The book that refused to be written
It has often been said that the resurrection is the best attested fact in history. Momsen, the great historian of the Roman empire, was among those to make such a declaration. Sir Edward Clarke KC, in a letter to the Rev. E. L. Macassey, offered the following perspective:
As a lawyer I have made a prolonged study of the evidences for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. To me the evidence is conclusive, and over and over again in the High Court I have secured the verdict on evidence not nearly so compelling…The Gospel evidence for the resurrection…I accept unreservedly as the testimony of truthful people to facts they were able to substantiate.
From the perspective of a scholar of ancient literature, B. F. Westcott, one of the ablest of New Testament textual scholars, said:
Taking all the evidence together, it is not too much to say that there is no single historical incident better or more variously supported than the resurrection.
The evidence has proved convincing to many who have taken time to read the New Testament, even to some who have approached it with scepticism. One of the most notable cases is that of Gilbert West and Lord Lyttelton, two eminent lawyers in 18th century England. West set out to write a book disproving the conversion of Paul, while Lyttelton sought to disprove the resurrection of Christ. Both were convinced by the evidence and became Christians as a result. They wrote their books supporting the gospel stories.
A more up-to-date example is that of skeptic lawyer Frank Morison, who originally planned to write a monograph on the trial of Jesus. Confronted by the fact of the resurrection, he was eventually convinced by the evidence, became a Christian and wrote instead Who Moved the Stone? In the book’s first chapter, which is called “The book that refused to be written”, he describes how, as he came to examine the material, so far from writing the book that he had intended, he found himself:
…compelled by the sheer force of circumstances to write quite another. It is not that the facts themselves altered, for they are recorded imperishably in the monuments and in the pages of human history. But the interpretation to be put upon the facts underwent a change. Somehow the perspective shifted - not suddenly, as in a flash of insight or inspiration, but slowly, almost imperceptibly, by the very stubbornness of the facts themselves.
(Source: christianity.co.nz)
More than a few years back, I was walking up 40th past Bryant Park with my boss at the time, Jay, and he said – “You wouldn’t even recognize this place back in the 70s… you’d have been tripping over hypodermic needles, and fighting off the hookers back then. It was nasty, man.”
Dirty, dangerous, and destitute. This was New York City in the 1970s, as war raged on in Vietnam.
—
The city went bankrupt. Two weeks later, President Gerald R. Ford angered many New Yorkers by refusing to grant the city a bailout, a decision famously summarized by the New York Daily News headline “Ford to City: Drop Dead.”
10 Lines From Napoleon’s Love Letters That Sound Like Crazy Texts
“How happy I would be if I could assist you at your undressing, the little firm white breast, the adorable face, the hair tied up in a scarf a la creole.”
“It’s 18th-century sexting.”
A huge crowd gathered in front of the White Star Line office in New York’s lower Broadway to get the latest news on the sinking of the luxury liner Titanic.
![Our Chinese surnames are actually pretty cool.
Just one part of the history of 胡:
It is interesting to see that many ethnologically very distant nomad tribes and peoples of Inner Asia – either appearing in Europe or in China - have names beginning with [hu] like the Huns (ATILLA THE HUN!), the Hu, the Xiongnu匈奴 (quite possibly the forefathers of the Huns!!! and Attila’s family’s direct descendant) [old: “Hung-nu”], or the Hungarians.
Warrior tribe, y’all.
We even have, uh, some sort of legendary book:
Also I find it funny that “匈奴人究竟去了哪里” is a Google suggestion. Apparently the answer is “跑到匈牙利去了 … ”
Irrelevant but cool:
A recent genetic study suggests that Mongols are the descents of intermarriage between Xiongnu and Turks.
(Does that explain blond haired, blue eyed Mongols?)
And:
The War of the Eight Princes during the Western Jin Dynasty triggered a large scale Southern Xiongnu uprising from 304, which resulted in the sacking of the Chinese capitals at Luoyang (311) and Chang’an. The Xiongnu Kingdom of Han Zhao captured and executed the last two Jin emperors as the Western Jin Dynasty collapsed in 317. Many Chinese fled south of the Yangtze River as numerous tribesmen of the Xiongnu and remnants of the Jin wreaked havoc in the north. Fu Jiān temporarily unified the north but his achievement was destroyed after the Battle of Feishui. The Northern Wei Dynasty unified northern China again in 439 and ushered in the period of the Northern Dynasties.
I just thought that sounded pretty cool, haha. Like something out of Jingle Ma’s Hua Mulan. And can you imagine the millions of conquests and fallen mini-dynasties they had in the past?](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6sv8t5yGH1qk2m4co1_500.jpg)
Our Chinese surnames are actually pretty cool.
Just one part of the history of 胡:
It is interesting to see that many ethnologically very distant nomad tribes and peoples of Inner Asia – either appearing in Europe or in China - have names beginning with [hu] like the Huns (ATILLA THE HUN!), the Hu, the Xiongnu匈奴 (quite possibly the forefathers of the Huns!!! and Attila’s family’s direct descendant) [old: “Hung-nu”], or the Hungarians.
Warrior tribe, y’all.
We even have, uh, some sort of legendary book:
Also I find it funny that “匈奴人究竟去了哪里” is a Google suggestion. Apparently the answer is “跑到匈牙利去了 … ”
Irrelevant but cool:
A recent genetic study suggests that Mongols are the descents of intermarriage between Xiongnu and Turks.
(Does that explain blond haired, blue eyed Mongols?)
And:
The War of the Eight Princes during the Western Jin Dynasty triggered a large scale Southern Xiongnu uprising from 304, which resulted in the sacking of the Chinese capitals at Luoyang (311) and Chang’an. The Xiongnu Kingdom of Han Zhao captured and executed the last two Jin emperors as the Western Jin Dynasty collapsed in 317. Many Chinese fled south of the Yangtze River as numerous tribesmen of the Xiongnu and remnants of the Jin wreaked havoc in the north. Fu Jiān temporarily unified the north but his achievement was destroyed after the Battle of Feishui. The Northern Wei Dynasty unified northern China again in 439 and ushered in the period of the Northern Dynasties.
I just thought that sounded pretty cool, haha. Like something out of Jingle Ma’s Hua Mulan. And can you imagine the millions of conquests and fallen mini-dynasties they had in the past?
No copyright. Emoticon as you will, nineteenth century!
Typographic smileys circa 1881
Also I read that some famous 19th century writer dude proposed punctuation marks for sarcasm and irony and meta (?)
Seriously, we did not know Bucky was a babe.
Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller (July 12, 1895 – July 1, 1983) was an American inventor, systems theorist, designer, author, engineer, architect, and humanist. Fuller was an enigmatic genius best known for his innovations with geometric architecture such as the geodesic dome, as well as his pioneering work with sustainable systems. In addition to being dashingly handsome, “Bucky” was also a badass (having been expelled from Harvard University for his hard partying) and a genius, who meticulously documented his life over 80 years in the world’s longest autobiography, The Dymaxion Chronofile, a paper record over 80 meters thick where Fuller notated his life every 15 minutes! Fuller’s complex intellect fascinated and baffled many of his contemporaries. His many quirks, coupled with his brilliant designs made him a guru among alternative communities seeking to create sustainable systems.
Fuller received numerous honorary degrees, was granted 28 US Patents, and in 1983 shortly before his death was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the nation’s highest civilian honor) by President Ronald Reagan. He died of a heart attack at the age of 87 and is buried in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
And cute name came in handy in patenting his inventions, too. #buckyballs
~ Bridal Chef: Suggestions and Practical Recipes for the New Housekeeper, 1911
King Mithridates VI (132-63 B.C.) of Pontus (a kingdom composing parts of Asia Minor and the Black Sea coast), took small doses of poison throughout his life to develop a resistance in case an attempt was made to poison him. He built up such a strong immunity that when he tried to take his own life to escape capture by the Romans, the poison had no effect. He had to order a slave to kill him with a sword.
Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait. I just recently read the chapter where this king is mentioned in The Count of Monte Cristo. And now this shows up on my dash. HOW DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN?
I guess that makes me immune to death by Cheetos and cake
Stupidest Death
Francis Bacon was an amazingly influential Englishman. He was a known statesman, philosopher, writer, and scientist. He also had one of the stupidest deaths ever. One afternoon in 1625, Bacon was watching a snowstorm and was struck by the wondrous notion that maybe snow could be used to preserve meat in the same way that salt was used. Determined to find out, he purchased a chicken from a nearby village, killed it, and then, standing outside in the snow, attempted to stuff the chicken full of snow to freeze it. The chicken never froze, but Bacon did.
North and South Carolina Officially Split
Aw, we’re sad to see them call it quits.
Even though the north and south have had different governors for a while now, Carolina has officially separated this year. The proprietors will remain the same when it comes to overseeing the two colonies, but they are still working to resolve official borders between the north and south.
The sooner they figure out what belongs to whom, the better!! NOTHING is worse than dragging out a messy break up.
Perez Hamilton cracks me up.
“
That is a basketball machine - a perfect basketball machine. Only another NBA team would have a chance. We had none. As we say in Cuba, ‘You can’t cover the sun with your finger.’
Cuba coach Miguel Calderon Gomez, on USA’s Dream Team of 1992
Dream Team Dazzles In Laugher
June 29, 1992 | By Tim Povtak of The Sentinel Staff
(Source: articles.orlandosentinel.com)
Apollo 12 Pranksters
The space program was, for better or worse, a bit of a boys’ club for many decades. Actually, it was a total frat party. When you put a bunch of gung-ho test pilots and overworked engineers in a room together, you’re gonna get some juvenile behavior. Apollo 12 was probably the pinnacle of adolescent space pranks.
The wrist cuff manuals held the step-by-step procedures for each of the astronauts’ extra-vehicular excursions. Measure this, check this, collect that. Very little is done in space without a checklist. Ernie Reyes, chief of pre-flight operations for NASA back on Earth, spiced up the checklists with little “Snoopy” cartoons. Snoopy, from Peanuts, was an unofficial mascot of the Apollo program (they named those black and white radio caps after the dog).
And then there were the Playboy playmates. “Survey her activity” indeed! See more of the cartoons and hilarious “adult checklists” here at the NASA lunar archives.
Weeee! Gosh! heehee
