.... Crucifixion is kind of a gross word

AND it gets even grosser when you read about it and the various ways you can nails the hands/arms up. Different locations for the insertions of nails and angles, etc. And the we turn to the actual way people die when they are fucking nailed or tied to a pole, which could take hours to days, apparently. Gross. And EW, sometimes they broke the legs to hasten death, especially if the arms were tied directly overhead. And then the remains were usually left to decay on the cross, although there has been ONE archaeological finding of a crucified body. The nail found in his heel bone had olive wood fragments on it, which means that he was crucified AT EYE LEVEL because olive trees are not very tall!!!! GROSS. Oh god, there are other gross parts about how there was a piece of wood holding the nail on his foot, so he couldn't SLIDE HIS FOOT OFF THE HEAD OF THE NAIL.

The wikipedia article also says there is crucifixion imagery in Final Fantasys 7, 8 & 10, but I don't remember anything like that in 7, the only one I actually finished.

AND.... The reason why I am even thinking about this in the first place is that I have been listening to the Jesus Christ Superstar movie soundtrack for the past couple days. Of course, I should be reading journal articles about Type 3 Secretion in gram-negative bacteria, but...



My two favorite songs are "Heaven on their Minds" and "Gethsemane," like, by far, but I figure JC Superstar is a classic. Dude, those ladies know how to dance. AND I love Judas' voice. Man, Andrew Lloyd Webber was a freaking genius. Also, here is a strange 2000 version of "Heaven on Their Minds" that sort of reminds me of daytime soap operas.

AND THEN!!!! Ted Neely is touring in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR in a city near you, RIGHT NOW!!!! GO! Ted Neeley has been playing Jesus Christ longer than Jesus was alive.

Brain-exert

Some thought-provoking articles:

Nietzsche on Christianity I mean to read some Nietzsche. I understand there is some connotation about him among people, but I don't know what it is. Just that its there. On the subject of religion in general, I am sort of confused about the whole thing right now. I am having troubles distinguishing between what I would like to be true and what I actually believe. I mean, who doesn't like the idea of heaven? I don't want to be annihilated when I die. Does that mean I believe in heaven? Probably not. It's sort of a silly idea, unfortunately. Nice, but silly. Like unicorns and pegasuses, and dragons. I think a general difficulty with people and religion is this distinction between what we would like to believe and what we actually believe. There is a difference. I think it's a right brain/ left brain thing. People generally act on right brain impulses, so maybe that's what really matters?

Jonathan Haidt on why people vote Republican This is a long article, but I suggest reading through it. It has suggestions to liberals for appealing to more conservative-minded people through certain values that we don't often talk about. I don't like the article in that it seems obviously calculating, like we should only do this to get votes, instead of just suggesting that we talk about issues differently so that people of a different mind understand us better. Communication over calculation.

My synopsis of what we are missing:
ingroup/loyalty value: We pursue social justice because everyone has a right to be an American, to pursue the American dream (instead of it only being the right thing to do). We want to include everyone! Coherence to maintaining the American dream.
purity/sanctity value: We must overcome our base materialistic desires and promote reverence of Nature
authority/respect: We will maintain order by promoting personal responsibility and respect for the rules. Be hard on those who misuse the system for personal benefit.

The author also has a website where you can test which parts of the "moral spectra" are important to you. I am apparently more liberal than the average liberal on situations concerning harm and fairness. And slightly more conservative than the average liberal on issues of loyalty and authority. Run of the mill liberal on the purity scale. Perhaps it is best for all of you if you take the test before you weave your way through the article, just the hypotheses don't affect your answers.

Feel free to discuss any of this in the comments!

A Grim Reality

I just read this article about the Panamanian Frog going extinct, and the author describes why he feels sad about watching a video of a species he knows no longer exists. That each species is a unique expression of life on this planet, that has been shaped by evolution and environment for millions of years. I think this a sort of validation of the intrinsic value of biodiversity that we conservationalists like to talk about because there isn't any fiscal or economic reason for keeping all these species around (Since it's all about money in the world these days).

This makes me wonder why more Bible thumpers aren't environmentalists. If God supposedly created everything AND intelligently designed everything, shouldn't they be upset when a creation of God is lost forever? Shouldn't there be this intrinsic value to every animal because it is an expression of God that He put there? I would like to take this moment to remind everyone that Jesus was a bleeding heart. Why aren't more religious people more concerned about people and things other than themselves and their families? The Religious Right seems like a contradiction to me.

Anyway, all of this is adding to my increasing fatalistic view towards that world that has been developing this week especially. It seems as though there is nothing we can do to stop adding species to the list of the extinct. It's like, we're all going to be Totally Fucked by global warming anyway, it seems like any little thing any one of us tries to do is just dust in the wind.... On the other hand, I suppose the dust in the wind used to be part of something greater, an animal or plant, or Einstein. And so that's positive. Apparently I have to bring it back to chemistry to make myself feel better. There are dinosaurs in my bones! And trilobites!