To follow up on what not to name a church centre (from Dr. Jim) . . . how about what not to name a Christian blog? On a sidebar, the author offers one definition of a glory hole (a furnace used to make glass), but is perhaps unaware of another meaning. If you too are unaware of this other meaning, try spending a moment at the Urban Dictionary, your source for what the kids are calling things these days. In light of this, the first six words of the biblical quote following the blog’s title are particularly unfortunate.

Update (11/10/09): Just noticed that they changed the name. Probably a wise idea. I guess that answers the question of whether it was intentional.

Have you seen this little guy yet? Apparently some couple timed a photo in a nice national park picture and a squirrel “crashed” their nice shot. The image was shared on National Geographic’s webpage and has since become a phenomenon. People are photoshopping him into all kinds of scenes: historic moments, works of art, etc.

Apparently the Crasher Squirrel knew Jesus too.

Here’s the original shot:

Here’s the Crasher Squirrel at the Last Supper:

[HT: "Top 10 Crasher Squirrels [Pics]“]

I just thought that I would point you to Jim West’s post about Greg’s post about my post which references Julia’s post. This is a very pertinent discussion and I expect it to bear some ripe intellectual fruit.

I’m getting a chuckle out of the current unfolding story in PHD comics regarding humanities characters:

My Latin course at UCLA is taught by two very idiosyncratic teaching assistants with their own distinct senses of humor. It is amazing how a little bit of humor makes learning so much easier. Even if it’s cheesy. I find Alex particularly funny because he makes jokes at such unexpected moments and in such a wry way. The other day, as he was handing back assignments, one student noticed that Alex had a very large bug on the back of his pants. Another student exclaimed, “Woah! That’s a cockroach on your butt!” That student then swiped the large cockroach off Alex’s pants with a piece of paper and stomped it. After a moment of looking a bit stunned, Alex commented nonchalantly, “People had been telling me that I had a bug up my ass, but I didn’t think it was literal.”

Just today, we were discussing “auguries” as a translation and students were confused about its meaning (the readings of the flights of birds as a type of divination). Alex shared, “Well, it really is a word you should add to your vocabulary. It’s useful. When you’re deciding whether to go to North Campus or the Union, look up at the birds. If you want to know whether you should go for the salad bar or a burger and fries . . .” A student interjected, “I usually just follow the signs of my stomach.” Alex (calmly): “Well, this is another approach you can consider.”

The first story is irrelevant to the course, the second is connected. Both help boost class morale, which helps learning immensely.

I’m just reading through Josephus’ Against Apion and read this line:

There is the evidence which Apion should have considered, had he not himself been gifted with the mind of an ass and the impudence of the dog, which his countrymen are wont to worship. [2.85]

Beautiful, especially the last clause there. This statement comes after Josephus’ comment that Apion has not considered the appropriate sources and is ridiculous in his suggestion that the Jews’ have the head of an ass in their temple. Though I have seen some scholarly rhetoric get close to this, it sure would be fun to have people called out as having the “mind of an ass and the impudence of the dog.” Maybe it wouldn’t be very productive, but fun. Perhaps I will work it into my dissertation when I get there.

This is just for fun. Here are some Hesston students putting in their own lyrics to a popular song:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqbS25paRPM]

First rap song I’ve ever heard to use the term heilsgeschichte!

Signe Wilkinson / Philadelphia Daily News

HT: LA Times

I was listening to the radio program, “Chanukah: A Time for Schtick,” this evening and I heard a great story about a comedy trio of, well, a Muslim, a Mormon, and a Jew. They intentionally address religious stereotypes and misunderstandings. Some of the bits they played were great. The Mormon guy talks about the “rules” of the LDS church:

There are a lot of rules: you know, no drinking, no smoking, no premarital sex, no coffee… which does seem actually kinda weird. I mean, for God to say, “no coffee.” Kinda just tack it on like some sort of pork barrel legislation. It seems illogical, but “no coffee” is logical. Think about it: You can’t drink, you can’t smoke, you can’t have sex… why stay awake?

The Iranian-American Muslim woman talked about having troubles with her passport:

He takes out this big magnifying glass, he’s runnin’ it through these giant x-ray machines. I turn to him. I’m like, “What are you doing?” He goes, “I’m checking to see if your passport is fake.” If my passport were fake, do you really think I would write my birthplace as Iran?

You can listen to the whole “Chanukah: A Time for Schtick” program here. The bit about the comedy show, “A Muslim, a Morman, and a Jew Walk Into a Bar: The Comedy of Religion,” comes on about a quarter of the way through. You can check out their official webpage here. I feel like I should take a trip up to the bay area to check it out.

Breaking news from The Onion:

WASHINGTON, DC—According to a groundbreaking new study by the Department of Labor, working—the physical act of engaging in a productive job-related activity—may greatly increase the amount of work accomplished during the workday, especially when compared with the more common practices of wasting time and not working.

I imagine this could easily be applied to academic work as well as the business world.