"Chosen" by Benedict Jacka

(cover image from Amazon.com)

Chosen is the fourth volume in Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus urban fantasy series, and it might be the best yet. (My brief reviews of the first three novels are here.)

In this book, we finally learn the details of Verus's past, when he was apprenticed to a powerful Dark mage. This has been an important part of the series all along, but even Verus hasn't known everything about what happened back then, and we readers have only seen hints of it. Now we know, and it's not pretty.

Verus has been trying to put all that behind him, but it's not going to stay in the past. In this book, he's attacked by a group of young adepts - single-talent magic-users, who are often treated badly by full mages - led by the brother of a woman Verus helped abduct more than a decade previously.

These people are deadly dangerous, and they just won't stop. Verus can't talk his way out of this, but he doesn't want to kill them, either. (Their anger has plenty of justification, after all.) Of course, he doesn't want to die, himself, and he certainly doesn't want to put his friends in danger.

What do you do when there are no good options? Yeah, this is fantasy, but it's a good question, and in this book, we see Alex Verus struggling with it. He doesn't want to kill, and he certainly doesn't want to be killed, but he can't talk his way out of it, either. These young adepts are blind in their hatred.

Meanwhile, the whole book is one desperate struggle for survival after another. Alex Verus isn't a very powerful mage, not by his society's standards. He's a diviner (he can see the probabilities of possible futures), which makes him pretty much a one-trick pony. So I've worried that it might get old. After all, we've already seen nearly everything Verus can do.

But Verus has friends, now. And as I read the previous books, I wondered if that's how the series would stay fresh. Well, that works well in this book, but it's also the case that Verus simply uses his brain. I like that. He's not especially powerful, but he gets the most out of what he's got.

Note that those friends also complicate matters, since Alex Verus cares about them. He's not the lone-wolf he used to be, which is very good for him, but still - very definitely - a source of worry.

Chosen opens with a peaceful scene which shows just how much his life has changed. But the past comes back with a vengeance. And there seems to be no good solution. At the end,... well, his life has changed again.

I was really impressed with this book. It's vastly entertaining, but thought-provoking, too. Yeah, it's pure fantasy, and you simply must suspend your disbelief and accept the premise. But the characters feel real, and their decisions feel like they matter.

As I say, Verus is facing a problem with no good solution. What do you do then? What would you do? This question is the whole point of Chosen. We all have to make decisions, and sometimes, we make the wrong decision. Frequently, those wrong decisions have consequences - consequences which might come back and bite us in the butt.

But what do you do if there are no good solutions, if all your choices are bad? Maybe that's a result of previous wrong decisions, but there's nothing you can do about that now. Can a decision be considered wrong if there are no right choices?

___
Note: The full list of my book reviews can be found here.

Carl Sagan 1934-1996

Just a few days ago, I posted a memorial to Christopher Hitchens. Well, today it's 17 years since Carl Sagan died, and this brief video clip is from his last interview. (The full interview is here.) He was only 62, my age. Damn cancer, anyway!

This was from 1996, and the issue is even more important today than it was back then. (Certainly, the Republican Party has become even more ignorant about science, even more faith-based, rather than evidence-based, even more anti-science, because science tells them what they don't want to believe.)

This might be understandable (if still not admirable) in Afghanistan or Somalia, but not in the most powerful nation on Earth. And how do these people imagine that we'll maintain a lead in military power - because that is something which they want their government to do - without science? It's just nuts.

As Sagan explains, "Science is more than a body of knowledge. It's a way of thinking, a way of skeptically interrogating the universe with a fine understanding of human fallibility."

You may think it doesn't really matter if ordinary people, or even our elected leaders, don't 'believe' in evolution or global warming or the real age of the Earth, but it does. Once you start to dismiss science because you don't want to face the truth, where will you stop?

Remember, being unwilling to face reality doesn't make reality go away.

When was Jesus born?

This is a re-post, apparently, because the billboards it mentions were erected in 2010. But it's a recent re-post, and it's the first I've seen of this video clip, anyway.

Besides, it's just as valid now as it was three years ago, not to mention being very appropriate for the week before Christmas.

Twelve years difference is quite a discrepancy, especially when we don't have any non-biblical sources for this at all. (Admittedly, we don't have any contemporary sources, biblical or not.) If the authors of the Gospels were this ignorant of Jesus' birth, why in the world would we think they'd be good evidence for miracles, especially given that they don't even claim to have witnessed such things themselves?

And the fact that we don't have the original manuscripts, but only copies of copies of copies made centuries later (by people who were attempting to promote their own particular religious beliefs), makes all this even harder to believe.

The fact that this stuff supposedly happened 2,000 years ago makes it less believable, not more. Sure, lots of people have believed it, and lots of people still do. But they don't have any good reason to believe it. For the most part, it's just what they've been taught to believe since infancy.

Newton's beads

Neat, isn't it? What I like about this is that it shows science's notorious 'spirit of curiosity' the pope argued against.

This guy doesn't just shrug it off as weird or miraculous. It's neat, sure, but he wants to know why the beads act like that. That 'spirit of curiosity' is the reason why we know anything at all - and especially why we keep building on a body of knowledge that gets bigger and bigger every year.

Anyway, this was one of The Most Amazing Science Images of 2013. Lots of neat stuff there!

David Silverman doesn't mince words

(New York)

American Atheists erected a billboard in Times Square, and right-wing heads are exploding. (It's a digital billboard. You can watch the whole thing - 15 seconds worth - here.)

New York State Senator Andrew Lanza was one of the wingnuts who hit the ceiling, comparing the billboard to the Holocaust and calling for a boycott of Times Square and the revocation of American Atheists' non-profit status.

(Friendly Atheist)

But, you know, David Silverman, president of American Atheists, isn't exactly shy, so he used this opportunity to school Lanza in the U.S. Constitution. Enjoy!

State Senator Andrew Lanza:

Your recent press release “denouncing” our “hateful” billboard in Times Square and “calling for the revocation” of American Atheists’ 501(c)(3) nonprofit status leads me to believe that you have little idea what the First Amendment of the Constitution actually protects. Please allow me to educate you.

The First Amendment gives all Americans, irrespective of their beliefs, exactly the same rights. This means we all have the right to express ourselves as long as we don’t infringe on the rights of others. Nobody has more or fewer rights than anyone else. Christianity is not superior to atheism or any other system; Christianity is equal to atheism under the Constitution.

Does our billboard infringe on anyone’s rights to do as they see fit? Can our billboard affect your life if you don’t want it to do so? One could ask the same question about Christian billboards threatening non-Christians with hell.

The answer, of course, is no. Billboards don’t infringe on people’s rights.

You are the one attempting to infringe on others’ rights. You are petitioning, on your official government-hosted website, to suppress our Constitutional right to freedom of speech. This is truly an act that should frighten Americans. Your abuse of your office to attempt to silence a minority group is not only un-American, it is the antithesis of the ideals upon which our nation was founded.

You should be ashamed of yourself, and all New Yorkers should be ashamed to be represented by you. In your press release, you defame the character of the tens of millions of atheists, agnostics, and nontheists by saying, “[I]t is not surprising to me that people who do not believe in God are hateful and malicious.” That is bigotry, plain and simple. You smear the nearly 3 million non-religious New Yorkers with your hate. You are unworthy of the office you hold.

New Yorkers deserve to be governed fairly by someone who understands the value of diversity and the benefits of freedom of speech, not by a theocrat who attacks our most cherished values on a religious whim.

The fact that you are using your religious hatred to try to damage the businesses in New York’s Times Square by calling for a boycott there during the holiday season astounds me. I wonder if you’d call for a boycott of your own home district if there was a billboard you didn’t like erected in Staten Island.

You call our billboard “hate speech.” You say that “there is no room in our society for religious hatred or persecution.” Yet, this critique rings hollow when it comes from a man who voted to enshrine religious persecution in the laws of New York by voting against equality for LGBT New Yorkers.

Our billboard, which points out that Christmas is better without the religious baggage, is not hate speech nor persecution, Senator. Critique is not persecution. Demanding our equality is not an attack on your rights. It is an assertion of ours.

America is not a Christian nation. In the words of President Obama, “We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus—and nonbelievers.” Our First Amendment rights are not negotiable, and neither is our place in society. We will continue to assert our rights proudly and defend the right of all Americans to have a government that treats all religions—and all citizens—equally.

Make no mistake: We do not fear you. The more you attempt to silence us, the louder you will hear us rise in opposition to your posturing. You are so damaged by your religion that you can’t obey your own oath to uphold the Constitution when it conflicts with your dogma and pride.

Enjoy our current and future awareness-raising projects. It could not be more clear that you need them.

Great, isn't it? From "please allow me to educate you" to "enjoy our current and future awareness-raising projects... you need them," it's a great smack-down.

(Friendly Atheist)

Is it "hateful"? No more than "Happy Holidays" is an attack on Christmas. Is it "persecution"? Come on, now. No one is crazy enough to believe that, I hope.

David Silverman is blunt and outspoken, and it feels good to have someone stand up and say these things, without pussyfooting around about it. You've got to love this, don't you?

Make no mistake: We do not fear you. The more you attempt to silence us, the louder you will hear us rise in opposition to your posturing. You are so damaged by your religion that you can’t obey your own oath to uphold the Constitution when it conflicts with your dogma and pride.

And the little things here, like quoting Barack Obama to a right-wing Republican, are just great! Sure, Obama won't like being associated with atheists, but he's a politician. (Don't get me wrong, Obama's specific inclusion of nonbelievers as part of our nation was great. Remember, the first President Bush didn't even think we should be considered citizens!)

David Silverman doesn't mince words. Some people think that he should. Some atheists think that he should. But not me.

"Dancing with the Virgins" by Stephen Booth

(cover image from Amazon.com)

Dancing with the Virgins (2001) is the second in Stephen Booth's Cooper & Fry mystery series, the sequel to Black Dog. As in the previous book, a young woman is found murdered in the national park, but the condition of the body, plus a previous attack in the same area, has the police worried about a possible serial killer.

As in the first book, it took me awhile to get interested in the story, but I was expecting great things later on, so I pretty much raced through the first half of the book. I think that was a mistake. I did get hooked on it, eventually. However, I must say that Dancing with the Virgins wasn't what I expected.

In particular, the relationship between the two young detectives, Ben Cooper and Diane Fry, didn't develop at all as I expected (I'm not talking about a romantic relationship, necessarily). And although Cooper was still sympathetic, it was harder to like Fry in this one. This book was a lot darker than the first, too. In my review, I said that the first book wasn't depressing,... but this one was. It's a very good book, but not very cheerful, even for a murder mystery.

OK, when it comes to the detectives, I suppose I've seen too many buddy-cop movies. You know how it is: two very different detectives join forces and develop a close partnership after a very rocky beginning. Well, that cliche might still happen in this series, but right now, both Cooper and Fry seem to have gone backwards - in their personal lives and in their professional relationship, both.

As I say, this is a very dark book, and that extends to the detectives as well as to the minor characters. In Black Dog, Cooper and Fry both had their demons, but they seemed to be on the brink of developing... something. Not here. Here, they can barely stand to even look at each other, and in both cases, their demons seem to be gaining ground.

It's still interesting, but I'm not sure how enjoyable the series will actually prove to be. It's not that Dancing with the Virgins didn't hold my attention, especially later in the book, but it was really too dark for my tastes. That's OK for one book, but I'm not sure I'd want to read a whole series like this.

And in a series with recurring characters, I want to see some character development as the series continues. In a detective series with two main characters, I want to see some advance in their personal and professional relationship, aside from whatever case they happen to be investigating.

I didn't really find that here. At best, there were hints which might be developed further in the rest of the series, but it's hard to tell. So Dancing with the Virgins was a bit disappointing. It's not that I disliked the book, but that I'm less sure it's a series I'll really enjoy.

Still, I'm pretty curious about what I'll find in the next volume, Blood on the Tongue.


Edit: Well, I tried Blood on the Tongue (2002), but I didn't get very far. I thought the first two books were dark? As far as I could tell - as I say, I didn't get very far - there's not one single person in this book who's enjoying life, not one. It seems to be a miserable life for every character.

If I had any expectation that this might change for some of them, if there were any ray of light at all to drive back the darkness, then maybe I'd continue with the book and the series. But I don't. Frankly, if the Peak District really is this bad, they should probably just nuke the place and start all over.

___
Note: My other book reviews are here.

Oh, yes, it's a war, apparently

From UPI:

PHOENIX, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- A Salvation Army bell ringer in Phoenix said she was assaulted outside a Walmart store for saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."

Kristina Vindiola said she was ringing a bell outside the Walmart to raise money for the charity when a woman took exception to her saying "Happy Holidays," KNXV-TV, Phoenix, reported Tuesday.

"The lady looked at me," said Vindiola. "I thought she was going to put money in the kettle. She came up to me and said, 'Do you believe in God?' And she says, 'You're supposed to say Merry Christmas,' and that's when she hit me."

Vindiola doesn't seem to have been hurt by this (she was hit in the arm), but there is a downside to Fox 'News' encouraging the batshit crazy among us. There is a downside to religious fanaticism (as if we needed more evidence of that, given the current war in Afghanistan).

This was a Salvation Army bell ringer! But I guess she was working to bring Christmas down from the inside, huh?

The war on... Christmas?

(Jesus and Mo)

Christopher Hitchens 1949-2011

It was two years ago yesterday that Christopher Hitchens died, so I'm posting this as a memorial.

Of course, I could listen to this man speak all day. If you're the same, here's a Hitchens playlist, the best of Hitchens, 23 videos worth.

It's not that I agreed with him about everything. Certainly not. But why would anyone expect otherwise? I agreed with him about many things - most things, probably. And he was a brilliant speaker - eloquent, intelligent, fascinating. I still miss him.

Starbound

Busy deforesting another planet :)

Here's the problem with Starbound - it's still in development. And sure, it runs great, and it's lots of fun. But when I went into the game the other day, intending to take some screenshots for this article, I discovered that there'd been an update (automatic on Steam) and my first game was gone.

OK, it's not a big problem, but that's why I don't normally play games which are still in development. I frequently buy them, but I don't start playing while they're still in beta - early beta, at least. Usually.

In this case, I'd just finished exploring a prison complex I'd discovered, and that was pretty neat, so I really wanted to get a screenshot. Plus, I'd found a really good weapon. But with the update, I never got a chance to use it (plus, the update really nerfed the starting weapon, which made the game a lot harder).

Anyway, I suppose it's time to stop whining, huh? Heh, heh. Yeah, it wasn't a big deal. But this is why I like to wait until a game is nearly finished. (Beta-testing is a very good thing, just not for me.)

If you've ever played Terraria, you'll know exactly what Starbound is all about. Starbound is just Terraria in space. And if you haven't played Terraria, think of a two-dimensional Minecraft. It's side-scrolling combat, plus digging and dungeon-delving and lots and lots of crafting. (My screenshots are from the very early part of the game, but you can build quite fancy structures, if you want.)

I was terrible at Terraria, but that was OK. It was still fun. I never got very far in the game, because I couldn't defeat the boss monsters - not one! But I tend not to play games for long, anyway, so the early part of the game was still likely to be the only part I'd actually play.

My starting spaceship

Starbound, as I say, is very, very similar. However, you start in a spaceship - a spaceship which is out of fuel, orbiting a procedurally-generated planet, different on every play of the game. You can teleport down to the planet and back up again at any time. (But only from the surface of the planet. If you're underground, you can't teleport to the ship. However, wherever you are, if you save the game and quit, you'll start it again inside the ship.)

You start with a melee weapon, a few torches, a few seeds, and a matter manipulator which you can use as almost any kind of tool (but is very slow, compared to the tools you can make). One of the first things you'll do is cut down a tree for wood and dig up some stone. With a workbench (which you'll make from wood), you can use those resources to make a stone axe and a stone pick, with will make your resource gathering far easier.

Of course, there are dangerous animals on the planet (and some which aren't dangerous unless you attack them). When I first started the game, I had a pretty good weapon, and the creatures didn't seem to be especially dangerous.

As I say, I'm bad at this stuff, but I didn't die too many times. (If you die, you just reappear back on the spaceship, with all of your stuff, except that you lose some of your accumulated 'pixels' - money. It's not a big deal, at least in the early game, when you don't really need money.)

The update, though, changed things (but maybe not permanently - this is still in beta). When I started a new game, my beginning weapon was very weak, and the creatures seemed much more dangerous (especially the birds). I had a much harder time staying alive and a much harder time accumulating pixels.

Sleeping next to my farm

But it still wasn't a big deal. It was slower starting, but far from impossible. I had to be more careful, is all. And the first weapon I found was an improvement. It wasn't a great weapon, but it felt like an advance. Furthermore, I've found a lot more minerals in this game. Ore can be smelted into metal, which is used in crafting, so that was a real help.

You see, you don't just explore the surface of the world. There are caverns underground, and you can dig, too, with your pickaxe. As you go deeper, minerals become more plentiful, and you have a chance to find better treasure. Of course, the creatures become more dangerous, too (and the environment, as well - I fell into lava in my first game, though the fall itself might have been enough to kill me).

As I say, it's very much like Terraria. But in this game, when you've had enough of one planet, you can refuel your spaceship and head to another one - either in the same solar system or elsewhere in the galaxy. Planets are of different kinds and have different difficulty ratings, so there's a natural progression. As you explore more dangerous planets, you'll find better stuff, too.

And yes, as in Terraria, there are boss monsters in Starbound. Or so I've heard. I have yet to find one, but I suspect that I'll be just as bad at fighting them as I was in Terraria. But we'll see. I doubt if that will make much difference to me, anyway. The game is fun, but I've got lots of other games to play, as well.

And Starbound is only $14.99 on Steam. I'll have no problem getting my money's worth out of that, whether I get to the late game or not. Really, it's lots of fun. But since there isn't a tutorial, I recommend watching the beginning game on YouTube - there are plenty of people playing the game there - to get you started.

___
Note: See here for posts about other computer games.

The Bible, Pt. 16: Exodus, Chapter 3 - 6

Continuing my commentary on the Bible from Part 15 (all quotes from the King James Bible). Or you can find the entire series here.

Chapter 3:

1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

Heh, heh. I don't know why I think that third line is funny, but I do. Gee, there's a bush on fire, but it's not being burned up. I will now turn aside to look at it.

OK, I guess I'm easily amused. But seriously, his father-in law Jethro? In Chapter 2, his father-in-law was named Reuel. How can people read this stuff and still think that the Bible is the infallible word of God?

7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

God's plan is still to give the Jews a land which is already settled by Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. That's his divine plan, to give them someone else's land? I have to think that he didn't spend a lot of time on this particular plan, don't you?

And "a land flowing with milk and honey"? That's not exactly how I'd describe Israel. Sure, Israelis have made the desert bloom, but much of it is a desert. And it's just about the only place in the Middle East without oil, which seems like a big oversight for an omniscient deity.

Finally, as I noted in Part 15, God doesn't even notice the plight of his people until the Pharaoh who'd been oppressing the Jews (and the one who'd planned to charge Moses with murder) had already died. Why did he wait so long? Indeed, why hadn't he told them to return home after the famine ended, way back when Joseph was still a high Egyptian official? That would have been the smart plan.

10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

For whatever reason, God has decided that now is the time for the Jews to return to the Promised Land, and that Moses should be his tool. But Moses resists. Seriously, it takes quite a long time for God to talk him into it. God even gets pissed about it. It's really pretty funny.

13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Huh? Is this God or Popeye? In the next verse, he confirms that "this is my name for ever" (only it only lasts for another couple of chapters before God gets a new name).

18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

God instructs Moses to lie to the Pharaoh. They should tell the him that they're only going a little ways away, into the wilderness, in order to sacrifice to their god. (In reality, of course, they want to escape Egypt entirely. They're not coming back.)

Given that the Pharaoh is killing off the Jews - killing their newborn boys at least - because he worries about how numerous they've become, why wouldn't he want to get rid of them, anyway?

Note that they weren't ever actually enslaved, as far as I can tell from the Bible. And they were originally invited to settle the best land in Egypt. So if they actually want to leave, why wouldn't that be welcome? Is no one else greedy for that good land?

At any rate, God knows that the Pharaoh won't let them go - even for their pretend religious observance - but no problem. God will just smite the Egyptians until he does.

21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:

22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

God just told them to lie. Now, he's also telling them to steal. Way back in Genesis, God promised Abraham that his people would come out of bondage "with great substance." Now, God promises that they won't go empty.

But this doesn't mean that they've got a lot of wealth to take with them, since they've done so well in Egypt. No, instead, their women are supposed to borrow jewels and fine clothing - just before they leave forever - and "ye shall spoil the Egyptians" (as in the spoils of war).

If you're wondering, note that Chapter 12 makes it very clear that these "neighbours" they're to borrow from are the Egyptians,... and that they're not going to return the items, either. It's theft, directed and commanded by God.

Chapter 4:

1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.

2 And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

Moses is still arguing. Why should anyone believe Moses, when he tells them that his instructions come from God? So God demonstrates a few magic tricks to help convince them. (Don't worry, we'll see them all later. So I won't bother to go into the details now.)

10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well...

Moses continues to argue. (He really doesn't want to do this.) He's not the man for this. He's not eloquent. He's slow of speech, slow of tongue.

God starts to get pissed. OK, he'll send Aaron, Moses' brother, to do the speaking. Moses will tell him what to say ("thou shalt be to him instead of God"), and Aaron will say it ("he shall be to thee instead of a mouth").

(As an aside, note that God admits to have made the deaf, the dumb, and the blind. So if you're deaf, dumb, or blind, it's because God wanted you that way. It's not an accident.)

18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.

20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

OK, Moses is finally convinced (or just gives up). And the previous Pharaoh has died, so Moses can return without being charged with murder. Everything must be all set, then,... right?

24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.

25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.

26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

After all this, after finally convincing Moses to take the job, and after Moses has returned to Egypt to carry out God's commands,... God tries to kill Moses! Why? Well, apparently, Moses hasn't circumcised his son.

Um,... God is supposed to be omniscient, isn't he? So he didn't know this when he was persuading Moses to take the job?

Luckily, Zipporah, Moses' Midian wife, is both smart and quick. She grabs a sharp stone, cuts the foreskin off her son (verse 20 indicates that they've got more than one son, but apparently one will do), and throws it at God's feet (or Moses' feet? - it's hard to tell). "Surely a bloody husband are thou to me."

I've no idea what that means, but it worked. God let Moses live.

Anyway, Aaron and Moses meet and then talk to the elders of Israel. Moses shows off his magic tricks and convinces them all. But the Pharaoh will be a much tougher audience.

Chapter 5:

1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.

As God commanded, Moses lies to the Pharaoh, telling him that the Jews just want to go hold a feast in the wilderness. But the Pharaoh refuses to allow it. Indeed, he gets mad and heaps even more labor on their people:

6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,

7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.

...

9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

Now they won't even get straw to make bricks. They're still required to make the bricks. They just have to gather the necessary straw themselves. When they fail to make their quota, they're beaten. So they're not very happy about what's resulted from listening to Moses!

21 And they said unto them [Moses and Aaron], The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

22 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?

23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

They complain to Moses, and Moses complains to God.

Chapter 6:

1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.

God replies: Just wait till you see what I'm going to do to the guy. I'm going to mortify him! (I'm paraphrasing a bit.)

2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:

3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

God has a new name. Earlier, he told Moses that his name was "I am that I am," and that this was going to be his name forever. Now, he says that his name is Jehovah. Funny, huh?

God was referred to several different ways in Genesis, but he claims here that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob didn't know this particular name. (Here's an interesting discussion of that.)

6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:

7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

"And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God." A God. Doesn't that sound like there's more than one god? This one - Jehovah - agrees to rescue the Jews, and he will take them for "a people." In exchange, they take him for "a God."

This is a quid pro quo. This is that "covenant" they keep talking about. They will take Jehovah for their god, in exchange for his efforts on their behalf, but there's no implication here that this is the only god. And there's certainly no implication that Jehovah cares a crap about anyone else. Hey, let all those other people get their own gods, right?

This is monotheistic only in the sense that Jehovah is a jealous god who doesn't want his chosen people cheating on him. It seems to be understood that other gods exist. It's like having your own husband or your own wife. It's not that others don't exist. It's just that you expect your own to be faithful to you - and vice versa.

9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.

10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

11 Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.

12 And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?

Heh, heh. "Uncircumcised lips." I like that phrase. I don't have the slightest clue what it means, but I like it. (I mean, yes, it means that Moses isn't a good speaker, as he's said before. But I don't understand the phrase.)

Anyway, since Moses' first attempt at persuading the Pharaoh has made things worse for his people, they aren't listening to him anymore, magic tricks or not. (As we see later, those magic tricks can't be too convincing, since all the other magicians can do them, too.) And Moses still isn't very confident, himself.

The rest of the chapter is just another genealogy of the Jews. Frankly, they don't seem to be all that numerous, considering that the Pharaoh (the previous Pharaoh, at least) complained about them being "more and mightier" than the Egyptians themselves. I think he was exaggerating a bit (or a whole lot).

At any rate, this part is nothing if not boring, so I'll skip it here. In my next post, I'll get to Moses' actual attempts at persuading the Pharaoh to let his people go.

___
Note: This whole series can be found here.

The War on Christmas gets weird

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook

Could Fox 'News' get any crazier?

You know, if Gretchen Carlson wants to take her kids to a nativity scene - and she doesn't want to take them to her place of work, as Jon Stewart suggests - why doesn't she go to a church? Why does it have to be a government building?

And re. the burning question of whether a fictional character is white or not, you know how Fox 'News' sees it, right? "You can't take facts and then try to change them to fit some sort of a political agenda." LOL

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook

Give me that old-time religion

(Tim Eagan)

Is freedom of religion an individual right, or only another way for corporate executives to run the lives of their employees?

This question is coming up before the Supreme Court, and given the makeup of the court (five far-right Republicans, all Catholic) and past rulings (corporations are just people, my friend), I wouldn't be too optimistic.

Does God believe in atheists?

What is wrong with us?

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook

What is wrong with us? To quote Jon Stewart, what the fuck is wrong with us?

Sure, nothing is too petty, too insane, too stupid for the Republican Party these days, but can't we expect even slightly better from our news media?

Shaking hands? At Nelson Mandela's funeral, no less? And it wasn't even with Fidel Castro, but with his brother, Raúl...

OK, OK, this is all just a big joke, right? John McCain is just trolling us, isn't he? That's got to be it! And our news media were all in on the gag? Oh, I'd really like to believe this. I mean, I'd really like to believe this. Can't I hang onto even one scrap of my belief in America?

But perhaps we should think just one minute about our Cuba policy. Yeah, it's hardly even mentioned these days. It's the new 'third rail' of American politics (now that Republicans are openly trying to gut Social Security and Medicare). Even a handshake with a Cuban leader is cause for hysteria.

And what has this get-tough-on-Cuba policy accomplished? Absolutely nothing. Fidel Castro remained firmly in power from 1959 - yes, 1959 - to 2008 and only transferred power to his brother because he was getting too old and too ill to continue. For 54 years, American policy has been a complete and utter failure. Yet, for some reason, it remains untouchable.

Meanwhile, we shook hands with leaders of the Soviet Union, and it's long gone. We shook hands with leaders of China, and they've become one of our biggest trading partners. In 54 years, we went from being an ally of Vietnam to fighting (and losing) a war there to full diplomatic contact. (And they, too, have become a big trading partner with America.)

Nowhere else in the world have we been this intransigent, this insane, this stupid. Sure, we've gotten nowhere with North Korea, but that's mostly because of their stupidity, not ours. And even there, you can bet that a handshake with Kim Jong-un wouldn't be met with this level of hysteria. (And from our news media, no less! That's what makes this especially infuriating to me.)

But when it comes to Cuba, we're completely batshit crazy, and we've been that way pretty much for my entire lifetime. What in the hell is wrong with us?

___
PS. Naturally, John McCain wasn't the only Republican trolling America:

(Mario Piperni)

Of course, Cubans are the only Hispanics Republicans actually like. But that may not last long. From what I hear, younger Cuban-Americans, like younger Americans of all ethnicities, are trending Democratic.

Repent, and you'll be forgiven

(Jesus and Mo)

This is so funny! And true, as well. :)

Note that it's based on a story from this summer. And sorry, but I can't get on board with the adulation of this new pope, especially not after his homily about the "spirit of curiosity." That did it for me! This new pope is just the same old dogma with a new PR team.

The Unbelievers

The Unbelievers - coming to a theater near you. Well, if you live in New York, at least. I rather doubt it's coming to Nebraska. But maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Here's the article in The New York Times:

Two years ago, a pair of scientists set off on a barnstorming tour to save the world from religion, promote science and reason, and sell a few books.

Their adventure is now the subject of “The Unbelievers,” a documentary out just in time for Christmas, opening for a week in Manhattan on Friday.

If you think a road trip with a pair of intellectuals wielding laptops is likely to lack drama, you haven’t been keeping up with the culture wars. A reviewer in The Los Angeles Times called it “a high-minded love fest between two deeply committed atheistic intellectuals and their rock-star-like fan base.” ...

They are among the most outspoken of the “new atheists”: scientists and other intellectuals who have tired of having sand kicked in their faces by the priests and mullahs of the world. So the scientists are indeed mobbed like rock stars at glamorous sites like the Sydney Opera House. Inside, they sometimes encounter clueless moderators; outside, demonstrators condemning them to hellfire. At one event, a group of male Muslim protesters are confronted by counterprotesters chanting, “Where are your women?” In between, there are airports and taxi rides and endless cups of coffee.

It sounds good, doesn't it? Even better, here's a list of some of the other celebrities featured in the film:

Ricky Gervais
Woody Allen
Cameron Diaz
Stephen Hawking
Sarah Silverman
Bill Pullman
Werner Herzog
Tim Minchin
Eddie Izzard
Ian McEwan
Adam Savage
Ayaan Hirsi-Ali
Penn Jillette
Sam Harris
Dan Dennett
James Randi
Cormac McCarthy
Paul Provenza
James Morrison
Michael Shermer
David Silverman

There's even more info at the website.

What should you do?

(via Pharyngula)

This would have gone well with my last post, but I didn't see it until this morning. You may need to enlarge the image (click on it), in order to read the fine print, but it could be very helpful for those of you who are confused about such things.

Of course, that probably doesn't include anyone who reads this blog, huh? Oh, well. I tried. :)

The return of the War on Christmas

Here we are again. It's the annual make-believe 'War on Christmas.' Don't you just love it?

I'm with Cenk Uygur on this. First, I do love it. Usually, the idiocy, the propaganda, the blatant lying of Fox 'News' angers me. But this 'War on Christmas' stuff is just hilarious.

And second, I, too, find myself wanting to say "Happy Holidays" just to spite Fox 'News' and the rest of the religious right. I mean, it would never occur to me otherwise, unless I knew that someone didn't celebrate Christmas.

But most of the atheists I know love Christmas. And even if they didn't, Christmas is part of my family tradition, so why wouldn't I say "Merry Christmas" to people (almost all of whom share the holiday with me, whether they're Christian or not)?

Of course, I say "Happy Holidays" if I think it might be received better. The gesture is the same. The intent is the same. I never knew a single person who wasn't a Christian - at least, as far as I knew - all the time I grew up. And that hasn't changed a whole lot even now. But "Happy Holidays" works perfectly well, so I've certainly no problem saying that, instead.

And that's exactly what these lunatics are getting me to do, in reaction. Well, let's face it, that's probably what they want, isn't it? They're making lots of money off this fake 'War on Christmas,' so they want to encourage "Happy Holidays." That just helps them manufacture their outrage and continue convincing the gullible.

I like John Iadarola here, too. "Get your government hands off my Christmas." Heh, heh. But anyway, here's a follow-up:



You know, there really should be something in the Bible about telling lies, don't you think? Maybe in the Ten Commandments or something?

Late night political humor

(Mario Piperni)

OK, time for another selection of late-night political humor, compiled by Daniel Kurtzman, mixed with an assortment of political cartoons:

"In Alabama, the Tea Party candidate named Dean Young, who wanted to impeach Obama and compared gay people to animals, he lost to a potty-trained Republican. Boy, that is something for your resume – Dean Young: too ignorant for Alabama." –Bill Maher

"Is it possible that America may be coming to its senses a little? That may be the message from these elections we had on Tuesday because Chris Christie, the big winner, is from the not-nuthouse wing of the party – you know, he's an indoor Republican. And the two batshit Tea Party people lost pretty bad. In Virginia, their candidate for governor, Ken Cuccinelli went down, which is ironic because he was trying to make oral sex illegal. I'm not making that up. He wanted to make abortion impossible, ban gay marriage, and reinstate the sodomy laws against oral and anal sex. Why? Because it's a Republicans' job to get government out of our lives." –Bill Maher

(Mike Stanfill)

"Here we go again. Freshman Congressman Trey Radel of Florida has been arrested for possession of cocaine in Washington, D.C. He admitted he is an alcoholic and pled guilty to possession of cocaine. The judge sentenced him to four years as mayor of Toronto." –Jay Leno

"They got three feet of fresh powder back East. And that was just in freshman Florida Congressman Trey Radel's office. Radel says he's going into rehab and when he gets out, he wants to be named ambassador to Colombia." –Jay Leno

(Mike Peters)

"Wal-Mart announced that this Thanksgiving they are opening earlier than they ever have. Because what better way to celebrate the pilgrims' arrival than buying crap from China." –Conan O'Brien

"The traditional Thanksgiving began in what year? 1621. And soon afterward, the Indians realized they had a failed immigration policy." –Jay Leno

"PETA says that today's turkeys are being bred to have such large breasts, they're dying of heart attacks. I don't want to be insensitive, but that's still better than getting your head chopped off." –Jay Leno

(Mike Luckovich)

"Are you aware of the turkey shortage? Now the White House has stepped in so people won't panic. They said yes, there's a turkey shortage, but don't worry, it's only a web site problem. They said if you like the turkey you had last year, you can keep the turkey you had last year." –David Letterman

"How about that Obamacare? They bungled it. They rolled it out and it wasn't ready. The only good news out of Obamacare is that it's nice to know somebody knows less about computers than I do." –David Letterman

"People are talking about how Obama was finally able to get this deal with Iran. What happened was, Obama got tired of trying to fix healthcare and said, 'Give me an easier problem. Iranian nukes! I'm on it. That's much better than what I've been dealing with the past couple of weeks.'" –Jimmy Fallon

(Nick Anderson)

"Michele Bachmann claims that she has lost her healthcare plan. She said, 'I have a husband with very significant health issues.' She said, 'At some points we're going to have to figure it out.' Girlfriend, there's a lot about your husband you're going to have to figure out. Healthcare is the last of your worries." –Bill Maher

"For most Americans, Obamacare is a lot of like sex. You do it online, it's incredibly frustrating and the idea of anyone getting it makes Republicans insane." –Bill Maher

"Obamacare was trying to protect these people who are being ripped off by insurance companies. But, yesterday, Obama said, 'Okay, you know what? You want your shitty, crummy plans? You can have them!' You want your policy where you go in for an operation and you're covered for when they cut you open, but not when they sew you up? Fine, children, have your broken piece of glass that you want to play with!'" –Bill Maher

"And one reason he had to do this was that Bill Clinton opened his big fat vegan mouth, and said Obama should let people keep their crappy insurance, even if screwed up the whole system. You know what? If you're a Democrat, the Clintons are a pre-existing condition." –Bill Maher

"That is the difference between Democrats and Republicans. When Republicans shut down the government, it's on purpose." –Bill Maher

(Stuart Carlson)

"The FCC is considering lifting the ban on cellphone calls on planes. The good news is you'll be able to make calls during your flight. The bad news? The person sitting next to you will be able to make cellphone calls during your flight." –Jay Leno

"There are ways to make air travel much, much worse. I think it's fine if people want to make calls from the plane, but I think they should have to step outside to do it." –Jimmy Kimmel

"Amazon announced plans for an amazing service called Amazon Prime Air. When you order something from Amazon that weighs five pounds or less, a robot will drop your package on your doorstep. It's all part of Amazon's pledge to drive your dog insane." –Jimmy Kimmel

"The drones will allow Amazon to make deliveries in 30 minutes or less, or we will be on the phone with a customer service rep saying, where is the drone? I ordered this thing an hour ago! Hopefully they can attach pizzas to this." –Jimmy Kimmel

(John Cole)

According to a new report, America's teenagers are 30th in the world in math. Luckily, America's teenagers will never understand the report because they're 85th in reading." –Conan O'Brien

"This week, fast-food workers in 100 American cities are going on strike, a true story. The workers behind the counter want higher wages and better conditions. The drive-thru workers? No one can understand what they want. What? What did you say?" –Conan O'Brien

"A new study found that parents who only have daughters are more likely to be Republican, which I guess explains why my Dad registered as Republican when he saw me throw a football." –Jimmy Fallon

"Pope Francis revealed that he used to work as a nightclub bouncer. In the same interview he announced that on Tuesday night ladies get into heaven for free." ––Conan O'Brien