Friday Quotes XVII

I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Hmm. Lady Kennedy was arguing that our tolerance of our own tolerance is making us intolerant of other people's intolerance, which is intolerable. And, unlikely as it sounds, this has now become the highest, most rarefied form of multiculturalism. So you're nice to gays and the Inuit? Big deal. Anyone can be tolerant of fellows like that, but tolerance of intolerance gives an even more intense frisson of pleasure to the multiculti masochists. ~ Mark Styne

""Why do you hasten to remove anything which hurts your eye, while if something affects your soul, you postpone the cure until next year?" --Horace"

Friday Quotes XVI

The battle for humankind's future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly perceive their role as the proselytizers of a new faith: a religion of humanity that recognizes and respects the spark of what theologians call divinity in every human being. These teachers must embody the same selfless dedication as the most rabid fundamentalist preachers, for they will be ministers of another sort, utilizing a classroom instead of a pulpit to convey humanist values in whatever subject they teach, regardless of the education level - preschool day care or large state university. The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new - the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism, resplendent in its promise of a world in which the never realized Christian ideal of "love thy neighbor" will finally be achieved. ~ John J. Dunphy The Humanist 1983

Allen Ross on Finacial Faithfulness

Just something that I wanted to look up and post. Every so often I have to make sure that I am still sane.

"The people had not been paying their tithes, and so the whole land was under a curse, an actual dry spell where nothing was growing. First, we need to consider what their tithing was all about. Many people today claim to be tithers, and by that they mean they give 10% to the Lord. I suppose churches would be delighted to get at least that. But in the Old Testament the system of tithes and offerings was far more complex. The Israelite under the Law had to bring first the priest’s due (either 2% or 10%). Then he brought the basic tithe, 10%. But he was also required to pay a second tithe (another 10%) that was to go to Jerusalem and its needs--it could be spent in Jerusalem on the three annual pilgrimages, somewhat of a pilgrimage budget. If they could not go to the holy city, they had to send the money. And then, every other year there was a third tithe, which went to the poor. So the basic tithing was probably over 22% any given year, possibly 27%.


Now this did not count the offerings, the animals that were to be brought to the three festivals. It did not include the extra money to be paid for sin and trespass offerings, which could be high, based on the sin. The tithing system also called for the people to have a Sabbath year, one seventh of their income over a seven year period would be given up, as well as a forty-ninth of it over a forty-nine year period if they kept the Jubilee. Then they were to leave the corners of their fields for the poor to glean; they were to give to charity; and they were to take care of the widow, orphan, poor and the stranger. On top of all that, they could at any time offer a free will thank offering--more animals and gifts. So then, if someone today wants to live under the Law of Israel in this respect, the amount would exceed 40% a year."

[Bible.org]

Octopi are smarter than cats

wulffmorgenthaler

What Martin may have heard

Zimmerman spent about half of his time outside his truck during his 911 call. He said, "Sh*t he's running" and left his truck.  We can assume that Martin would have been unable to hear what was said inside the truck, but he may have been in earshot for some of Zimmerman's conversation...maybe even the f-bomb.  Below is a transcript of what Martin could have heard.[1]  

• Down towards the other entrance to the neighborhood.
• The back entrance…f*cking [unintelligible]
• Yeah
• Ok
• George…He ran.
• Zimmerman
• [redacted phone number]
• If they come in through the gate, tell them to go straight past the club house, and uh, straight past the club house and make a left, and then they go past the mailboxes, that’s my truck…
• I don’t know it’s a cut through so I don’t know the address.
• Yeah, I…
• It’s a home it’s 1950, oh crap I don’t want to give it all out, I don’t know where this kid is.
• Yeah that’s fine.
• Actually could you have them call me and I’ll tell them where I’m at?
• Should I give you my number or you got it?
• Yeah you got it.
• Thanks.

Also if you look at a map of the crime scene, you might question somethings.

Source: Wagist

We don't know where Trayvon went after Zimmerman lost sight of him.  However anyway you look at the map, Zimmerman spent a lot of time walking towards Martin.  If Martin ran across the "T" to the adjacent street, Zimmerman walked there and finished his 911 call there.  If Martin ran down the leg of the "T" towards his father's girlfriend's town house, Zimmerman would have walked towards him initially before walking away to the street.  When Zimmerman returned to the truck, he would have walked towards Martin again.   

Also lets not forget that Zimmerman seemed to take a detour down the sidewalk, instead of going directly back to his truck. The would have meant that unknowingly, Zimmerman was walking towards Martin, who according to his girlfriend still thought he was being followed.  

For a more in depth look, here is my Zimmerman/Martin timeline.

Friday Quotes XV

We need to be alert to the fact that, in nearly every case imaginable, answered prayer can be explained away if you want to. ~ Dallas Willard

He says, "Realize, it's appointed, God appointed you to be there [preaching]. It's by Divine appointment, realize that. It's not by accident that you got up there. It wasn't that somebody else was supposed to be there, God put you there. So be faithful in delivering the Word." And he says, "If it's mince or it's steak, give it." And he explained that "mince" in Scotland is like ground hamburger with a lot of fat. He said "Maybe that's all you've got for a meal, give it." Maybe it's tenderloin. When it's tenderloin it's easy to give a Bible study. But when it's ground steak it's like, people don’t like this, it's all fatty. He says, "Just give it." ~ a pastor quoting Alistair

Paul, when you stand in the pulpit tonight, you can do one of two things. Either you can show those in the congregation that Jesus Christ is wonderful, or you can try to convince them that Paul Pressler is a reasonably intelligent young man. You can't do both. ~ Dr Fullerton

If we try to reintroduce the rare moments of inspiration it is a sign that it is not God we want. We are making a fetish of the moments when God did come and speak, and insisting that He must do it again; whereas what God wants us to do is to "walk by faith". ~ Oswald Chambers 05/01

Communist Party weighs in on Allen West

Priceless...

"We agree with the Progressive Caucus more than some other groups in Congress, but we also have a lot of differences with them," said Libero Della Piana, vice chairman of the Communist Party USA. "We have areas of agreement with the Republican Party, too. We support public education and public parks and Republicans do, too. But that doesn't make Republicans Communists." [1]

Large fossil whale

The giant 3-meter (10-foot) skull of what's been dubbed Leviathan melvillei (in honor of the author of "Moby Dick") was found with teeth in its top and bottom jaws up to 36 centimeters (14 inches) long. The discovery is reported in the July 1 issue of the journal Nature.

Living sperm whales have teeth only in their lower jaws and are specialized to feed on giant squid, Lambert explained. They suck down squid like large spaghetti noodles rather than catch the prey with their teeth. The much toothier fossil sperm whales, however, may have eaten more like a outsized-orca, or killer whale: chomping great big bites out of its prey.

"These are very unusual attributes," said cetacea evolution expert Ewan Fordyce of the University of Otago in New Zealand. "It's remarkably big. That is unexpected."

Another sign that this ancient whale had a killer bite is the large hole in the skull to accommodate a large jaw muscle. [1]

Nasal Fractures

Your doctor may press gently on the outside of your nose and its surrounding areas. He or she may look inside your nasal passage to check for obstruction and further signs of broken bones. Your doctor may use anesthetics — either a nasal spray or local injections — to make you more comfortable during the exam.

X-rays and other imaging studies are usually unnecessary. However, your doctor may recommend a computerized tomography (CT) scan if the severity of your injuries makes a thorough physical exam impossible or if your doctor suspects you may have other injuries. [1]

Red Deer Cave People

Remains of possibly four individuals of the so-called "Red Deer Cave People" were unearthed in southwest China and may represent a new species of human.

The fossils from two caves, date to just 14,500 to 11,500 years ago. Until now, no hominid remains younger than 100,000 years old have been found in mainland East Asia resembling any other species than our own.

"We have discovered a new population of prehistoric humans whose skulls are an unusual mosaic of primitive, modern and unique features -- like nothing we've seen before," said Darren Curnoe, associate professor in the School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of New South Wales and lead author of a study about the find in the journal PLoS One.

"They have rounded brain cases with prominent brow ridges, flat but short faces with a broad nose, jutting jaws that lack a human chin, their brains are moderate in size with modern-looking frontal lobes but primitive short parietal lobes, and they have large molar teeth," added Curnoe . [1]

Buffy vs Widow by Joss Whedon

Buffy would go easy at first, but as soon as Natasha popped her with a Widow Sting, she'd start bringing some slayer brawn to the fray. Natasha's fast, but a couple of good connects and she's wobbling, possibly something broken -- she whips out her glock and now Buffy's dodging -- right where Natasha wants her. Natasha shoots the cable holding the steel barrels and they tumble onto Buffy, nearly burying her -- Buffy just arcs out of the way, grabbing the splintered cable and swinging directly onto Natasha, a bullet grazing her cheek as her feet land hard on the Russian's shoulders, sending her back flat -- crack! -- on the floor, Buffy wrenching the gun away and tossing it, fist ready for the final strike. Natasha, struggling to stay conscious, says the fight's over. Buffy agrees, but Natasha explains: She poisoned Buffy hours ago. That waitress that brought her salad …? Natasha smiles. The poison is dormant -- 'til it's activated by adrenaline. Buffy's eyes narrow. "Too bad I didn't use any." Wham! Natasha's out for the count, and Buffy's heading -- slowly -- to Willow for a mystical cleanse. [1]

~ Joss Whedon

Birthday Paradox

[Source]

• If 23 people are in a room together, there is about a 50% chance that two of them share a birthday.
• If 48 people are in a room together, there is about a 95% chance that two of them share a birthday.
• If 88 people are in a room together, there is about a 50% chance that three of them share a birthday.
• In a crowd of 1813 there is a 50% chance that thirteen of them share one birthday.

Why?

When you put 20 people in a room, however, the thing that changes is the fact that each of the 20 people is now asking each of the other 19 people about their birthdays. Each individual person only has a small (less than 5%) chance of success, but each person is trying it 19 times. That increases the probability dramatically. [1]

Zimmerman/Martin Timeline [a work in progress]

Note the clocks from Martin's cell phone, the 911 call center, the police report, and the security cameras are most likely not in sync.

*Approximate times
Martin's phone records

Zimmerman's 911 Connection

911 Call
Police Report
Time Stamp on Police Security Cameras

Xenoglossy: Ubiquitous = Present, appearing, or found everywhere

There are several reasons why belief in xenoglossia is ubiquitous. First of all, there is a concrete basis for it: glossolalia shares with human speech certain universal characteristics. It exhibits almost exclusively speech sounds, of which there is only a limited inventory in the known languages of the world: man employs only a relatively small number of those physiologically possible as speech sounds. Also, glossolalia has an alternation of consonants and vowels, and it has accent, pauses, final contours, intonation. Purely as a matter of statistical probability, some consonant-vowel combinations occurring in a glossolalia utterance may also be a meaningful unit in some language. Thus sio could be French (old objective case of sire), veni, Latin. Word fragments might on occasion be swept over into glossolalia, from Spanish ven (come) in the latter case, or the former from the frequently repeated sellame, sellame. …

…In addition to the above factors deriving from the sound track, there is also operative a number of psychological factors, I think. Foremost among them is the manner which people react to anomalous data, how they cope with incongruities. In a psychological experiment carried out in 1949, J. S. Bruner and Leo Postman asked experimental subjects to identify on short and controlled exposure a series of playing cards. Many of the cards were normal, but some were anomalous, that is, a red six of spades and a black four of hearts. Soon all subjects identified all the cards correctly, except that the anomalous cards were almost always, without apparent hesitation or puzzlement, identified as normal. Listeners to tongue-speaking go through a similar process: they fit the audiosignal into a previously prepared category, namely language.

Goodman, Felicitas D. Speaking in Tongues A Cross-Cultural Study of Glossolalia (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1972) 150-151

Friday Quotes XIV

Disclaimer: I don't always agree with my quotes, but that is beside the point. Things in my quotes are things that inspire, frighten, intrigue, anger, and amuse me. Those that know me can probably guess which is which. I just figured I would put that disclaimer in. Mostly I use facebook as a quick online bank for quotes from things I read.

"Of all the delights of this world man cares most for sexual intercourse, yet he has left it out of his heaven." -Mark Twain

"If I have any intelligence at all, it lies in knowing who to listen to." ~ Mark Twain

"As if there was much of anything in any human utterance, oral or written, except plagiarism!...The kernel, the soul -- let us go further and say the substance, the bulk, the actual and valuable material of all human utterances -- is plagiarism." ~ Mark Twain to a 12 yr old Helen Keller

Prices are like messengers carrying the news of supply and demand. Like other messengers carrying bad news, they face the danger that some people think the answer is to kill the messenger, rather than taking steps to change the news. ~ Thomas Sowells

Oil company executives make big bucks incomes, almost as much as liberal movie stars who are never criticized for "greed." And if Big Oil CEOs worked for nothing, it is unlikely to be enough to bring the price of a gallon of gas down by a nickel. ~ Thomas Sowells

"Let's be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus." ~ Michael Crichton

"the first concerns among defenders of democracy arose with radio. And that's why the equal time provision and the fairness doctrine and the public interest standard were put in place here. Those protections were almost completely removed during President Reagan's term." - Al Gore 5/30/07 (in reference to problems in the media that need to be fixed for democracy to work.)

"All governments find a use for as much money as they can raise." ~ Melancton Smith 1787

"We must stop thinking of the individual and start thinking about what is best for society." ~ Hillary Clinton 1993

"When will the world learn that a million men are of no importance compared with one man?" ~ Henry David Thoreau

"Fairness doesn't just happen. It requires the right government policies." ~ Hillary Clinton 5/29/07

Mom slits child's throat to release demons

Daphne Spurlock: Slits 5-Year-Old Son's Throat, Stomps on His Chest to "Release Demons"

Relatives: Woman who allegedly slashed her child's throat was obsessed with religion