So Oded Golan os now trying his best to nab some of the limelight with the James Ossuary, and is hitting the media.
Where the court ruled that Golan was not guilty of forgery, it was also very careful to state that it did not endorse the ossuary as genuine either. However you can see which portion of the ruling the press doesn’t care about. 🙂
Thank you, Chris, for representing the voice of reason in an otherwise sensationalized and getting-old story.
(HT Christopher Rollston)
Peace,
-Steve
So I noticed that there’s a relatively new book out on the market called “Learn to Write Aramaic” (2011)… and like other book covers I’ve noticed there were some problems…
That lamad needs to be a *bit* higher. In Herodian script that makes it look like a nun, which turns shlama (peace) into shnama (which… isn’t even a word).
Not the best testament to its accuracy, but I’m honestly trying my very best to avoid judging a book by its cover.
Peace,
-Steve
There are differing versions of what happened to the Greek Orthodox nuns of Maaloula, who left their convent north of Damascus earlier this month. Some say the nuns are being held hostage by Islamic radicals. Others say they were under missile assault by the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad and were rescued by rebel fighters.NPR now has a firsthand account from one man who was in Maaloula — and says he helped with the nuns’ passage.
Peace,
-Steve
I fear that I must own up to this little piece of satire as it is my own casual observation that birthed it. 🙂
Critical commentary on this particular instance will follow at some later date, but for plenty of prior discussion, please feel free to browse my blog archives.
Peace,
-Steve
UPDATE Oct 14: Quite conveniently, Christian Brady over at Targuman posted an interesting entry about satire. As I employ quite a bit of satire on my blog here as an illustrative tool (…and I admit enjoyable) I feel it’s a good read given recent postings. 🙂
I also believe that there is an important line to draw between satire, and simple mockery or ridicule. The former acts as a statement of criticism often showing where something may be improved, where the latter two on their own may simply be malicious.
It’s the difference between criticizing someone with a bit of humor to illustrate one’s point vs. a bully at a playground making fun of another kid because it makes them feel good. Satire’s purpose is to fuel conversation where simple mockery or ridicule’s purpose is to squelch it.
I generally make satirical memes as a means to illustrate problems and stimulate further the debate about things that happen in the academic world. In the age of Facebook and other social media — riding upon the very same mechanism that spreads pictures of LOL-cats at lightning speed — there are fewer methods that move as quickly to prompt discussion as visual vignettes that point out poignant problems in an entertaining manner. 🙂
Food for thought.
UPDATE Dec 29: HT to Antonio Kuilan on Facebook:
Neil DeGrasse Tyson‘s watermelon bid (which is larger and more threatening). Since he’s an actual Astrophysicist, however, he might know what he’s talking about. 😉
If anyone has any further “academic watermelon memes,” I will be happy to post them here.
UPDATE Jan 7 2014: The first watermelon of the year, that has upped the ante.
Pat Robertson seems to be doing… something to his invisible watermelon. I’m honestly not sure what to say.
Peace,
-Steve
I’ve taken the time to further illustrate the First Replica next to the Second as well as what I’ve been able to trace from the photographs of the genuine ossuary. Click to enlarge to see the notes.
The first replica does well at reproducing some very strong visual elements of the original ossuary that are very prominent without knowledge of the alleged script. These are features that anyone would notice at a glance, simply because of the pattern the lines make: The prominent “V” shape between the “he” and the “nun” as well as the prominent “lens” shape between the “yod” and the “waw” as well as the “tav tail” on the “he.”
The second replica destroys and filters these features, instead leaning towards forms that better express “Jonah” with little ambiguity.
Additionally, on the first replica, the supposed “nun” is so very widely broken that there is no way to read it as one scratch. It also has some of the “minor” scratches that were prominent.
Thoughts?
Peace,
-Steve