November 2009 Archives
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November 30, 2009
Mark Twain's America
If you need an extra helping of Mark Twain biography today, check out Terry Ballard's "Mark Twain's America" at Google Maps. Via the Mark Twain Forum....Read all of "Mark Twain's America"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:21 PM
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Happy Birthday - Mark Twain
Actually, today marks Samuel Langhorne Clemens' birthday. Clemens was born on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri. Mark Twain was born couple of decades later (February 3, 1863 as far as anyone knows) in Carson City, The Territory of Nevada....Read all of "Happy Birthday - Mark Twain"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:45 AM
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November 29, 2009
An Easy Labor
The other day Greg Laden and his wife welcomed a baby into the world. Aside from providing the normal statistics for young Huxley, Greg makes this abnormal observation, "Labor was 8.5 hours long, a record for our midwife. In fact,...
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:18 PM
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November 27, 2009
Plural Verbs
When we think of plural verbs, (I'm using the awkward expression on purpose), we tend to think of them in terms of multiple actors, "they seize" as opposed to "he seizes," for example. But there is another way to think...
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:19 PM
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November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving
My good friend Bill Berger wrote this Thanksgiving Memory and I thought you'd enjoy it. Happy Thanksgiving! A Thanksgiving Memory I was a child, and didn’t know Thanksgiving was a cold-weather holiday. Los Angeles in November was warm and sunny....Read all of "Happy Thanksgiving"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:23 AM
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November 25, 2009
Remind Me To Keep Better Notes
As part of a cleanup of some work I've been doing, I ran across an old note on a broken line of Akkadian text. Actually, it's more than just a note. It's the complete reconstruction of the line along with...Read all of "Remind Me To Keep Better Notes"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:45 PM
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November 24, 2009
Meeting Summary
Not being able to attend the Society of Biblical Literature or the American Schools of Oriental Research meetings this year, I eagerly await all conference reports. The Angry Professor of A Gentleman's C just filed this, The conferences were meh....
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:34 AM
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November 23, 2009
A Fun Philosophy Survey
David Chalmers and David Bourget have developed an abnormally interesting philosophical survey. They imaginatively call it "The Philosophical Survey." They target it at professional philosophers and their fellow travelers, graduate students, etc. but seem to welcome all comers. However, not...Read all of "A Fun Philosophy Survey"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:45 AM
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November 21, 2009
Four Stone Hearth #80 Is Up
Four Stone Hearth #80 is up at Middle Savagery. Colleen Morgan's edition of this periodic anthropology carnival is abnormally interesting. Go take a look....Read all of "Four Stone Hearth #80 Is Up"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:01 AM
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November 20, 2009
"Preapproved" You Say; "Hurry" You Say
When I was in business, we used to joke that a customer was qualified if he or she was breathing and had money. And that they could get a waiver on the first of these requirements. But even the second...Read all of ""Preapproved" You Say; "Hurry" You Say"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:20 PM
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Scholars Brawl
Naturally, my first thought was that this happened at the Society of Biblical Literature meeting in New Orleans, The police were informed about the brawl at the House of Scholars at about 12:30 p.m. Several police patrols were sent to...
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:29 AM
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November 19, 2009
Statistically Orientated
Alun Salt is a blogger and scholar whose abnormally interesting work borders on many of my own abnormal interests. He has a new paper at PLoSOne, "Astronomical Orientation of Ancient Greek Temples." Alun studies the orientation of 41 Greek temples...Read all of "Statistically Orientated"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:50 AM
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November 18, 2009
Who Is "You"
I'm still worrying over an Akkadian ritual intended to rid a patient of the pernicious effects of a ghosts, BAM 323:1-38. In addition to multiple instructions, the ritual has two prayers, one for an exorcist (āšipu) and one for the...
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:19 PM
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November 17, 2009
I Need Help With Certain Persons
I am looking for a continuous text in the Hebrew Bible where the grammatical subject changes from second person to third person (or the other way around) unexpectedly and with no indication that the actual subject has changed. I'm pretty...Read all of "I Need Help With Certain Persons"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:49 AM
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November 15, 2009
(Near) Quotation of the Day
"There should be a society against the abuse of quantum mechanics." Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America, said something very much like this during a Skeptics Society lecture at Cal Tech...Read all of "(Near) Quotation of the Day"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:04 PM
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November 14, 2009
Fun With Philosophy
On the one hand, I'm not sure that it's the best time to make fun of academics in the humanities. On the other hand, is there ever a bad time to make fun of philosophers? Check out these "shorts takes"...Read all of "Fun With Philosophy"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:17 AM
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November 13, 2009
The "Impact" On The Humanities In Britain
It's not just biblical studies. Brian Leiter has a brief post on "The end of the humanities in Britain?" He links to a Times on Line article on the proposed "impact" standard for research. Here's a sample that may keep...Read all of "The "Impact" On The Humanities In Britain"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:34 PM
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Don't Tell Our Cat
We shopped at a new grocery store today and it doesn't look good for our cat. But it's the only kind of food he will eat....Read all of "Don't Tell Our Cat"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:13 PM
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November 12, 2009
A Rant About A Tablet And It's Text
Please note these three designations. VAT 8242 KAR 184 BAM 323 These letter number combinations all designate the same Akkadian tablet. Well, VAT 8242 designates the physical tablet; KAR 184 designates an early publication of the tablet; BAM 323 designates...Read all of "A Rant About A Tablet And It's Text"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:13 PM
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November 11, 2009
Investment Banking And The Academy
Mark Goodacre has yet another story of a questionable academic termination and possible assault on a respected academic program. This time it's Lloyd Pietersen, Senior Lecturer and Research Coordinator in New Testament Studies in the Department of Humanities at the...Read all of "Investment Banking And The Academy"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:31 AM
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November 10, 2009
The Lost Army Found?
Of one of Persian King Cambyses II's armies Herodotus wrote: As for those of the host who were sent to march ageist the Ammonians, they set froth and journeyed from Thebes with guides; and it is known that they came...Read all of "The Lost Army Found?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:40 PM
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November 9, 2009
Minoan Style Fresco Found at Tel Kabri
As the University of Haifa news release says, this find is not the first Aegean-style painting found in Middle Bronze Age (2000 - 1550 BCE) remains at Tel Kabri. Archaeologists discovered Aegean like painted floor fragments some time ago. And...Read all of "Minoan Style Fresco Found at Tel Kabri"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:44 PM
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A Hebrew-Ugaritic Bibliography
Over at Daily Hebrew, Chip Hardy has posted and posted and posted and posted . . . and posted a lengthy Hebrew-Ugaritic bibliography. I have no idea how many entrees it has but there are hundreds. Such a lengthy bibliography...Read all of "A Hebrew-Ugaritic Bibliography"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:20 PM
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November 8, 2009
The Faith of Children
The other day, John Hobbins linked to "For the Love of Reason" by Louise Antony in Philosophers Without Gods: Meditations on Atheism and the Secular Life, a collection of essays that she edited. Antony's largely autobiographical essay reflects my own...Read all of "The Faith of Children"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:23 AM
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November 7, 2009
On Tennis and Reason
Neil Godfrey at Vridar reminds us of Dennett's metaphor on playing tennis without a net and in so doing, he reminds us of one of Dennett's most quotable quotations, Before you appeal to faith when reason has backed you into...Read all of "On Tennis and Reason"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:12 AM
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November 5, 2009
What's In An Egyptian Name?
The latest issue of the Journal of Near Eastern Studies is out. Of the four papers, only Steve Vinson's "The Names 'Naneferkaptah,' 'Ihweret,' and 'Tabubue' in the 'First Tale of Setne Khaemwas'" struck me as abnormally interesting. Other folks, with...Read all of "What's In An Egyptian Name?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:00 PM
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November 4, 2009
Four Stone Hearth 79 Is Up
The folks at Anthropology.com are hosting Four Stone Hearth 79. I think Tom Jones is the compiler. Give it a look. You're sure to find something of abnormal interest....Read all of "Four Stone Hearth 79 Is Up"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:12 PM
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November 3, 2009
Claude Levi-Strauss Dies At 100.
The Los Angles Times reports, Claude Levi-Strauss, widely considered the father of modern anthropology for work that included theories about commonalities between tribal and industrial societies, has died. He was 100. The other day I joked in passing that Claude...Read all of "Claude Levi-Strauss Dies At 100."
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:35 AM
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Biblical Studies Carnival XLVII Is Up
Kevin Scull has Biblical Studies Carnival XLVII up at Paul of Tarsus. Kevin added two important sections, one on audio and video resources and the other specifically devoted to book reviews. These are in addition to his very find compilation...Read all of "Biblical Studies Carnival XLVII Is Up"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:18 AM
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November 2, 2009
Incomplete Reporting or Complete Nonsense
The New York Times ran a rather weird piece on a supposed relationship between undergraduate majors and religiosity. There may be one, but you sure can't tell it from this article. It reports on a study conducted by a team...Read all of "Incomplete Reporting or Complete Nonsense"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:19 PM
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November 1, 2009
Is Ludlul Wisdom Literature?
Over at Feeling Finite . . ., Alan Lenzi provides an engaging discussion of "Ludlul and 'Wisdom'." From a very strictly "indigenous perspective," Alan concludes that it isn't wisdom. But as Alan points out there is more to wisdom than...Read all of "Is Ludlul Wisdom Literature?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:39 AM
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