is that this blog was nominated for the best of the top 6751...Read all of "Abnormal Interests - Best of the Lesser Blogs?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:08 AM
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November 1, 2007
Mark Twain on Waterboarding
Jim Zwick has written an abnormally interesting post for the Mark Twain Forum. Give it a read....Read all of "Mark Twain on Waterboarding"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:30 PM
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Biblical Studies Carnival XXIII is Up
John Hobbins has published Biblical Studies Carnival XXIII at Ancient Hebrew Poetry. This month's carnival departs in some ways from previous efforts. John provides a running commentary on biblioblogging and actively seeks to reach out beyond the usual "canon" of...Read all of "Biblical Studies Carnival XXIII is Up"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:36 AM
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