Peacelike mongoose

The Peacelike Mongoose

by James Thurber

In cobra country a mongoose was born one day who didn’t want to fight cobras or anything else. The word spread from mongoose to mongoose that there was a mongoose who didn’t want to fight cobras. If he didn’t want to fight anything else, it was his own business, but it was the duty of every mongoose to kill cobras or be killed by cobras.
“Why?” asked the peacelike mongoose, and the word went around that the strange new mongoose was not only pro-cobra and anti-mongoose but intellectually curious and against the ideals and traditions of mongooism.
“He is crazy,” cried the young mongoose’s father.
“He is sick,” said his mother.
“He is a coward,” shouted his brothers.
“He is a mongoosexual,” whispered his sisters.
Strangers who had never laid eyes on the peacelike mongoose remembered that they had seen him crawling on his stomach, or trying on cobra hoods, or plotting the violent overthrow of Mongoosia.
“I am trying to use reason and intelligence,” said the strange new mongoose.
“Reason is six-sevenths of treason,” said one of his neighbors.
“Intelligence is what the enemy uses,” said another.
Finally, the rumor spread that the mongoose had venom in his sting, like a cobra, and he was tried, convicted by a show of paws, and condemned to banishment.

Moral: Ashes to ashes, and clay to clay, if the enemy doesn’t get you your own folks may.

via tep-online.info

Amazing that I cannot recall ever hearing this fable. It is truly appropriate!

Palin Revere Rides Again: Is Christianity About Learning the Truth or Making What You Already Believe “The Truth”? | Exploring Our Matrix

June 5, 2011 by James F. McGrath

In the hullabaloo about Sarah Palin’s lack of familiarity with Paul Revere, some of the attention seems to me to focus on what is a less important point. Everyone flubs historical details at some point, even major ones.

The bigger issue is one that I highlighted in another post recently, and which Scott Bailey also highlighted, namely an unwillingness, having been caught ill-informed, to admit that one was wrong.

Apparently fans of Sarah Palin have been rewriting the Wikipedia entry on Paul Revere, in an attempt to make it conform to her version of the story.

I would expect nothing less of politicians and ideologues.

But I hope that any and all will acknowledge that the attempt to fabricate history rather than admit that oneself, or one’s favorite politician, is wrong, is absolutely incompatible with the label Christian.

If you disagree, then just rewrite Wikipedia, so that instead of the Gospel of John having him say “the truth will set you free,” it said “you’re free to set the truth.”

On a related note, John Blake has an article on phantom Bible verses, which people have invented, misremembered, or misattributed to the Bible, and how surprisingly difficult it is to persuade people they have got it wrong.

Also, David Miller has a quote from renowned New Testament scholar C. F. D. Moule on the humility that should characterize Christians.

And in mostly unrelated news, Richard Hall has a parable about the difference between climate and weather, and Religion Nerd has a post about weather and religion. But you can connect them with the theme of this post by way of this cartoon, if you really want to.

Share and Enjoy:

via patheos.com

I found this posting from a Christian Pastoral group’s blog to be very interesting. And while the commenters are less obnoxious than is the norm for climate change or conservative/liberal discussions, they’re still following the same pattern.

With a certain amount of ironic flair, I have to say this is another case of ideology trumping reality. *sigh*

Infographic: Secure Communities 101 | Deportation Nation

Unintended Consequences: A perverse effect contrary to what was originally intended (when an intended solution makes a problem worse), such as when a policy has a perverse incentive that causes actions opposite to what was intended.

Has legislative fear mongering caused us to give away our freedoms? Has anyone noticed politicians, especially conservative extremists, pushing xenophobia?

Are we really going back to “if you look or sound different you are the enemy?”

In creating DHS and subsequently empowering ICE, we have planted the seed of our own Stasi, our very own secret police… Better hang on to your papers citizen, or you might be deported…

Feel free to repost this infographic. We simply request that you credit Deportation Nation and link to our website. Please do not edit our content or repackage it for sale. Email questions to deportationnation at gmail dot com.

via deportationnation.org

Back when we were facing off against the Sino/Soviet “threat” we were fighting against forces of repression, authoritarian groups that violated basic human rights, that strong armed populations into compliance.
The thing that we all knew, but couldn’t believe would happen is that we might become the thing that we opposed.

Posted via email from TweetingDonal’s Temporary Insanities

Meet the fire ant that pulled a groovy break-dancing pose | Mail Online

Is he listening to Adam Ant? Jungle insect shows amazing balance on one leg

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 8:11 AM on 13th May 2011

It’s like an audition for Insect’s Got Talent – marvel at the amazing photograph of a fire ant performing a break-dancing move.
Robertus Agung Sudiatmoko captured the pose when a trail of fire ants passed near him in the small village of Cibinong, Indonesia.
He took lots of incredible snaps, but the most spectacular was undoubtedly the dancing ant, which unexpectedly hoisted itself up onto one of its right-hand legs for a staggering 30 seconds.

Talent: It’s a safe bet that if this was an audition, this ant is through to the next round

In another of Robertus’ shots, one ant stands on top of a mini mountain, crossing his arms in prayer.

And just like the infamous biblical scene in which Moses receives the Ten Commandments from God, rays of light shoot from the sky, illuminating the tiny praying ant.
Another shows the animal’s super-human strength as it lifts a gigantic leaf – that measures more than 10 times its height – above its head, which is easily carried along on the ant’s journey.
Astonishingly, these pictures were Robertus’s very first attempt at close-up photography.
Robertus, who lives in Jakarta, said: ‘I only started doing macro shots in September, after saving up for the equipment – but I wanted to capture the best shots of the ant that I possibly could.
‘Then suddenly, when I least expected it, the ant just lifted itself on to its leg in a break dancing pose.
‘I’ve never ever break danced myself but instantly it reminded me of that.
‘I was really happy when I looked back through my shots to see the ant dancing as I was worried I had missed it.
‘For my first go it was a good shot – it will be hard to better that.’

On a wing and a prayer: This ant seems to have found religion

He added: ‘I took the pictures when a group of us got together hunting for good macro photo opportunities.
‘I was really desperate to get a good first shot so stood out in a rain storm waiting for the ants to come back out once the sun reappeared.’
Robertus, 29, who captured the astonishing images on his trusty Canon 40D with a 100mm macro lens attached, added: ‘I like ants because they are so independent – living and working together.
‘Ants are just like humans in that they are very organised and all go to work.
‘In larger colonies the sterile ringless females form groups of workers, soldiers or other specialised groups just like us.
‘They are simply fascinating.’

Leaf it out: Ants can easily carry many times their own weight

Robertus has shown fire ants in their possible light, but rile them and you’d be very sorry. They possess a fearsome sting that victims have likened to being burnt by fire – hence their name.
What’s more, the fire ant uses its pincers to lock itself onto its prey so it can inflict the maximum number of stings.
Each fire ant nest normally contains several hundred thousand insects and sometimes multiple queens.
The U.S spends a staggering $5million a year combating fire ants and treating people they’ve stung.

via dailymail.co.uk

Posted via email from TweetingDonal’s Temporary Insanities

American Idle – Compass

Traffic cops were required for the opening of a new In-N-Out burger restaurant in Texas this week. The video is pretty incredible. Watching it prompted me to dig out an old column by Mr. Green, Sierra magazine’s answer man:

In drive-throughs or anyplace, idling is, to summon the old saying, the devil’s workshop. Every hour you idle, you waste up to 0.7 gallons of gas (depending on your engine type) going nowhere. So it pays to turn your engine off if you’re going to be still for more than 30 seconds.

In a given year, U.S. cars burn some 1.4 billion gallons of fuel just idling. Not to mention idling trucks, which waste another 1.5 billion gallons. Collectively, we emit about 58 million tons of carbon dioxide while we’re essentially doing nothing.

Taking the fast-food industry as an example, and taking into account that the average McDonald’s drive-through wait is 159 seconds, we can calculate that the company’s consumers burn some 7.25 million gallons of gas each year. The figure for the entire U.S. fast-food industry? Roughly 50 million gallons.

It’s safe to say the drivers in this video are waiting a tad more than 159 seconds for their burger and fries.

(video via consumerist.)

— Brian Foley

Posted on May 13, 2011 at 02:36 PM in Food and Drink, Oil, Transportation, Video | Permalink

via sierraclub.typepad.com

US$200,000,000 a year just to wait in line for tacos/fried chicken/burgers? Someone tell the Conservatives we’ve got a place for them to start cutting. While they’re at it, how about the US $12 BILLION each YEAR we spend sitting in traffic jams?

Now that’s a justification for mass transit if I’ve ever seen one!