by Rupe | Dec 13, 2011 | philosophy-religion, what the...?
A woman was beheaded in Saudi Arabia for practicing witchcraft and sorcery, the kingdom’s Interior Ministry said, prompting Amnesty International to call for a halt in executions there.
Amina bint Abdel Halim Nassar was executed Monday for having “committed the practice of witchcraft and sorcery,” according to an Interior Ministry statement. Nassar was investigated before her arrest and was “convicted of what she was accused of based on the law,” the statement said. Her beheading took place in the Qariyat province of the region of Al-Jawf, the ministry said. Click source link below to continue reading…
Source: CNN
My Comments:
I rarely make negative comments about religion in specifics, but sometimes I just cannot help myself. This is such a dark and ass-backwards act. It is actions such as these that cement in my mind the absolute absurdity of some religious values. How can one be so certain about his faith that he would take the life of some one else in serving that end. It makes no friggin’ sense whatsoever…no sense. Wherever she goes beyond this earth, won’t be too far from these clowns.
by Rupe | Dec 13, 2011 | Mad Musings
[simpleviewer gallery_id=”9″]So I have been taking it easy at home, sort of trying to get used to not having to fight the daily grind each day. Â Not sure how much of this I can take, the truth, however, is that I really need the downtime.
Our Great One is Good!
In the last few weeks I have been doing quite a bit of reading. Â I will add them soon to my reading list here at the site. Â Here are the books I have read over the last 6 weeks:
Finished:
The Year of Magical Thinking – About an author who lost both her husband and daughter; really touching read.
Steve Jobs – Biography of Steve Jobs
Stiff – about what happens to the dead
Reading now:
The Evolution of God (reading this right now)
History of the American People (reading this right now)
My Next Reads:
Hannibal: One Man Against Rome (Unabridged)
The Civil War: A Narrative,Volume I
The Second World War
One Second After
23 Things They Don’t Tell You about Capitalism
The Ascent of Money
The Adventure of English
by Rupe | Dec 13, 2011 | Fitness
So I have not posted anything on my physical fitness here in about 6-8 weeks.  Yep, it has been a pretty busy period lots of transition on the  professional front.
Well, there is more to it than that though.
So about eight weeks ago I messed up both my left wrist and right elbow while lifting some serious weights in the gym…a couple of light strains to be exact. Â Now, a normal person would just chill out , go easy for a while and let the strains go away, but oh no! “Little Rupie” could not wait, being invincible and all, I continued lifting through the pain. Â Obviously the slight strain turned into major problems.
To make a long story short, I was down – absolutely no lifting over the last month or so. Â So there it is, the last few weeks have been lazy weeks for me.
Not fully true tho..Iam still in relatively good shape, but I need to get back on the grind.
It has gotten pretty cold now that we are pretty much in winter, so getting up for morning runs are much harder. Â At any rate, my body feels much better now. Â My left wrist is about 90% back and my right elbow is about 75. Â I will keep away from heavy lifting, but I will kick in the cardio.
by Rupe | Dec 6, 2011 | Money Matters
by Rupe | Nov 25, 2011 | Not So Recent Reads
Title:Â Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Summary:
An oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem.
For two thousand years, cadavers (some willingly, some unwittingly) have been involved in science’s boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They’ve tested France’s first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way.
In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors’ conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.
My Comments:
Probably one of the weirdest books I have every read; and I probably would not have purchased it, had it not been on sale.  I must admit, however, that I found it quite interesting and admittedly engaging.  Ms Roach does have a knack for making the bizarre pretty accessible.  If you every had thoughts about donating your body to science or any other purpose, this book might give you pause or at least give you another thought point.  It is hard not to recommend, but be prepared for the unexpected…ruhaaahhaaaahh!
Grab it from Amazon
A woman was beheaded in Saudi Arabia for practicing witchcraft and sorcery, the kingdom’s Interior Ministry said, prompting Amnesty International to call for a halt in executions there.