News for the week...
I have the news postings seperate from my follow-up commentary. Some I won't even have commentary, just kinda interesting...
Invading Romans' greatest obstacle uncovered in Jerusalem
Source: Jerusalem Post (1-15-07)
An immense bedrock cliff uncovered opposite Jerusalem's Temple Mount may help explain why it took the Romans so long to capture what is now known as the Jewish Quarter almost two millenia ago, an Israeli archeologist said Sunday.
The cliff, uncovered during a year-long excavation at the western edge of the Western Wall Plaza, was one of several important finds that include the remains of a colonnaded street called the Eastern Cardo, dating from the Roman-Byzantine period; a section of the Lower Aqueduct that conveyed water from Solomon's Pools to the Temple Mount; and a damaged rock-hewn and plastered Jewish mikve (ritual bath) that dates back to the Second Temple period, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced at a press conference.
The dig, which was conducted in an area that had not been excavated before due to plans for construction, also served to clarify the height of an immense bedrock cliff that separated the Upper City from the Temple Mount area. It in itself is "the most impressive" find, said Shlomit Wexler-Bedolah, the excavation director.
(Commentary: Now this is interesting. It kind of reminds me of the whole setup of Masada with the cliff face, though of course the terrain was indeed remarkably different otherwise. Was this a conscious decision of strategy or something that had been there for centuries and used to advantage later? In short, was this a purposeful vantage point long before the Romans or built as a 'reply', if you will, to Roman aggression? The fact that so much of the later Byzantine parts of the city are still easily excavatable is a testament to the city's history, not exactly the most peaceful in history.)
Lethal secrets of 1918 flu virus
source: BBC (1-15-07)
Scientists who recreated "Spanish flu" - the 1918 virus which killed up to 50m people - have witnessed its remarkable killing power first hand. The lungs of infected monkeys were destroyed in just days as their immune systems went into overdrive after a Canadian laboratory rebuilt the virus.
The reason for the lethal nature of the 1918 flu was never fully understood.
But the experts behind this test say they have found a human gene which may help explain its unusual virulence.
(Commentary: Having had a professor who did his doctorate on the Spanish flu and its affect on society globally, I've got a smidge more understanding than I would normally, which admittedly isn't saying much. This disturbs me, however. Does this mean this was a genetic virus, advanced through time as our own cellular structure has, in order to propogate, I guess, within our systems? We know that other viruses do, but this little blurb seems to infer that the Spanish flu was killing those with a genetic weakness to it? So, if this is true, does that mean that 'genetically' there are people predisposed to die of avian flu, bubonic and pneumonic plague, etc. if they come into contact with the viruses, merely because they have a genetic liability? Now that is just creepy. I wonder if you can get tested in the future, perhaps get inoculated for only the diseases your genetic tests state you are most vulnerable too? Assuming of course there is inoculation for them to begin with...)
Italian art historian says he believes he has found Mona Lisa's last resting place
Source: BBC (1-19-07)
Most experts agree that it is Lisa Gherardini - the wife of a wealthy merchant in Florence. But Giuseppe Pallanti now says records from the time show that she died aged 63 in July 1542 and was buried in a now dilapidated convent in Florence.
The historian says she had seen out the last years of her life there.
After poring through thousands of official records from the time, Mr Pallanti believes Lisa Gherardini was widowed and ill when she died.
He says the documents also show that she was still a famous figure in Florentine society: the whole parish turned out for her funeral.
Even in death, it would seem, the woman who helped give the world the Mona Lisa was recognised as having something very special about her.
For centuries art lovers have pondered the mystery of Mona Lisa's smile.
They have been arguing whether she was smiling at her lover; was smug at the prospect of becoming - or having just become - a mother; or was enjoying a very private joke that would be wasted on the rest of us.
Germany Moves to Silence Holocaust Deniers Across Europe
source: Deutsche Welle (1-19-07)
To its long list of ambitious goals as EU president, Germany recently added a controversial one that is set to spark debate across Europe about whether governments can uphold freedom of expression on one hand and outlaw certain viewpoints at the same time.
German Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries said she would like to see Holocaust denial -- already a crime in some European countries -- become punishable by up to three years in prison in all 27 of the bloc's member states.
"We have always said that it should not still be acceptable in Europe to say the Holocaust never existed and that six million Jews were never killed," Zypries said recently. "I am optimistic that over the next six months we will manage to get a result," she said.
Germany's timing could not be better given the recent formation in the European Parliament of Identity, Sovereignty and Tradition, a far-right group headed by Mussolini's grand-daughter Alessandra and French National Front leader Jean-Marie le Pen.
The group's founder, French politician Bruno Gollnisch, was found guilty this week of questioning the Holocaust by a French court. In its ruling the court said Gollnisch had called into question the number of Jews killed during World War Two and whether gas chambers had been used to kill them.
The European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, Franco Frattini, pledged immediate support for the German proposal.
"While preserving freedom of expression, we have to criminalize concrete incitement," he said.
(Commentary: Okay this just disturbs me. Mainly what disturbs me is that there are people out there who cannot face the horrors of the past and must therefore insist it must be made up. It happened, deal with it as best you can. Denying it doesn't make it any less true. I firmly believe that it happened. People do not disappear in any large number without trace. It's not possible. And who in their right mind, by the millions, purposefully tattoo numbers on their bodies. I mean, come on. Use your brains. That said, forcing people in denial to not deny is just as stupid. You can't force them. All you can do is make them pay lip service to what you say...they won't really believe it and isn't that the point to the whole exercise. Isn't it to make people realize, understand, mourn and learn from the whole effed up situation so it, in theory, doesn't happen to anyone again? Making the detractors shut up isn't going to help anyone, especially them. We have educational museums, books, lectures, documentaries and who knows what else. If they refuse to see the truth, then they can't see the truth. Use their ignorance and their refusals to your advantage to *continue* to educate the world. Use the public forum that they are attracting to bring the situation to light. A new generation is emerging that will not have neighbors, church members, or even family members left alive to show them first hand the horrors of the Holocaust. All they will have is photos, documentaries and detractors screaming at the top of their lungs that its a conspiracy to make the Jews out to be martyrs. Use their own press against them, don't shut them up. Shutting someone up with a differing point of view is very...Nazi...
And why does NO ONE remember that people OTHER than Jews were in the concentration camps, disappeared in pits following firing squads, etc? Ethnic minorities, Roma, Jews, anyone not pure-whiteboy/girl? Remember them too.)
B
Invading Romans' greatest obstacle uncovered in Jerusalem
Source: Jerusalem Post (1-15-07)
An immense bedrock cliff uncovered opposite Jerusalem's Temple Mount may help explain why it took the Romans so long to capture what is now known as the Jewish Quarter almost two millenia ago, an Israeli archeologist said Sunday.
The cliff, uncovered during a year-long excavation at the western edge of the Western Wall Plaza, was one of several important finds that include the remains of a colonnaded street called the Eastern Cardo, dating from the Roman-Byzantine period; a section of the Lower Aqueduct that conveyed water from Solomon's Pools to the Temple Mount; and a damaged rock-hewn and plastered Jewish mikve (ritual bath) that dates back to the Second Temple period, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced at a press conference.
The dig, which was conducted in an area that had not been excavated before due to plans for construction, also served to clarify the height of an immense bedrock cliff that separated the Upper City from the Temple Mount area. It in itself is "the most impressive" find, said Shlomit Wexler-Bedolah, the excavation director.
(Commentary: Now this is interesting. It kind of reminds me of the whole setup of Masada with the cliff face, though of course the terrain was indeed remarkably different otherwise. Was this a conscious decision of strategy or something that had been there for centuries and used to advantage later? In short, was this a purposeful vantage point long before the Romans or built as a 'reply', if you will, to Roman aggression? The fact that so much of the later Byzantine parts of the city are still easily excavatable is a testament to the city's history, not exactly the most peaceful in history.)
Lethal secrets of 1918 flu virus
source: BBC (1-15-07)
Scientists who recreated "Spanish flu" - the 1918 virus which killed up to 50m people - have witnessed its remarkable killing power first hand. The lungs of infected monkeys were destroyed in just days as their immune systems went into overdrive after a Canadian laboratory rebuilt the virus.
The reason for the lethal nature of the 1918 flu was never fully understood.
But the experts behind this test say they have found a human gene which may help explain its unusual virulence.
(Commentary: Having had a professor who did his doctorate on the Spanish flu and its affect on society globally, I've got a smidge more understanding than I would normally, which admittedly isn't saying much. This disturbs me, however. Does this mean this was a genetic virus, advanced through time as our own cellular structure has, in order to propogate, I guess, within our systems? We know that other viruses do, but this little blurb seems to infer that the Spanish flu was killing those with a genetic weakness to it? So, if this is true, does that mean that 'genetically' there are people predisposed to die of avian flu, bubonic and pneumonic plague, etc. if they come into contact with the viruses, merely because they have a genetic liability? Now that is just creepy. I wonder if you can get tested in the future, perhaps get inoculated for only the diseases your genetic tests state you are most vulnerable too? Assuming of course there is inoculation for them to begin with...)
Italian art historian says he believes he has found Mona Lisa's last resting place
Source: BBC (1-19-07)
Most experts agree that it is Lisa Gherardini - the wife of a wealthy merchant in Florence. But Giuseppe Pallanti now says records from the time show that she died aged 63 in July 1542 and was buried in a now dilapidated convent in Florence.
The historian says she had seen out the last years of her life there.
After poring through thousands of official records from the time, Mr Pallanti believes Lisa Gherardini was widowed and ill when she died.
He says the documents also show that she was still a famous figure in Florentine society: the whole parish turned out for her funeral.
Even in death, it would seem, the woman who helped give the world the Mona Lisa was recognised as having something very special about her.
For centuries art lovers have pondered the mystery of Mona Lisa's smile.
They have been arguing whether she was smiling at her lover; was smug at the prospect of becoming - or having just become - a mother; or was enjoying a very private joke that would be wasted on the rest of us.
Germany Moves to Silence Holocaust Deniers Across Europe
source: Deutsche Welle (1-19-07)
To its long list of ambitious goals as EU president, Germany recently added a controversial one that is set to spark debate across Europe about whether governments can uphold freedom of expression on one hand and outlaw certain viewpoints at the same time.
German Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries said she would like to see Holocaust denial -- already a crime in some European countries -- become punishable by up to three years in prison in all 27 of the bloc's member states.
"We have always said that it should not still be acceptable in Europe to say the Holocaust never existed and that six million Jews were never killed," Zypries said recently. "I am optimistic that over the next six months we will manage to get a result," she said.
Germany's timing could not be better given the recent formation in the European Parliament of Identity, Sovereignty and Tradition, a far-right group headed by Mussolini's grand-daughter Alessandra and French National Front leader Jean-Marie le Pen.
The group's founder, French politician Bruno Gollnisch, was found guilty this week of questioning the Holocaust by a French court. In its ruling the court said Gollnisch had called into question the number of Jews killed during World War Two and whether gas chambers had been used to kill them.
The European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, Franco Frattini, pledged immediate support for the German proposal.
"While preserving freedom of expression, we have to criminalize concrete incitement," he said.
(Commentary: Okay this just disturbs me. Mainly what disturbs me is that there are people out there who cannot face the horrors of the past and must therefore insist it must be made up. It happened, deal with it as best you can. Denying it doesn't make it any less true. I firmly believe that it happened. People do not disappear in any large number without trace. It's not possible. And who in their right mind, by the millions, purposefully tattoo numbers on their bodies. I mean, come on. Use your brains. That said, forcing people in denial to not deny is just as stupid. You can't force them. All you can do is make them pay lip service to what you say...they won't really believe it and isn't that the point to the whole exercise. Isn't it to make people realize, understand, mourn and learn from the whole effed up situation so it, in theory, doesn't happen to anyone again? Making the detractors shut up isn't going to help anyone, especially them. We have educational museums, books, lectures, documentaries and who knows what else. If they refuse to see the truth, then they can't see the truth. Use their ignorance and their refusals to your advantage to *continue* to educate the world. Use the public forum that they are attracting to bring the situation to light. A new generation is emerging that will not have neighbors, church members, or even family members left alive to show them first hand the horrors of the Holocaust. All they will have is photos, documentaries and detractors screaming at the top of their lungs that its a conspiracy to make the Jews out to be martyrs. Use their own press against them, don't shut them up. Shutting someone up with a differing point of view is very...Nazi...
And why does NO ONE remember that people OTHER than Jews were in the concentration camps, disappeared in pits following firing squads, etc? Ethnic minorities, Roma, Jews, anyone not pure-whiteboy/girl? Remember them too.)
B