Suspension of Disbelief | Ain't Complicated

Israel: Appeasement or Surrender?

Under this headline, Israel concedes Jerusalem before negotiations even begin, a story that begins thus:

Ahead of the start of today’s Mideast summit in Washington, the Israeli government publicly conceded sections of Jerusalem will become part of a Palestinian state while holy sites would be governed by a “special regime.”

Speaking in an interview with Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, Defense Minister Ehud Barak outlined a deal with the Palestinians: “West Jerusalem and 12 Jewish neighborhoods that are home to 200,000 residents will be ours. The Arab neighborhoods in which close to a quarter million Palestinians live will be theirs.

“There will be a special regime in place along with agreed upon arrangements in the Old City, the Mount of Olives and the City of David,” added Barak.

Barak told the newspaper what is needed “is courage to make historic, painful decisions. I’m not saying that there is certainty for success, but there is a chance. This chance must be exploited to the fullest.”

Courage? Courage?! Other words fit far better.

Furthermore, another spit-in-the-wind observation: Only Jews need make “historic, painful decisions.”

To think anything good will come of this requires a willing suspension of disbelief.

These have not been good years for Israel.

And they will get worse.

Far worse.

The Bible tells me so.

A Guide to What Isn’t True

I thought I would introduce you to that blog.

It’s at america.gov and is penned (so to speak) by Todd Leventhal, who “bikes to work year-round” as the State “Department’s expert on conspiracy theories and misinformation.”

Here’s the last paragraph of a short post titled The Obama Birth Controversy:

Interestingly, FactCheck.org determined that Obama was originally both a U.S. citizen and a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies from 1961 to 1963 because his father was from Kenya, which gained its independence from the British Empire in 1963, then both a U.S. and Kenyan citizen from 1963 to 1982, and solely a U.S. citizen after that.

What happened to the President’s British and Kenyan citizenships?

Hey. Don’t go calling me a “birther” now! 🙄

I’m just askin’. I’m just curious how citizenships are shed. Thanks.

PS: Unlike Mr. Leventhal, I walk to work year-round! 😉

The Bible and Friday the 13th

Maybe it’s just I, but someone is suffering from strange logic or faulty reasoning or biased disinformation or something.

Fortunately for those suffering from triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13) or friggatriskaidekaphobia (fear of Friday the 13th), August is the only month this year where the 13th falls on a Friday. Last year, there were three such months – the most possible under the Gregorian calendar.

[…]

Roots in the Bible, myth

According to National Geographic, fear of the number 13 can be traced to both the Bible and a Norse myth.

[…]

In the Bible, Jesus is betrayed by the apostle Judas, said to be the 13th guest at the Last Supper. Whether Judas was the 13th to arrive is not stated, but there were 13 at the table, Jesus and the 12 apostles. Friday also has Biblical significance, as it is said to be the day Jesus was crucified (Good Friday).

Fear of 13

The number 13 also has numerical significance, in the Bible, astrology and other sources, due to its position relative to the number 12.

In the Bible, 12 is seen as the number of perfection. There are 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles, 12 foundations of the New Jerusalem the heavenly dwelling place of the saints and 12 gates to the New Jerusalem, among other references.

Source: Friday the 13th superstitions have roots in the Bible, ancient myth

Lemme see if I get this.

In the Bible we see that 13 is bad because that’s how many were at the Last Supper? 🙄

In the Bible we see that 13 is bad because 12 is good? 🙄

Maybe it’s 1 that’s bad, not 13. After all, one betrayed Jesus. And the difference between 13 and 12 is one. Puh. Leez.

Interestingly, they say “12 is seen as the number of perfection” because, among other twelves, there were that many apostles. So we take that perfect number (so to speak) and add in the Perfect One and we end up with an unlucky number. 😯

Well, anyway. Let’s just say I balk at using the Bible to explain why thirteen is such a terrible number.

Putin’s Next Move?

So I suppose you’re thinking I’m going to blame Russia’s Putin for the plane crash that killed Poland’s president and others.

Oh. Please. 🙄

OK, the “I am not a kook” disclaimer aside, I admit to wondering if the above tragedy was an orchestrated event or will lead to orchestrated events or both or neither.

Watch Russia, that’s what I say.

Was Poland’s leader a nationalist?

Was he a so-called right winger?

What influences will Russia exert in the Leader Replacement Process in Poland?

Russia aside, will The Mysterious They use this as another step toward OWG?

Who’s next?

For the record, I learned about this on Twitter when I saw Poland and Polish President as trending topics.

Furthermore, I have read only one very short news article on this disaster.

Whatever happened, is happening, and will happen, nothing is a surprise to God nor beyond His control.

May God be able to comfort the families and friends of the dead.

May God use my former student and his wife and their colleagues serving in Poland.

May God use His other people in Poland.

And may God bless Poland.

Breakfast: Frozen in Time

Earlier this week, this news:

The fossilized remains of a 67 million-year-old snake found coiled around a dinosaur egg offer rare insight into the ancient reptile’s dining habits and evolution, scientists said Tuesday.

The findings, which appeared in Tuesday’s issue of the PLoS Biology journal, provide the first evidence that the 11.5-foot- 3.5-meter-long snake fed on eggs and hatchlings of saurapod dinosaurs, meaning it was one of the few predators to prey on the long-necked herbivores.

They also suggest that, as early as 100 million years ago, snakes were developing mobile jaws similar to those of today’s large-mouthed snakes, including vipers and boas.

“This is an early, well preserved snake, and it is doing something. We are capturing it’s behavior,” said University of Michigan paleontologist Jeff Wilson, who is credited with recognizing the snake bones amid the crushed dinosaur eggs and bones of hatchlings.

“We have information about what this early snake did for living,” he said. “It also helps us understand the early evolution of snakes both anatomically and ecologically.”

Dhananjay Mohabey of India’s Geological Survey discovered the fossilized remains in 1987, but he was only able to make out the dinosaur eggshells and limb bones. Wilson examined the fossils in 2001 and was “astonished” to find a predator in the midst of the sauropod’s nest.

“I saw the characteristic vertebral locking mechanism of snakes alongside dinosaur eggshell and larger bones, and I knew it was an extraordinary specimen,” Wilson said.

Mohabey theorized that the snake — dubbed Sanajeh indicus, which means “ancient gaped one” in Sanskrit — had just arrived at the nest and was in the process of gobbling a hatchling emerging from its egg. But the entire scene was “frozen in time” when it was hit by a storm or some other disaster and buried under layers of sediment.

Source: Fossils of snake eating dino eggs found in India

If Noah hadn’t been ready and had been eating breakfast in his hut, this same event might have left his entire scene “frozen in time” as well.

Yup. That’s exactly what I’m sayin’. I got to that part of the story above and thought of that cataclysmic flood so long ago.

Well, actually not that long ago. More like the bat of an eye compared to the number the story uses. They say 67 million years. Me? Well, I’d modify that “slightly” to .0067 million years ago (if I’m limited to using the same numerals they use).

Darwinian Contempt

The More They Know Darwin, The Less They Want Darwin-Only Indoctrination

According to an international poll released by the British Council, the majority of Americans — 60% — support teaching alternatives to evolution in the science classroom. The percentage is the same for Britons, despite the fact that both countries have been inundated with pro-Darwin media coverage in this super-mega Darwin Year.

Of course, the British media reporting this are chagrined. Britain is the birthplace of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution, and the official-sounding British Council, the UK group behind the “Darwin Now” campaign that commissioned the Ipsos MORI poll, have spent precious resources educating the world about Darwin. Now some believe the poll shows that efforts by Darwinist organizations aren’t working.

Head of the British Council’s Darwin Now program Fern Elsdon-Baker said, “Overall these results may reflect the need for a more sophisticated approach to teaching and communicating how science works as a process.”

[…]

The correlation appears again when we consider which countries have more knowledge of Darwin’s theory. The highest numbers of those in support of alternative theories in the classroom correspond to the highest numbers of those familiar with Charles Darwin — 60% in Britain, 65% in Mexico, 61% in China, 66% in Russia, and 60% in the U.S. It appears that the more people know about Darwin’s theory, the more they want to see alternatives in science class.

That’s interesting.

Apparently, the majority of people haven’t evolved enough to accept their monkey’s uncle. Or maybe it’s the possibility that their monkey is their uncle that unhinges their support.

Are we guilty of being unwilling to engage in a willing suspension of disbelief? Perhaps.

Now we await a similar nuclear winter global warming climate change poll. (Or did that already happen and I’ve forgotten?)

Charged With Insulting Muslim Guest

No, not in Pakistan or Turkey or Egypt.

In Britain.

I know, I know — the story below is dated September 19. Old news.

But it’s current news because these folks’ trial is yet to come.

Christian hoteliers charged with insulting Muslim guest

Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang are charged with breaching Section 5 of the Public Order Act – causing harassment, alarm or distress. If convicted, they face fines of £2,500 each and a criminal record.

The Muslim woman was staying at the Bounty House Hotel in Liverpool, which is run by the Vogelenzangs, when a conversation arose between the hoteliers and their guest about her faith.

It is understood that among the topics debated was whether Jesus was a minor prophet, as Islam teaches, or whether he was the Son of God, as Christianity teaches.

Among the things Mr Vogelenzang, 53, is alleged to have said is that Mohammad was a warlord. His wife, 54, is said to have stated that Muslim dress is a form of bondage for women.

The conversation, on March 20, was reported by the woman to Merseyside Police. Officers told the couple that they wanted to interview them over the incident.

After being questioned on April 20, they were interrogated again three months later before being charged on July 29 with a religiously-aggravated public order offence. They appeared in court on August 14 and are now awaiting trial.

Amazing. In a sobering sort of way.

Here’s another article: Critics slam case against pair who ‘upset’ Muslim