How Not To Oppose Same Sex Marriage

This one is destined to become a classic.
Ran across this gem here. 
Of course, the gentleman probably thought that he was doing his community a great favor, and perhaps there was a sort of...preparation, for this obviously important event.
But hearing his testimony, one can't help but wonder what kind of reference materials he consulted.

Not an approved Biology textbook, that's for sure.
Maybe he dreamed this up, after a really memorable night?
Who knows?   
Watch and listen:

Here is the text of his testimony:

My name is Mike Frey. I speak as a concerned Minnesotan father and husband. And the thing about same sex marriage is that, people who are married, do have sex. And when same-sex people are married, they do have sex, there’s something called sodomy. Sodomy defined in Minnesota is sex by or with the mouth or through the anus. When there is ejaculation into a vagina, there is a barrier there, as in your packet it states there, of a cellular tissue that doesn’t allow the sperm — that has an enzyme at the head of it, to penetrate the blood flow. It is designed to go to the egg — that enzyme is designed to burn the outside membrane of the egg cell — go inside the egg, and then deposit the DNA. We call that conception.

When ejaculation occurs inside of a colon it is a highly absorbent material, the cells do not have a barrier for the sperm and those enzymes to enter into the bloodflow. When the enzymes enter into the bloodflow and a continued, prolonged, um, environment to that happens these enzymes into bloodflow it causes what we know as AIDS — acquired immune deficiency syndrome. AIDS of course brings on common diseases, colds and things, and it magnifies them to a point where it’s unhealthy. Not only does it strengthen the disease within the carrier of AIDS — the person that has a destroyed immune system — but it also strengthens the disease that can be spread to the society at large.

Not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, this guy. His knowledge of anatomy, biology, and homosexuality is at par with my dog's knowledge of quantum physics.

Contrary to his claim, sperm cell does not turn into an HIV virus. 

And I don't think marriage is all about the sex. Surely there are other reasons? Like, oh I don't know, love?

Besides, people have been having sex outside marriage ever since people figured out that  genitals have other uses, besides being a conduit for pee. 

I know this is probably a shocker--but get this:  homosexual men are not the only people who engage in anal sex! I "came upon" incontrovertible evidence that straight women engage in it, too.

Shocking, right?! I know this because I did a research last night--with the help of Google, of course. 

What can I say? I am a very thorough guy. 

Which is more than I can say for some people (sniff).

Surprisingly, it appears that Mr. Frey is not opposed to marriage between two women; he only mentioned sex that involved spermatozoa. 

Maybe two women going at it does not trouble him as much as two men doing the hanky-panky.

Can't say I blame him.

Because of this testimony, he only reinforces the stereotype of a misinformed (I am being kind here--I did not use the words idiot and ignorant) bigot.

If I were opposed to same-sex marriage, I would probably be switching sides, after hearing this man.

He is not someone you could point to and shout, "Hey, this guy's on my side! Boy, having him on my side makes me feel really confident!"

Good luck on his career as an Internet meme. 

The Iron Empire

The Hittites were an ancient people who built an empire that lasted for about a thousand years, from around 1340 to 1200 BCE in what is now modern Turkey and parts of northern Syria. 

An Indo-European people, the Hittites were originally from around the Caspian Sea who later moved into southern Turkey around 2000 BC. Unlike other Semitic people who had lived in the area, the Hittites rode horses, and even built wagons and chariots.   

Depiction of a Hittite chariot (from an Egyptian relief)

Most information about the Hittites came from the royal library discovered in 1906 in the ruins of Khattushas, the ancient capital of the Hittite Empire, near Bogaz Koi in Turkey. The library—one of the largest and oldest to be discovered—yielded 10,000 clay tablets containing a wealth of information about the empire, written in cuneiform. Archaeologists were able to gather information from these and other documents and from the remains of their great fortified cities.

Around 3000 BC, the Hittites, riding in horses and chariots and armed with bronze weapons, swept down from the north and swiftly conquered the inhabitants of Asia Minor who were mostly farmers and herdsmen. By 2000 BC, the areas conquered by them were united into a powerful empire by a king named Labarna. This empire lasted until 1650 BC. Another Hittite empire (called by historians the “New Hittite Kingdom”) arose in 1450 BC, more powerful than the previous one.

The Hittites learned to process iron around 1500 BCE and were known to be the first to use iron extensively. Their iron mines on the Black Sea represented the world supply at the time. This metal revolutionized weaponry, and was  instrumental in expanding their empire.

The smelting of iron was a secret closely guarded by the Hittites, who believed that the metal was a gift from the gods. 

But they could not keep the secret for very long. 

The demise of the empire, which flourished during the Bronze Age, helped usher in the region's Iron Age.  

Like other invaders of Mesopotamia before them, the Hittites also adopted the religion, literature, and laws of the area, effectively continuing the heritage of the old Sumerian culture. 

Extent of the Hittite Empire (in blue)

The Hittite government may have been the first constitutional monarchy. The Pankus, an assembly of noblemen that monitored the king’s activities, probably had the power to remove, and install a new king. The king was the supreme ruler, supreme judge, commander-in-chief of the army, and the high priest. Cities and provinces throughout the empire were governed by an appointee of the king, which was usually a member of the royal family.

The boundaries of the Hittite empire included wide grassy plains, mountains, seacoast, river valleys, and deserts. Grain, olives, and grapes were grown in the fertile valleys of the western region of the empire. In the more mountainous region, raising stock was important. In Taurus and southwest Anatolia, copper, silver, iron, and gold mines were to be found. The metalworking techniques of the Hittites were the most advanced during this time. Trade was also an important part of the empire’s economy, as Anatolia not only connects Asia to Europe; it also straddles the sea route to the Mediterranean. 

The Hittite state was feudal; that is, vassals were awarded lands to manage and provided with serfs in exchange for military service. Life in this society was closely regulated by law. The price of agricultural lands and products were fixed. So, too, were the wages of free men and slaves. Hittite laws were not as harsh as the Babylonian laws; criminals like thieves usually were made to pay heavy fines. The death penalty was reserved for serious crimes, like rape and murder.

Family life in Hittite society was the normal patriarchal. The father is the head of the family, and he can give his daughter away in marriage after the bridegroom has paid a price for the bride. An interesting characteristic of the Hittite society is the prominent role played by women, especially the queen. Queens in the Hittite empire could be included in treaties concluded with other kingdoms. One, Puduhepa, wife of King Hattusilis III, even had correspondence with other rulers. Women in Hittite society were highly respected and had an important part.   

Puduhepa (right) makes an offering to the goddess Hepat 

Hittite society had many officials, men and women, both secular and religious, but how they learned their trade historians had not yet fully established. However, in most cases professions during this era were learned in practice. Occupations such as that of the blacksmith, carpenter, or potter were passed from father to son. This kind of education could cost nothing, but what if a father or mother wanted his/her child to be trained in a certain profession by somebody else? Apparently, cases of this sort had happened often. Historians had found in the Hittite law code a stipulation that fixed the payment for the professional.    

The cuneiform script at this time was a collection of some 350 signs. Teaching people to read and write it must have been a major branch of education. The scribe, too, had to learn to write in the Akkadian language, which was the language of diplomacy then. A school of some sort must have existed to train a highly skilled professional such as a scribe. 

Many of the deities of the Sumerians and the Babylonians were adopted by the Hittites. An unusual characteristic of the Hittites was that they tend to accept the gods and goddesses of the people they had conquered. As a result, their religion was a mixture of the religions of the people that lived in Anatolia and in other parts of the empire. They took care not to offend their various gods, and built numerous shrines to honor these deities. 

Teshub, Hittite god of the sky, weather , and storm

The religious center of the empire was The Great Temple at Hattusas, below the hill on which the palace stood. The king also served as the high priest, which helped in unifying the different cultures that made up the whole empire. The Hittite religion not only tolerated other beliefs but accepted other gods as well. As a result, the Hittites had many gods (polytheistic). “The thousand gods of the Hatti” is an invocation often found by archaeologists in the Hittite state documents. Many of their gods remain unidentified, but the chief gods were the storm god, Teshub, and the sun goddess.  

The last half of the 14^th century BCE saw the empire in frequent conflict with the Egyptians over Syria, which culminated in a great battle fought in Kadesh, Syria. The result of this battle between the Hittites, under King Muwatali (reigned from around 1315-1296 BC), and the Egyptians, under Ramses II, was inconclusive. Neither was the clear victor, although Egypt claimed a great victory. As a result of this war, a truce was concluded between the two kingdoms--the oldest recorded treaty in history.

These wars, however, took a toll on the empire. Add to that the coups d’ etat, revolt, plague, poor harvests, and weak leaders, the Hittite empire was severely unprepared for the subsequent invasion that occurred about 1200 BC. A group of nomadic tribes, called the “Sea People” in ancient Egyptian records, put an end to the empire that existed for a thousand years. The capital city, Hattusas, was burnt to the ground; its people either killed or fled. 

If you want to know more about this remarkable people, watch this BBC documentary, on "The Dark Lords of Hattusha":

A Lady's Cab Ride

I've come across this many times in the past, this bit about a NY cab driver and a ride he gave to an anonymous elderly lady. 
Since I am not dead inside (yet), this story never fails to make me tear up, every time. 

Aesop was right when he said that, "No act of kindness, no matter small, is ever wasted."

It is so easy to make a difference in someone's else's life. People should do this more--do at least one random act of kindness everyday.

Here is the story: 

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. "Just a minute," answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

"Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It's nothing," I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated."

"Oh, you're such a good boy," she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"

"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.

"Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice."

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. "I don't have any family left," she continued in a soft voice. "The doctor says I don't have very long." I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

"What route would you like me to take?" I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

"How much do I owe you?" She asked, reaching into her purse.

"Nothing," I said.

"You have to make a living," she answered.

"There are other passengers," I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

"You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you."

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

                                                                                                         -Kent Nerburn

Mr. Nerburn's website is here.

The Call of the Quiet Forest

Aokigahara Forest is a quiet, hauntingly beautiful woodland located in the northwestern base of Mt. Fuji in Japan.

The trees in this forest are so dense they block the sound of the wind; wildlife is also conspicuously absent. The forest is eerily quiet.

For many Japanese, Aokigahara (“Sea of Trees”) is the perfect place to die.

More than five hundred people have chosen this place to commit suicide. Seventy-eight people killed themselves here in 2002; in 2003, the figure climbed to a hundred. 

Local authorities subsequently stopped publicizing the number of bodies found in the forest.

Since 1970, authorities conduct yearly body search. The search party includes volunteers and journalists.

As the forest is dense, nobody knows how many more bodies are left undiscovered.

If you are morbid enough, you can look at pictures at some of the bodies found here (warning: disturbing images).

A writer, Seicho Matsumoto, published a novel entitled “Tower of Wave” in which a couple killed themselves in this forest. People have surmised that the macabre trend began soon after.

But this book did not start the trend of suicide in the death forest; Aokigahara’s connection with suicide started well before the publication of this book. Legend has it that this forest is haunted by angry spirits of those left here to die.

Why did those people chose this place, one might ask. Authorities have no clear explanation, however.

Many of those who died here chose hanging as the way to go, so search parties routinely see corpses high up in trees, swaying, hanging by their necks, like some terrible fruit borne by some terrible tree.

Authorities have now put up signs to dissuade suicide—“Think of Your Family!” reads one. Another says “Life is Precious! Please Reconsider”. 

There are also signs that have contact details for the Suicide Prevention Association. But for a people known for their reticence, many would probably just ignore such proffered help. A number of those who enter Aokigahara Forest to commit suicide—as one visitor speculated—most probably “have never spoken to anyone about their feelings.”

The opening shot of a documentary film about this forest is of an abandoned car on the road near the forest. The car has been there for months, says the narrator. 

The driver, whoever he is, answered the siren call of the Quiet Forest.

   

Age Does Matter

It was the Reverend James Ussher (1581-1656) who calculated the Earth’s age as only 6,000 years old. This would make the Earth a veritable infant, as planets go.

However, science puts Earth’s age as around 4.54 billion years; creationists, however, don’t let anything as trivial as scientific facts get in the way of how they view the world around them.  

That’s why Pat Robertson’s admission that James Ussher was not “inspired” by the Lord when he calculated the Earth’s age—in short, he does not believe that the Earth is only 6,000 years old—is surprising. This is contrary to most religious fundamentalist’s views that Earth was created in 4000 BC (around the time urbanization was starting in Mesopotamia).

Pat Robertson also said that Christians should not “cover up” scientific evidence that Earth is, in fact, billions of years old.   

Look, I know that people will probably try to lynch me when I say this, but Bishop Ussher wasn’t inspired by the Lord when he said that it all took 6,000 years. It just didn’t. You go back in time, you’ve got radiocarbon dating. You got all these things and you’ve got the carcasses of dinosaurs frozen in time out in the Dakotas.They're out there. So, there was a time when these giant reptiles were on the Earth and it was before the time of the Bible. So, don't try and cover it up and make like everything was 6,000 years. That's not the Bible.

There you go, folks.

The Reverend James Ussher had put the Earth’s creation on October 23, 4004 BC (using the Julian Calendar). His calculations first appeared in 1650, when he published his work,  Annales veteris testamenti, a prima mundi origine deducti ("Annals of the Old Testament, deduced from the first origins of the world").

Young Earth Creationists, to this day, cite this as proof that Earth is only thousands of years old, and not billions. They also think that The Flintstones was a documentary (they think humans and dinosaurs co-existed). 

And Mightor was the prehistoric Caped Crusader 

But what effect Pat Robertson’s announcement regarding Earth’s age would be to other fundamentalists? Probably nothing. After all, it's not as if he renounced Biblical Creationism altogether.

In any case, there are a lot of creationists out there, not just the Young Earth Creationists (or the onomatopoeic-sounding YEC). There's the Old Earth Creationists, for one.

In the mean time, here are The Top 10 Claims Made By Creationists to Counter Scientific Theories:

One of the most challenging tasks for the modern day creationist to is reconcile the belief in a 6,000 year old Earth with the ever-growing mountain of scientific evidence pointing to a vastly different conclusion — namely a universe that's 13.5 billion years old and an Earth that formed 4.5 billion years ago. So, given these astoundingly dramatic discrepancies, biblical literalists and 'young Earth creationists' have had no choice but to get pretty darned imaginative when brushing science aside. Here are 10 arguments creationists have made to counter scientific theories.

1.      Humans and dinosaurs co-existed 

Quite obviously, creationists aren't able to gloss over the fact that dinosaurs existed. They are clearly a part of the fossil record. But in accordance with the the Bible, creationists insist that they lived contemporaneously to humans. And in fact, they say this explains why dragons play a prominent role in our mythological record. Moreover, creationists claim that human footprints have been found alongside dinosaur tracks at Paluxy, that a petrified hammer was found in Cretaceous rocks, and that some sandal footprints have been found alongside trilobites. Other theories suggest that the Great Flood shook up and redeposited the fossil record so that it appears that dinosaurs lived millions of years before humans arrived. Real evidence and proper interpretation of the fossil record, however, supports the idea that humans first emerged about 200,000 years ago — long after the demise of dinosaurs who went extinct 65 million years ago.

2.     Biological systems are too complex to have evolved

This is what biochemist Michael Behe refers to as irreducible complexity. He and other creationists complain that a complex biological system, what is comprised of many interacting parts, would cease to function properly in the event of any alteration. Proponents of intelligent design use this argument to claim that anything less than the complete form of a fully functional biological system (or organ) would not work at all — what would be catastrophically detrimental to an organism. In other words, all mutations have to be bad. The only way for an organism to evolve, the ID defenders say, is for God to guide the process every step of the way. This is silly, of course — organisms are not that fragile. And in fact, evolvability is an indelible aspect to life.

 Continue reading here.

The White Death, and Other Killers

The longest record for an officially confirmed sniper kill is held by British Corporal Craig Harrison. The feat occurred in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in November 2011.

Corporal Harrison killed two Taliban fighters (two consecutive shots!) at a distance of 8120 feet, or 2.47 kilometers. A third shot also sent a Taliban machine gunner straight into martyrdom.

Before that, the previous record for the longest kill was held by Corporal Rob Furlong of the Canadian Army. He sent to Islamic paradise an Al Qaeda fighter from 2.43 kilometers away in 2002 during Operation Anaconda, also in Afghanistan. 

At these distances, the bullets can take several seconds to reach their intended targets. 

Corporal Harrison used an Accuracy International L115A3 rifle for his record-breaking shot.

Like this one:

Corporal Furlong, on the other hand, used a Mcmillan TAC-50:

U.S. Navy Seal sniper Chris Kyle, in his autobiography “American Sniper,” states that his official confirmed kills is 160—more than any other American service member. Nicknamed Al Shaitan Ramadi (The Devil of Ramadi) by Iraqi insurgents, Chris Kyle’s longest shot was at 2100 yards (1.9 kilometers). He used one of these bad boys, a Mcmillan TAC 338:

Snipers have always been the most feared combatants in a battlefield. Stealthy, silent, cold-blooded hunters of men—every war has produced its own share of these highly-skilled, take-no-prisoner killers.

Carlos Hathcock,  Lyudmila Pavlichenko, Vasily Zaitsev, Jack Coughlin, Josef Allerberger—these are just some of the people whose exploits are now the stuff of legends, when it comes to sniping.

But one sniper that stands above them all is a diminutive hunter/farmer from Finland—Simo Hayha, a. k. a. “The White Death.”

Simo Hayha (December 17, 1905-April 1, 2002) joined the Finnish militia when he was 20 years old. He was a hunter and a farmer before becoming the world's deadliest sniper. 

During the Winter War (1939) between Finland and the Soviet Union, he was assigned as a sniper, and immediately began bagging a number of Russian soldiers on a daily basis that the Soviets began to feel alarmed. 

They sent a task force to look for him, but the White Death took them. They sent counter-snipers; Simo Hayha killed them all, too. On a 100-day period, he took out more than 500 enemies with his rifle. When they got near him, he used his submachine gun: almost 200 soldiers he killed this way.

And this was during winter, in temperatures 20-40 degrees Celsius below zero, in several feet of snow. 

To those Russians who faced him, he must have seemed like a mythical creature that lurked in the forests, invisible, killing them one by one.

Simo Hayha used his knowledge of the forest to his advantage. He would report for work each day, dressed completely in white, with enough food and a couple of clips of ammunition for the day—it was apparently all he needed—and picked off enemies unlucky enough to blunder into his killzone.

The White Death he was, indeed.

The Soviets tried firing artillery strikes in the general area  where Simo Hayha was supposed to be, hoping to get lucky. This failed to slow him down; he was the White Death, after all.

Finally, one soldier got lucky and shot Simo Hayha, hitting him in the lower left jaw. Half of his head was missing, according to the soldiers who picked him up.

You’d think that he’d die with such horrific wound, but no. He regained consciousness the day the Winter War ended, and was out of the hospital two weeks after getting half his face blown off.  

The White Death was credited with 505 officially confirmed sniper kills—the highest confirmed kills for any sniper. Some sources even put it at 546.

According to some estimate, his total kills stands at 706 Soviet soldiers.

So, what kind of sniper rifle did he use? What kind of telescopic sight it had? Well, he used these:

A Suomi K31 SMG, and a Finnish militia variant of Mosin-Nagant rifle with iron sights. 

Simo Hayha preferred iron sights because a telescopic sight would have made him a bigger target. 

Yes, the White Death did not need fancy telescopic sight; iron sights would do. Also, he preferred this rifle because it suited his 5 foot 3 inch-frame.

Simo Hayha died at age 96, a legend not only in his own country, but also a legend for the whole world.

And That's Just The Local News

...(T)he only thing left to do is shout -- not moan, or complain, but yell out at the top of your voice whatever it was you had to say. What you've never said before. What perhaps you don't even know till now--Jean Anouilh

Two news articles made me think of the quoted passage above.

First—“SC asked to declare cybercrime law illegal.” 

This bill—the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012—was passed in the Philippine Senate that Senator Guingona is trying to amend.
The article quoted Senator Guingona as saying, “Without a clear definition of the crime of libel and the persons liable, virtually any person can now be charged with a crime—even if you just like, retweet or comment on an online update or blog post containing criticisms.”

What is alarming is that the Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda agrees with the bill.
They find nothing wrong with it. 

Seriously.

Senator Tito Soto (the unapologetic plagiarizer nonpareil) apparently had a hand in the inclusion of libel in the Cybercrime bill; the good senator helpfully informed reporters that, “Libel is a crime. What do you think it is?”

What chutzpah!

A world of butthurt is what he must have felt against “netizens”—after all, if not for these people, his plagiarizing ways would not be exposed.
It’s because of them that the name sotto is now synonymous with copying other people’s works. At least here in this corner of the world. 

Payback time, you beeyatches!!

I can just picture him gloating.
And thanking the Good Lord that he has the power to punish those who dare criticize him. 

It did not occur to the senator and to the president and his people that censorship has never been effective in silencing critics, which, given the president’s background, is supremely ironic.
Two other senators, according to this article, are seeking to amend this breathtakingly stupid law. 

I hope they succeed, but I won’t bet on it.

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court—an appointee of the President—has publicly declared that her appointment is from God.
Whether she thinks Aquino is God Himself is anybody’s guess. 

No wonder these people think they can get away with anything.

Speaking of God, the second article is equally, if not more, revolting.
Behold:

Charismatic group rallies behind sacked ‘ivory’ priest

Besides being linked to the illegal ivory trade, the monsignor is also accused of molesting altar boys twenty years ago. The Vatican had in fact suspended him from his position in the Archdiocese of Cebu, even before his involvement in the ivory trade was exposed.

The molestation charges were denied by the monsignor, saying that it was in fact he who was seduced and raped by those nasty boys.

Words, they fail me.

True to the revolting nature of these news articles, we find that this religious “charismatic” group has been holding prayer vigils for the priest.

Maybe it's just me, but I could not muster an iota of sympathy for this priest.
A flaw in my character, I know.

The leader of this group was quoted in the article as saying that, “Personally, between 1,000 accusations and one word of Monsignor Cris [Garcia], I still believe in Monsignor Cris.”

Oy vey, as the Yiddish expression says.

This seems an appropriate time to lie down and assume the fetal position while sucking one’s thumb. 

Or ask Futurama's Professor Farnsworth if we could go with him: