2.26.2009

Hey Casey!

Want to know what brings a tear down Casey Luskin's jowls? I think it's his unrequited love for Abbie Smith, but the Sensuous Curmudgeon is probably correct. You might say he put his finger on it. So...

Hey Casey! Cry, boy, cry!

2.24.2009

Morality Was Never My Greatest Strength

Your morality is 0% in line with that of the bible.

Damn you heathen! Your book learnin' has done warped your mind. You shall not be invited next time I sacrifice a goat.

Do You Have Biblical Morals?
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Take the Bible Morality quiz. Looks like I'm going to burn in hell...I hope you'll join me!

(h/t Pharyngula...as if he really needs the traffic)

2.14.2009

Romantic Quotes from the Bible


Valentine's Day is here. Consider this quote for that special Valentine of yours:
6 " 'No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.

7 " 'Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her.

8 " 'Do not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that would dishonor your father.

9 " 'Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.

10 " 'Do not have sexual relations with your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter; that would dishonor you.

11 " 'Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father's wife, born to your father; she is your sister.

12 " 'Do not have sexual relations with your father's sister; she is your father's close relative.

13 " 'Do not have sexual relations with your mother's sister, because she is your mother's close relative.

14 " 'Do not dishonor your father's brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.

15 " 'Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife; do not have relations with her.

16 " 'Do not have sexual relations with your brother's wife; that would dishonor your brother.

17 " 'Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.

18 " 'Do not take your wife's sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.

19 " 'Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.

20 " 'Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and defile yourself with her.

21 " 'Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed [a] to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

22 " 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.

23 " 'Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.

Leviticus, Chapter 18
See more romantic bible quotes here.

Valentine's Day is here. Consider this quote for that special Valentine of yours:
Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.
Deuteronomy, Chapter 10

Romantic Quotes from the Bible


Valentine's Day is here. Consider this quote for that special Valentine of yours:
Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.
Deuteronomy, Chapter 25
See more romantic bible quotes here.

Romantic Quotes from the Bible


Valentine's Day is here. Consider this quote for that special Valentine of yours:
Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come, my Lord , come right in. Don't be afraid." So he entered her tent, and she put a covering over him.

"I'm thirsty," he said. "Please give me some water." She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up.

"Stand in the doorway of the tent," he told her. "If someone comes by and asks you, 'Is anyone here?' say 'No.' "

But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.

Judges 4
See more romantic bible quotes here.

Romantic Quotes from the Bible


Valentine's Day is here. Consider this quote for that special Valentine of yours:
If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.
Deuteronomy, Chapter 25
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2.13.2009

Romantic Quotes from the Bible


Valentine's Day is near. Consider this quote for that special Valentine of yours:
There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.
Ezekiel, Chapter 23
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2.12.2009

The Ghost of Lincoln?

I love old photographs of Washington, DC. I like to visit the places in the pictures and see how much has changed, how much still remains. There are several self-guided historical walking tours throughout the city with informative signs marking the way. You can look at the old black & whites (or sepia tones!) taken from that location and see which buildings still stand, whether they've changed over time, if the trees are still there (they rarely are), if a business is still in business...

Ford's Theatre just had its grand reopening last night, with George Lucas and Sydney Potier on hand to receive awards. Even President Obama stopped by. It was a gala event. Fascinated by Lincoln, I even had an opportunity to see the new play "The Heavens Are Hung In Black". I loved it even though I'm sure many won't. There were definitely areas that could be improved. But I'm straying from the topic...

As part of the theater's renovation, a whole new wing was added by converting a neighboring building. The main theater itself retains its original facade, but I wanted to compare the old theater with the new. So, I went online searching for the old pix.

Here's an old, washed out photo...much of the detail is lost:



One of my favorites, with the old Esso gas station (and I really need to stop saying 'old' - it's kinda understood):



And here's a picture from 1868. After Lincoln was assassinated, all performances ended until 100 years later.



Here's a better one a day or so after the assassination - note the theater is dressed in mourning.



...and a detail of the above with men hanging around outside the Star Saloon between Ford's and Shakespeare House:



The theater was converted into offices for the War Department until tragedy struck in the late 19th century. Workers in the basement were removing support beams without providing necessary bracing, and eventually the upper floors collapsed, killing 20-30 workers. After that, the theater was left to decay and was utterly gutted until renovations took place and it returned to duty in the 1960's.

One of the best photographs, though, must be this one from the Matthew Brady collection at the Library of Congress. The picture is dated between 1860 and 1880. It's possible that it was taken soon after Lincoln's assassination since Brady was on hand to snap a pic of the box seat.



Here's a little detail from zooming in on the hires version.



Now compare and contrast the above with this next photograph which looks like it was taken from the same spot:



Notice anything unusual? Let's zoom in:



Zoom in a little more...



Could it be??



A bearded apparition in a top hat...could it be anyone other than Lincoln's ghost? Well...yeah, it could. Lincoln usually wore a much longer Brooks Brothers wool coat (very nice...I saw it today on display at the theater - the lining is embroidered with the phrase "One Country - One Destiny"). Remember back in those days that the camera shutter was nothing more than the photographer removing the lens cap for some period of time - 10 to 30 seconds. It's likely that someone was standing in the spot when the cap was removed, and then moved on. What I do find unusual is the person shows no motion blur, as is seen with the guard in the following photo of the presidential box seat at Ford's:



But what's most surprising is that I haven't heard anything about this ghostly image on the web. A quick Google search on "Lincoln's Ghost" gets me nothing other than traditional ghost hunting websites that deal with hauntings - but nothing that refers to this unusual picture. So, I throw it out there for the masses. The original, hires version can be found at the Library of Congress, here. It's an 86 megabyte TIF download, so you have been warned. Even mainstream sites make use of it, like this National Parks Service website, without noting anything unusual.

For what it's worth, the following are some pix of the theater I took today. And I didn't see any ghosts...







Romantic Quotes from the Bible


Valentine's Day is near. Consider this quote for that special Valentine of yours:
So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled.
Ezekiel, Chapter 23
See more romantic bible quotes here.

Happy Day!

Happy birthday President Lincoln!

Happy Darwin Day!

And for those choosing to celebrate it,

Happy Ignorance Day!

2.11.2009

Romantic Quotes from the Bible


Valentine's Day is near. Consider this quote for that special Valentine of yours:
Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.
Song of Solomon, Chapter 7
See more romantic bible quotes here.

2.07.2009

Romantic Quotes from the Bible


Valentine's Day is near. Consider this quote for that special Valentine of yours:
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.
Song of Solomon, Chapter 2
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2.06.2009

Romantic Quotes from the Bible


Valentine's Day is near. Consider this quote for that special Valentine of yours:
Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.
Song of Solomon, Chapter 7
See more romantic bible quotes here.

2.05.2009

Romantic Quotes from the Bible


Valentine's Day is near. Consider this quote for that special Valentine of yours:
I am a wall, and my breasts like tower
Song of Solomon, Chapter 8
See more romantic bible quotes here.

2.04.2009

Romantic Quotes from the Bible


Valentine's Day is near. Consider this quote for that special Valentine of yours:
O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother!
Song of Solomon, Chapter 8
See more romantic bible quotes here.

2.03.2009

Spacefox - Cool New VW Ad

Better than "Peer Into A Soul", this VW ad is enough to raise eyebrows in both the evolution and creationist camps. I watched with the sound muted:

Romantic Quotes from the Bible


Valentine's Day is near. Consider this quote for that special Valentine of yours:

My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.
Song of Solomon, Chapter 5
See more romantic bible quotes here.

Bart Simpson, the Scientologist

Eat my shorts, man! Or I'll have Xenu audit the hell out of your thetan-less ass with the biggest e-meter this side of the Galactic Confederacy! How's that for an engram?

Apparently, Nancy Cartwright let her inner thetan reveal itself without authorization from the upper echelons of Twentieth Century Fox Television. Cartwright, in case you didn't know, is the voice of Bart Simpson. In a recent robocall, she used the voice of Bart to promote Scientology, one of the silliest faux-religions around. I'd be very surprised if her contract allows her that freedom, but apparently she believes Bart can sell Scientology better than her.

Fox News put it succinctly:
If Bart Simpson did what Nancy Cartwright did, he would probably be writing "I will not use my copyrighted voice in robocalls for Scientology" 500 times on the school blackboard.

After listening to it, I think the call is a little creepy. Those little laughs...ick.

2.02.2009

Consider A Single Particle Wavefunction...

Don't you just love a blog post that starts out "Consider a single particle wavefunction...", is chock full of equations, and doesn't come from an obvious crank?

Well maybe you don't, but I do. That's just the way I roll.

2.01.2009

'Darwin Day' Celebrated With Anti-Evolution Fantasy World Conference

Pathetic and lamentable:
Creationists to Mark 'Darwin Day' with Anti-Evolution Conference
Answers in Genesis, which runs the Creation Museum near Cincinnati, Ky., will host two free national conferences to help Christians defend their faith against a theory that the ministry sees as running counter to Scripture.

The two conferences, dubbed "Answers for Darwin," will take place at two churches - one held on the West Coast and one on the East Coast - to provide training and education for Christians regarding evolution and creation.

The West Coast gathering is scheduled for Feb. 6-7 at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, Calif. The East Coast event is set for Feb. 15-17 at Thomas Rd. Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va.