March 2010 Archives
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March 31, 2010
The Naked Truth About Genealogy
Lady Godiva by John Collier, c. 1897. If you are of European descent, it is extremely probable that you are in Charlemagne’s line. Genealogists have shown that fourteen presidents of the United States, including George Washington, Ulysses Grant, Franklin...Read all of "The Naked Truth About Genealogy"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:57 AM
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March 30, 2010
Seven Trillion Electron Volts
This is a big deal! As the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) at CERN ramps up to full capability, it will answer many questions along the way. It will raise many more. That’s the way science works....Read all of "Seven Trillion Electron Volts"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:02 PM
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March 29, 2010
Making, Creating, Drawing A Diversion
I’ve wasted a lot of time today trying to understand the semantic ranges of Akkadian epēšu and banû. Both mean "to make stuff." Banû tends to connote “to create” while epēšu tends towards “to build.” But their semantic ranges overlap...Read all of "Making, Creating, Drawing A Diversion"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:09 PM
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March 28, 2010
Jesus' Tomb - Another Candidate
I always wondered what happened. A belief that Jesus survived the crucifixion and spent his remaining years in Kashmir has led to a run-down shrine in Srinagar making it firmly onto the must-visit-in India tourist trail. In the backstreets of...Read all of "Jesus' Tomb - Another Candidate"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:04 PM
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March 25, 2010
I Thought This Was Long Behind Me
As some readers may know, I have a seminary degree and according to a paper in my files, I am an ordained Methodist clergyperson (inactive). During my brief, spotty, career in the clergy, I performed a few dozen funerals. Well,...Read all of "I Thought This Was Long Behind Me"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:17 PM
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March 24, 2010
A Snake In A Minefield
Hapax legomena, words that appear but once, are gold mines for scholarly debate and minefields for idle speculation. A snake tempted me to enter such a minefield. If gory lexicographic details are not among your abnormal interests, there is a...Read all of "A Snake In A Minefield"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:12 PM
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March 23, 2010
In Which I Support Ann Coulter (Sort Of)
Some folks in Canada are concerned about what Ann Coulter will say during her current speaking tour. A University of Ottawa administrator has some friendly advice for Ann Coulter, who has a speaking engagement there this week: Review Canada’s hate...Read all of "In Which I Support Ann Coulter (Sort Of)"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:15 PM
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March 22, 2010
On The Idea of Divine Anger
I’ve been thinking about Daniel Dennett’s observation that much (all?) of theology is based use-mention errors or their second cousins. In fact, I’ve been thinking about this longer than I’ve been aware that Dennett was thinking about it. Today over...Read all of "On The Idea of Divine Anger"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:15 PM
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March 21, 2010
Holy Jupiter, I’m Related To Zeus
Dagobert I - Public Domain. Shirley has established that Dagobert I, King of the Franks, is my 54th great grandfather. Now I doubt that this alone is any particular honor but old Dagobert had ancestors too. Relying on the...Read all of "Holy Jupiter, I’m Related To Zeus"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:39 AM
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March 20, 2010
The Latest Anthropology Carnival Is Up
Four Stone Hearth 88 is up at Ad Hominin. Give it a look. I almost missed this one. Thanks to Carl Feagans at A Hot Cup of Joe, I didn’t....Read all of "The Latest Anthropology Carnival Is Up"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:53 AM
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March 19, 2010
Resources For Mark Twain's Journal Publications
As was common at the time, Mark Twain published much of his work, including whole novels, in journals like the Atlantic Monthly, the Saturday Evening Post, or The North American Review. Terry Ballard has reposted and expanded his collection of...Read all of "Resources For Mark Twain's Journal Publications"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:25 PM
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March 18, 2010
Another Book On My Reading List
John Hawks as started a series of review posts on William Burroughs’ Climate Change in Prehistory: The End of the Reign of Chaos. His first post largely reflects his own concerns at the intersection of genetics and archaeology. That issue...Read all of "Another Book On My Reading List"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:25 PM
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March 17, 2010
Unbelievers In The Pulpit
Daniel Dennett and Linda LaScola have published an abnormally interesting paper, “Preachers who are not Believers.” Their sample is very small and self-selecting and therefore by their own admission far from sufficient to draw reliable generalizations. Perhaps the most interesting...Read all of "Unbelievers In The Pulpit"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:40 PM
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March 16, 2010
Blood and Dust In Tempe
I spent all day yesterday from 11:30 am to 5:00 pm at the Pacific Coast Regional meeting of The Society of Biblical Literature. What I mean is that I left home at 6:00 am and returned home at 11:30 pm...Read all of "Blood and Dust In Tempe"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:49 PM
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March 14, 2010
The American People Think, The American People Believe, The American People Want
I’m rather sick of hearing from both sides of every issue what the American people think, believe, or want. In general, I don’t care what the American people think, believe, or want. In those cases where I do care what...Read all of "The American People Think, The American People Believe, The American People Want"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:05 AM
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March 13, 2010
A Snake (Text) Stew
I’m finishing up my work on VAT 5, one of those Akkadian prayers. I’ve written before about this prayer against the evil of a snake. In the course of my research, I came across 80-7-19 rev:2’-15’. Richard Caplice published it...Read all of "A Snake (Text) Stew"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:05 PM
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March 12, 2010
Jeffery Oicles Is Gone
March 3 was worse than I had thought. I just got word from his sister that my old friend Jeff Oicles also died that day. Jeff was my best friend in elementary school and much of high school. I often...Read all of "Jeffery Oicles Is Gone"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:00 PM
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March 10, 2010
A Disconnected Ramble On God And King
Do two lines found together only in SST 60 and SST 61 from Sultantepe refer to gods, people, or both? Here are those two lines, 25a and b, with their immediate context (Line numbers refer the position of the lines...Read all of "A Disconnected Ramble On God And King"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:15 AM
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March 9, 2010
Another Reason For Health Care Reform
“I don't know. I'll just tell you this, if this passes and it's five years from now and all that stuff gets implemented -- I am leaving the country. I'll go to Costa Rica.” - Rush Limbaugh on the health...Read all of "Another Reason For Health Care Reform"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:02 PM
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March 8, 2010
Specialized Interests Indeed
After summarizing the contents of several of the Sultantepe tablets, the Wikipedia article on Sultantepe ends with this curious sentence, “Other texts were of more specialised interest to the Assyriologist: rituals, incantations, omen readings, contracts and vocabulary lists.” Among the...Read all of "Specialized Interests Indeed"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:09 AM
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March 7, 2010
What To Do With A Ghost
Last night Shirley and I went to another free concert at Pomona College. The Pomona College Orchestra preformed four pieces ending with Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op 88 (1889). The highlight of the evening was Anatolia...Read all of "What To Do With A Ghost"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:33 AM
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March 5, 2010
Robologues Do Euthyphro
Via Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog...Read all of "Robologues Do Euthyphro"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:21 PM
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March 4, 2010
William Mann, August 25, 1943 - March 3, 2010
Bill Mann was a friend of mine, a coworker, sometimes a coconspirator, a friend of mine. He died peacefully at home yesterday evening with his family around him. He died after a four plus year battle with a slow growing...Read all of "William Mann, August 25, 1943 - March 3, 2010"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:09 AM
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March 3, 2010
History and Statistical Reasoning
Aydin Örstan told “A tale of universal parsimony.” He ends his tale, Mejzlik would have approved of Atkins' method. However, although Mejzlik solved Divisek's mystery, Čapek hints at the end of his tale that the duo hadn't followed "proper scholarly...Read all of "History and Statistical Reasoning"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:29 PM
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Unready for Memnon of Troy or Noah
Memnon of Troy may be one of my relatives. Noah may be also. But who isn’t related to Noah? However, I have my doubts about these long lost relatives. I’ve mention a couple of times that Shirley is working on...Read all of "Unready for Memnon of Troy or Noah"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:17 PM
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March 2, 2010
Lambert On A Divine Ambiguity
Related to an issue I discussed a few weeks ago, here is a quotation from a paper by Wilfred George Lambert on ancient Mesopotamian gods. Lambert’s paper is online. . . . these ancients were surrounded by forces of nature,...Read all of "Lambert On A Divine Ambiguity"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:16 PM
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March 1, 2010
Deuteronomy 32:43a In Context
Daniel O. McClellan shared a paper proposal for the upcoming annual SBL meeting. His proposal ends as follows: This paper proposes the threshold of monotheism is found not at the rejection of the existence of other deities, but at the...Read all of "Deuteronomy 32:43a In Context"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:23 AM
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The Latest Biblical Studies Carnival Is Up.
Biblical Studies Carnival LI is up at Anumma. Brooke has done an extraordinary job in bringing this month’s carnival together. Abnormally, he followed the same two part approach that I used last month. So who couldn’t love this month’s carnival?...Read all of "The Latest Biblical Studies Carnival Is Up."
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:19 AM
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