101 Ways To Say Death Part Five
In 2008, a blogger started a series, 101 Ways to Say “Died”. It focused on epitaphs from New England cemeteries. Most of the headstones used were carved before 1825. The series has gone past 101, and is up to 118 now. If you look at the site, you see links to the individual parts. That is the number before the epitaph. Some have been skipped. The VPI site has photographs of many of the headstones used here. HT to Twenty Two Words. Parts one, two, three, and four have been published.
96 To the Memory of Mr JACOB WALKER who respected by the Brave, Beloved of his Country’s Friends Dear to his Relations, while manfully defending the Laws & Liberties of the Commonwealth, NOBLY FELL by the impious hand of Treason & Rebellion, upon the 17th February AD 1787 in the XXXII Year of his Age. Citizen passing drop a tear And dare to imitate the BRAVE.
98 Polly The daughter of Mr. Danl. & Mrs. Vesta Howard. A Boon received Jany. 25 1778.
Remanded by the . . . d. 1784
99 HERE LYE THE REMAINS OF THE REVD MR ROBERT WARD WHO WAS BORN AT CHARLESTOWN SEPTR ye 23D ANNO DOMINI 1694 TOOK HIS FIRST DEGREE AT HARVARD COLLEGE IN CAMBRIDGE ANNO 1719 WAS ORDAINED PASTOR OF THE CHURCH IN WENHAM JANry ye 25th 1721 AND AFTER HE HAD FOR MORE THEN TEN YEARS FAITHFULY & HONOURABLY SERVED CHRIST IN THAT OFFICE HE WAS TRANSLATED TO HIS MASTERS JOY JULY ye 19th 1732 AGED NEAR 38 YEARS
100 In testimony of parental affection & endearing recollection of Miss Sarah Patterson, who bid adieu to earthly scenes, Jan 31, 1819 AEt. 18, & David, who died March 6, 1797 AEt. 2 yrs. & Mary, who died Sept. 22, 1800, AEt. 19 M. Children of Mr. Saml. and Mrs. Lydia Goodhue, He was son of Mr. John Goodhue, son of Dr. Saml. Goodhue, son of Dr. Joseph Goodhue, son of Dr. Wm. Goodhue, who came from Engl. & settled at Ipswich 1645.
102 Here lies the remains of a pleasant babe, Jonathan the Son of Mr. Isaac and Mrs. Mary Woods who was taken by death from his mother’s breasts, Octo. 10th 1769 aged 6 months 3 days.
103 In Memory of Mr. LUTHER N. CURTIS Son of Mr. Eli & Mrs. Clarissa Curtis who was suffocated in the cabin of the schooner Globe Feb. 18 1841, AEt. 21 Years. Scituate, MA
104 Here rests SARAH, wife of ye Revd; S. HOPKINS, & Relict of ye Revd; C. WILLIAMS; an Exemplary Christian, pleasant & lovely in her Life, & lamented in her Death. She left {to go & be with CHRIST,} A sorrowful Husband & 14 Children Febr, 5th AD 1774 AE 48. Favour is deceitful, & Beauty is vain: but A Woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
105 Mary Emerson d. 1784 Pepperell, MA Be wise to day, tis madness to defer Erected to Ye Memory of Miss MARY EMERSON, only Daughter of Ye, Revd JOSEPH EMERSON & Mrs. ABIGAIL his wife, who in hopes of a better Left this World June 20th; 1784 in the 33d Year of her age. Though the righteous be prevented by death it Shall be well with him for wisdom is Ye gray hair unto man, & an . . .
106 Olin E. Webster d. 1856 Plymouth, MA OLIN E. Son of Dr. Ervin & Harriet W. Webster; passed onward Aug. 28, 1856, aged 4 years 1 mon. & 20 days.
108 JACOB JOHNSON, JUN. who perished with 41 other persons in Columbia River Oregon on the night of Jan. 31, 1852. by the wrecking of the Steamer Gen. Warren. AEt. 32 yrs. 9 mos.
109 Lucreatia K. dau. of Rev. Wm. S. & Priscilla Douglass, was killed by falling from Cliffs on Newport, Mt. Eden, Me. Aug. 3. 1853. AE 12 yrs. Dead, but not forgotten.
Erected by her Brother J.H. Douglass, in 188
110 Simon Bradstreet, Esquire In the Senate of the Massachusetts Colony from the year 1630 to the year 1673, then Lieutenant Governor to the year 1679, and at last, until the year 1686, Governor of the same Colony by the general and determined vote of the people. He was a man endowed with keen judgment whom neither threats nor honors could sway. He weighed the authority of the King and the Liberty of the People in even scales. In Religion devout and upright in his ways, he vanquished the world and relinquished it on the XXVIIth day of March in the year of our Lord MDCXCVII, and in the IXth year of King William Third, and of his life the XCIVth.
111 Memento mori Mrs ABIGAIL KENRICK Widow of CAPT. CALEB KENRICK left her pleasant habitation in Newton & come to her Daughter Dana’s in Groton, on account of ye civil War;
Sept. 5. 1775 AE 76 was removed by a dysentery to that place where ye wicked cease from troubling
& ye weary are at rest.
112 Memento mori Here lies the Body of Mr. Nathaniel Stone son of Mr. Nathaniel Stone & Mrs. Sybel his wife who died in his Countrys service on Dorchester Hill Octr. 22d. 1776
Aged 17 years one month & 22 days.
113 This Stone consecrated to the memory of Madam JANE ROBBINS consort of the late Revd Dr Robbins who languished from his death 30th June 1799 till 12th September 1800 when in the 60th year of her age She commenced her inseparable union with her much beloved Husband and her God is erected by the Piety of her afflicted children.
Unfading hope when life’s last embers burn, When soul to soul and dust to dust return, Heav’n to thy charge resigns the awful hour Oh, then thy Kingdom comes immortal Power.
114 Here lies the Body of John Bowers the first Born & only son of Mr John Bower and Mrs Lydia his wife who was drouned in a tan pit Augst 24th 1776 Aged 3 Years 3 months & 6 days.
Youth’s foreward slips Death soonest Nips.
115 Memento mori In memory of Aaron Bowers, son of Mr. John Bowers & Mrs Lydia his wife, who was instantlykill’d by a stock of boards Sept 12 1791. AEt 2 yrs & 10 mon Parents dear your idols all take down. Lest God should still upon you frown.
116 Abel Lawrence d. 1770 Groton, MA Memento mori HERE lies Inter’d the Remains of ABEL Lawrence Esqr: son of ye late Col Wm Lawrence & Susanna his wife. Being formed by ye GOD of ye Spirits of all flesh with Superiour intallectual abilities, he was Called forth in Early life to the mannagement of publick bussiness, and acquitted himself with honour. he was for Several years a member of ye General Court, a Justice of ye peace; he was affable in his Disposition when he saw any in Distress he felt for them & was ready to Releive them to the utmost of his power. Beleiving a state of immortality, he endavoured to secure happiness therein, by the Exercise of Repentance towards GOD & faith in Christ. after patiently Endureing a long and distressing illness, he submitted to the Stroke of all Conquering death on the 20th of September AD 1770 Anno AEtatis 41
117 Silas Barron d. 1766 Groton, MA Here lies the Body of Silas Barron, son of Mr. Silasparker Barron & Mrs. Abigail his wife, who died of the 108 Convulsion fit Augt 7th AD 1766. Aged 3 weeks and 1 Day.
118 Mary Eaton, 1817, Haverhill, MA SACRED may this marble long remain, the jut tribute of a huba(n)d’s affection, to the memory of MRS. MARY EATON, wife of FRANCIS EATON ESQ who was hurried from this life by the rapid ravages of a Puerperal Fever, on the 15 day of Feb. AD. 1817. AEt. 31. She left an excellent example in all The various relations of Wife, Mother, Sister, Daughter, Neighbor, Friend, and Christian. 96 To the Memory of Mr JACOB WALKER who respected by the Brave, Beloved of his Country’s Friends Dear to his Relations, while manfully defending the Laws & Liberties of the Commonwealth, NOBLY FELL by the impious hand of Treason & Rebellion, upon the 17th February AD 1787 in the XXXII Year of his Age. Citizen passing drop a tear And dare to imitate the BRAVE.
Optimism Abuse
PG was spending a hot summer afternoon indoors. As background noise for multi tasking, he found a video discussion about optimism. The positivity police have harassed PG about negative attitude for years and years. Maybe listening to this discussion will help.
One of the talkers is a lady named Tali Sharot, promoting a book, The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain. She is an academic, at University College London. She does studies about, er, ah, something. In one study, “we had people imagine medical conditions, headache, break your arm, and so on… signalling how bad you thought that was going to be.”
One way to get a headache is to listen to this BHTV discussion. Dr. Sharot is talking on the phone, and the sound is horrible. All the optimism in the world is not going to make her voice any more pleasant. Then she starts to talk about the choices people have to make in these studies. Should I take a job in London, or in Paris? Should I take a vacation in Greece, or in Thailand? PG began to suspect that the target audience did not include him.
Some of the amazon reviews are not kind. not for me June 11, 2011 Patricia R. Andersen “redheaded booklover” (MD USA) This review is based on what I have seen and experienced. It is entirely possible that I just know cranky and depressed people, but somehow I don’t think so. But I did have the “irrational optimism” that the longer I read this book, the better I would like it. Needless to say, I didn’t. … The book doesn’t work for me. Other people might enjoy it, but I did not. I’d like to get back the time I feel that I have wasting by reading this book. I would not recommend this book to anyone, but again, your mileage may varry.
Compltete jibberish July 31, 2011 larry white (Bryan, OH USA) C is completel jibberish and not backed by facts ir reason. The author has failed to deliver scientific backup for her claims. No wonder we sre a mess as a country. She claims obama is optimistic? We are all optimistic when we are getting our way but roadblocks hae shown obama to be a very ugly angry man. I have requested a refund
Out of a misguided sense of fairness, PG decided to listen to a TED talk, Tali Sharot: The optimism bias. The lady is good at sales. The sound of the TED talk is much better than the BHTV discussion.
The only trouble is the content of the talk. PG made it through 12 minutes of an 18 minute talk. Dr. Sharot throws questionable ideas out, then moves on to the next faulty assumption. Little evidence for her claims is offered. She uses misleading studies and statements. Evidently, Dr. Sharot is optimistic that people will believe what she says.
An example is cancer. PG lost both parents to this condition. This is an emotional subject. PG suspects that talk about an “average likelihood of suffering from cancer” is both meaningless and cruel. Anyone who knows how statistics can be manipulated, also knows that “average” is a weasel word. If you do contract cancer, your chances of suffering are close to 100%
This is her closing paragraph. It is edited, out of mercy for those with better things to do than read blogs. It is helpful that penguins are an exotic species. Few listeners know much about penguins. “Because if you’re one of these pessimistic penguins up there who just does not believe they can fly, you certainly never will… But if you’re an optimistic penguin who believes they can fly, but then adjusts a parachute to your back just in case things don’t work out exactly as you had planned, you will soar like an eagle, even if you’re just a penguin.” Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.
Joni Part Two
Joni Mitchell gave am interview recently to a Canadian Broadcaster. She is famously Canadian. The chat was in her California living room, which is littered with her paintings. Many of the paintings are things like Saskatchewan at forty below. Mrs. Mitchell alternates between painting and music, which tend to balance her cigarette fueled mind.
The CBC interview is paired with a more formal chat in Toronto. She could not smoke during the Toronto interview. The Toronto interviewer is just a bit smarter than Jian Ghomeshi, who endured the second hand smoke in California. Mr. Ghomeshi said things like “The song “Woodstock” defined a generation.” Mrs. Mitchell was in a New York City hotel room that famous weekend.(Spell check suggestion for Jian Ghomeshi: Joan Shoeshine)
There are some juicy quotes. Art is short for artificial. When listening to Joni songs, you should look at yourself, and not at her. Free love was just a gimmick for the men to get laid. False modesty is pointless. Sylvia Plath was a liar, or maybe it was Anne Sexton. (James Dickey said that Sylvia Plath was the Judy Garland of American letters.)
A fearsome foursome gets in the game. Someone screamed, on a live album. “Joni, you have more flash than Mick Jagger, Richard Nixon, or Gomer Pyle combined!.” Years later, the fan introduced himself to Mrs. Mitchell.
The conversation mentioned Bob Dylan. He is from Northern Minnesota, and not quite Canadian. Apparently, Mrs. Mitchell kicked up a fuss with some comments in 2010. ” Bob is not authentic at all. He’s a plagiarist, and his name and voice are fake. Everything about Bob is a deception. We are like night and day, he and I. … Grace [Slick] and Janis Joplin were [sleeping with] their whole bands and falling down drunk, and nobody came after them!”
Did Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell ever tune up together? Joan Baez, a similarly named contemporary, is well known for dating Mr. Zimmerman. Ms. Baez did sing at Woodstock.
Mrs. Mitchell doesn’t exactly take back her comments about Bob Dylan. ““I like a lot of Bob’s songs, though musically he’s not very gifted. He’s borrowed his voice from old hillbillies. He’s got a lot of borrowed things. He’s not a great guitar player. He’s invented a character to deliver his songs. Sometimes I wish that I could have that character — because you can do things with that character. It’s a mask of sorts.”
In a kill the messenger moment, Mrs. Mitchell lashed out at the interviewer from the 2010 piece. It is odd, since he didn’t ask any trick questions. Black and white transcripts are tough to deny. “The interviewer was an asshole.” (The body part is bleeped.) “I hate doing interviews with stupid people, and this guy’s a moron” “His IQ is somewhere between his shoe size and (unintelligible)”.
The troublesome 2010 interview was conducted with John Kelly, a Joni Mitchell tribute artist. “JK: Drag does have a power, though — that netherworld of a thing you can’t quite know, which makes people nervous. JM: Drag wasn’t always counterculture. In his memoirs, Nixon talked about the Harvard and Yale men in power who would put on these plays where they dress like women, and Milton Berle did a kind of “hairy drag.” Becoming a gay thing made drag go underground.” Did Mick Jagger and Gomer Pyle ever do drag with Richard Nixon?
Be Kind To Your Enemy
Did Jesus say to “Love your enemy”? Some believe this, and do it. Some claim to believe this, and practice the opposite. There are others who claim to love their enemies, but you have to understand what they mean by it. It can be very confusing.
PG went to a source for documentation. Oh, the blessed conjunction of copy paste with public domain. When PG entered enemy (singular) in the search engine, 100 verses came up. When the request was made plural (enemies), 237 entries popped up. The last mention of enemies is Revelation 11:12 “And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.” Loving your enemies does not include bringing them to heaven with you. There is also the star of the show.
Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;.
There is scholarly debate about what Jesus did, or did not, say. The words available to modern man have been copied by hand, edited, translated, and interpreted. PG does not know Aramaic from Alabama. Like anyone else, PG can only read and listen, and think for himself.
In a sense it does not matter what Jesus “really” said. The cult of Jesus Worship is going to believe what it wants. More important, it is going to practice what it wants. As far as the difference between what Jesus “really” said and what his believers say and do…they can explain.
What follows is a humble suggestion. Maybe the translators and scribes got it wrong. Maybe Jesus did not say to love your enemy. Maybe what Jesus said was to show kindness to everyone. This is a practice thing, rather than a belief thing.
It is not as much fun to be nice to someone, as it is to scream about life after death. Kindness does not need to be justified by a quote from a magic book. You just need to do it.
Pictures are from Gwinnett County. This is a repost.
101 Ways To Say Death Part Four
In 2008, a blogger started a series, 101 Ways to Say “Died”. It focused on epitaphs from New England cemeteries. Most of the headstones used were carved before 1825. The series has gone past 101, and is up to 118 now. If you look at the site, you see links to the individual parts. That is the number before the epitaph. Some have been skipped. The VPI site has photographs of many of the headstones used here. HT to Twenty Two Words. Pictures by Chamblee54. Parts one, two, and three have been published.
75 Sacred to the Memory of Amasa Brainard Ir Son of Lieut Amasa & Mrs Jedidah Brainard who receivd a Mortal wound on his head by the falling of a weight from the Bell on Sunday ye 22nd of Apl. 1798 as he was about to enter the Church to attend on divine worship who Departed this life April 27th in ye 20th Year of his Age In the midst of life we are in death.
76 IN MEMORY of Mr. PHENEHAS Son of Mr. THOMAS & Mrs. MARY BURNHAM, who died TRYUMPHINGLY, in hops of a goyful RESURRECTION,
Dec. ye. 22nd. AD: 1776 in ye. 23,d Year of his Age.
78 Desire Bull, d. 1791 Newport, Rhode Island Sacred to the Memory of Mrs. DESIRE relict of the late Capt NATHAN BULL Senr who after a faithful discharge of the duty asigned her in this state of labour & trial left it on the 9th of July 1791 aged 76 years.
79 SACRED to the memory of LEVI AE 26 & NATHANIEL AE 23, Sons of Mr. James & Mrs. Joanna Marshall, whose deaths, together with those of Sherburne Chase of Litchfield, N.H. and John Ives of Sudbury were occasioned by the explosion of the Powder Mill in Chelmsford, Dec. 5, 1820. They were pleasant in their lives, And in their deaths they were not divided. My age’s hope my youthful boast My soul’s chief blessing and my pride, In one sad moment all were lost When Levi and Nathaniel died. Levi Marshall and John Ives were instantly killed, Sherburne Chase & Nathaniel Marshall survived, the former 44, the latter 24 hours.
80 Here Lyes ye Remains of ye Revnd. Mr. SAMUEL ANGIER. Descended From ye Most Famous Dr. AMES & Allied to yt Larned President & Divine Mr. URIAN OAKES by Marring His Only Daughtr. He was Maney Years ye Deligent Pastor of ye Church of Christ in REHOBATH, Removed Thence to ye Pastoral Charge Of a Church in WATERTOW Whare He Faithfully Managed that Trust Till His Translation to ye Temple Above Which was Janry. 21st 1718/19 AEtats. 65
81 Here Lyes Inter’d ye Body of ye Much Respected Doctor Benjamin Wheate Son to Doctor, Samuel Wheate of Cambridge New England, Who after a Laborious Life Spent to Sarve Mankind Resigned his Mortal Life In ye full hope & Expectation of a better in ye Future World;
Dyed Janr, 27th 1758 in ye 49th year of his Age.
82 Here lyes Interr’d ye Body of Deacon NATHANIEL STOW Call’d to His Office Octo. 4th & to His Reward Decr. 15th 1737 AEtatis 40.
83 Erected in memory of Mr. CALEB CHURCH who in health was instantly arrsted by Death
Sept. 30th. 1825. Aged 67.
84 Erected in Memory of CAPT. ISAAC TOMPKINS, aged 27 years and DAVIS S. TOMPKINS aged 19 years, sons of Mr. Benjamin Tompkins and Deborah his wife. They sailed from Norfolk, Va. Aug. 24. 1826. in the brig MARY-ELIZA, bound to Antigua and have never since been heard of.
85 Betsey Simmons AE. 84 yrs. Gone Home. Little Compton, RI
86 Here Sleep The Remains of Mrs. Elizabeth Fernald Wife of Mr. Nathanl. W. Fernald, & daughter of Capt. Nathanl. Melcher, who resigned this life, in calm and humble hope of heaven October 5th. 1809, Aged 36 Years. Kind husband, children, parents, friends, When here you rest your eye; Or pensive tread this hallow’d ground, Remember, you must die.
87 Sacred to the memory of Mrs. Mary Jackson, Relict of the late Hall Jackson Esqr. M.D. who with a comfortable hope of entering into rest was released from a long series of uncommon pain and infirmity, which she bore with singular patience and fortitude, March 30thm 1805. AEtat 62. Mary Jackson, Portsmouth, NH, 1805 Posted by Caitlin GD Hopkins at 7:27 AM
88 In Memory of Miss RUTHE LYMAN who was possessed of many amiable qualities, the joy of her parents, the delight of her connexions and beloved of all : if youth, if virtue deserve a Tear, reader, drop it here when the engraving of this Stone inform you when she left her weeping friends in the 23d year of her age June 22d 1785.
89 Sacred to the Memory of MR. RICHARD TAPPAN, long a worthy ruling Elder of the presbyterian Church, in this Town: who finished a well tried Life, of godliness and honesty, sweetly took his flight to his Redeemer’s arms and gently laid his hoary Head to rest beneath this mournful Turf on the 27th of April in the Year of our Lord 1785 AEtat 77.
this monumental Stone was erected by his weeping Widow and Children
90 Nathan Holt, Peabody, MA, 1792 In memory of the Rev’d NATHAN HOLT AM pastor of the 2d. church in Danvers, who rested from his labors Augt. 2d. 1792 in the 68th year of his age & 34th of his ministry. Piety, benevolence, integrity, & prudence were prominent features in his character as a man, & a minister. He lived beloved, & died lamented. Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace.
91 In memory of CAESAR Here lies the best of slaves Now turning into dust; Caesar the Ehiopian craves A place among the just. His faithful soul has fled To realms of heavenly light, And by the blood that Jesus shed Is changed from Black to White Jany. 15 he quitted the stage in the 77th year of his age. 1780
92 In Memory of Mr. NATHL. PARKS, AEt. 19, who on 21st, March 1794. being out a hunting and conceal’d in a ditch was casually shot by Mr. LUTHER FRINK
93 Here lies the Body of MISS Electa Hunt Dautr of MR JOHN & MRS ESTHER HUNT Her amiable acomplishments endeared her to all her acquaintance After a short illness she was cut down in the bloom of life Janry 24th, 1776
94 On the 12th Day of May 1768, the House of Mr. William Arms was Consumed by Fire And his Wife Mrs. Rebecca Arms unhappily parish’d in the Flames in the 70th Year of her Age. She was one who Feared God & Lov’d the Redeemer, was a singular Example of Piety, who by a devout walk was a Bright Ornament to the Christian Religion, And her Death Great Gain.
Weak Tweak
Kelly Clarkston likes to sing “Whatever doesn’t kills you makes you stronger.” This might be the only thing she agrees with Friedrich Nietzsche. This concept is good for books, and hit singles, but it doesn’t always work in the real world. What doesn’t kill a person might indeed make that human stronger. However, when you attack a weak idea, sometimes you make it less powerful.
Before the invasion of Babylon, Dick Cheney appeared on “Meet the Press.” “the people of Iraq … will welcome as liberators the United States”. A few hundred thousand dead Iraqis later, very few people believe this. The weak idea is dead, just like the American economy.
The quote appears to be genuine. Mr. Nietzsche wrote a book, Ecce homo, Wie man wird, was man ist, with the chapter, “Why I Am So Wise.” At some point he says “was ihn nicht umbringt, macht ihn stärker” “What does not kill him, makes him stronger. ” Mr. Nietzsche also wrote “Gott ist tot! Gott bleibt tot! Und wir haben ihn getötet.” “God is dead ! God remains dead! And we have killed him.”
Zealot
Most of you have heard about the Fox News interview with Reza Aslan. It is helpfully embedded above. Dr. Aslan is promoting a book, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth.
The interview created a fuss. It was a win/win situation. Fox News is seen as defenders of the Christian faith. Dr. Aslan sells books. The New York Times has a quote. ““I’ll be perfectly honest — I’m thrilled at the response that people have had to the interview. You can’t buy this kind of publicity.”
In the Fox/henhouse matchup, Dr. Aslan emphasizes his multiple degrees. It is true that he is well educated. It is also true that his day job, at the University of California, Riverside, is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing. (Appalling visual warning) Dr. Aslan has “a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa, where he was named the Truman Capote Fellow in Fiction.“
There is a more civilized interview with NPR. It turns out that Dr. Aslan left Iran as a child. This was during the Khomeini revolution.The departure was a hectic affair. When Dr. Aslan was fifteen, he was “born again”. He spent a few years as an aggressive Jesus worshiper. At some point the Christian thing faded away, and Dr. Aslan went back to Islam. Whatever.
Many say that the book has few original ideas about Jesus. In other words, the book is old ideas, with a new marketing twist. Since Christianity may be the most successful marketing effort in history, this is somehow fitting. It is also beside the point. Jesus worshipers are more interested in the death of Jesus, than in his life. Zealot should have little impact on marketing the scheme for life after death.
There is a certain synchronicity in the current conflict. PG has wondered lately, why was someone so mad at Jesus that an execution was necessary? In other words, instead of What Would Jesus Do, the question should be What Did Jesus Do? According to Dr. Aslan, Jesus made trouble for the Roman rulers of Palestine. When it came time to compile the Bible, it was convenient to blame the execution on the Jews. There is also the possibility Jesus committed a more devious crime, which was dutifully covered up by the Bible committee.
The myth vs. history angle gets worked over. Many feel that the nativity story is not completely accurate. However, for many years, people were concerned about the birth of the Messiah, not the details about where the delivery occurred. As stated on NPR, “the truth of that story was more important than the facts of it.” This kind of talk makes PG dizzy. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.
White Student Union
Some kids, with too much free time, have started a White Student Union at Georgia Straight State University. They sent a press release to Creative Loafing and the fishwrapper. Both responded, to the slow news day crisis, by reporting on the group. CL was in high octane liberal umbrage mode. “WSUs, on the other hand, are a reactionary movement born out of the festering sentiment that minorities have gained too much of an edge due to affirmative action, campus diversity, and … immigration reform.”
CL tosses a curious quote into the mix. It is from a discussion of the movie Fruitvale Station. “We don’t yet live in the world the Supreme Court thought we did when it struck down parts of the Voting Rights Act and weakened the case for affirmative action. More than ever, we live in a time of racism without racists, just racist laws, racist policies, and racist ideas.”
That same feature has a dandy quote from our half white POTUS. “Am I wringing as much bias out of myself as I can? Am I judging people as much as I can based on not the color of their skin but the content of their character? That would be, I think, an appropriate exercise in the wake of this tragedy.”
At first glance, it seems like WUSS WSU does not have much of a chance. GSU is mostly a school of people who work their way through college, and don’t have time for flakey organizations. Most white people don’t spend much time contemplating their caucasianality. This may, or may not, be a function of white privilege. Others say that WSUs are bastions of white privilege. When you live in a time of racism without racists, it is easy to get confused. Pictures today are from Gwinnett County.
Lies Darn Lies Statistics
In a recent survey, 78.7% percent of the respondents agree with the statement “Statistics can be trusted to give an accurate description of the facts”.
Statistics are a part of modern life. Numbers tell us who is expected to win, who is expected to lose, and how many men wear a tie. Statistics are often misleading, or an outright lie. And yet, people believe statistics. (The middle three letters of believe are lie).
Talk about statistics is little better. Mark Twain gets the credit/blame for popularizing the phrase, “lies, damn lies, and statistics”. According to Wikipedia , Mr. Clemens may have been mistaken. “Twain popularized the saying in “Chapters from My Autobiography”, published in the North American Review in 1906. “Figures often beguile me,” he wrote, “particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: ‘There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.'”…”The term was popularised in the United States by Mark Twain (among others), who attributed it to the 19th Century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881): “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” However, the phrase is not found in any of Disraeli’s works and the earliest known appearances were years after his death.”
Mr. Twain was in the twilight of his career, and angry at aggressive militarism. Why would he would give credit/blame for a phrase to a conservative Prime Minister of England, dead twenty five years?
When PG took English101, the teacher was an inspiring lady named Ann Peets. Between stories of Faulkner and comma splices, she contributed this gem. ” The best way to win an argument is to use statistics. The best way to use statistics is to make them up. ”
In 1954, a bestselling book came out, “How to Lie with Statistics .” The premise was that the pros knew the tricks, and the public has a right to self defense. There are numerous examples of the ways that you can lie with numbers just like you lie with words. Calculator lips don’t move.
One word to watch out for is average . The three most popular types are mean, median, and mode. Mean is the one most people think of as average…you add all the figures up, and divide by the number of entries. In median, you line up the entries in numeric value, and choose the entry in the middle. In mode, the number that the most entries identify with is the average. Any one of these three can be called average, and yet none might describe the typical entry.
HT to Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub for attributing the LDL&S quote to Mr. Disraeli. MFB was talking about global warming denial, a cesspool of lies and statistics. Pictures are from The Library of Congress. These pictures were taken by Ansel Adams at a relocation camp for Japanese Amercans during World War II. Pictures of Mark Twain were recently posted. This is a repeat repost.
Chamblee54 
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