Ukraine's European Revolution?

[Queequeg]

Maybe not a "slouch", but the BoM is an incredibly mind-numbing bore.  Mark Twain called it oral chloroform. 

[Capetan Mihali]

When I went to the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Conn. some years back, I learned that Mark Twain was one of America's first drunk-diallers; an early adopter of the telephone, he would get loaded and pick up his receiver and make crude comments to the female operators.  They took his service away as a result.

He also had these really small beds in the house that the tour guide was incredibly sensitive about.  Before we went into the room she warned us very testily "Everybody thinks these beds look small but they are actually normal length!".  But then the beds did look extremely small and some people couldn't resist commenting on that, and she got really agitated.

[Ed Anger]

When I went to the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Conn. some years back, I learned that Mark Twain was one of America's first drunk-diallers; an early adopter of the telephone, he would get loaded and pick up his receiver and make crude comments to the female operators.  They took his service away as a result.

I harass Indian telemarketers.

[The Brain]

When I went to the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Conn. some years back, I learned that Mark Twain was one of America's first drunk-diallers; an early adopter of the telephone, he would get loaded and pick up his receiver and make crude comments to the female operators.  They took his service away as a result.

He also had these really small beds in the house that the tour guide was incredibly sensitive about.  Before we went into the room she warned us very testily "Everybody thinks these beds look small but they are actually normal length!".  But then the beds did look extremely small and some people couldn't resist commenting on that, and she got really agitated.

Sure this wasn't Neverland?

[Razgovory]

Baal and El were worshipped throughout northern Israel at sites like Schechem and Bethel.  The bull iconography is associated withe those gods.  The story of the golden calfs worshipped under the reign of Jeroboam takes place at Bethel and acknowledges what may very well have been a common cult practice in the region.  The more famous Exodus story is an anachronistic reflection of that practice.

I realize that but Mormonism purposefully adopts the religious imagery of the pre-Monotheistic Israelites.  Of Canaan.  I don't think any other Abrahamic faith does that.  Moses destroying the graven images and the golden calf is pretty much the starting point in Genesis of a faith that we can recognize.

My point is that the Biblical narrative about the origins of the Monotheistic Israelites is a constructed one.  The destruction of the golden calfs by Moses is not a historical event.  The worship of Baal, El and other Canaanite gods throughout the monarchic period probably is historical on the other hand.  In fact, the Bibilical narrative likely represents an attempt to project back quite deep into the past a cultic purity and exclusivity that developed much later.  We are dealing with constructed, mythical narrative, and the subsequent iconography (both positive and negative) is built up upon that.  Mormonism is really more of the same; a key difference is that its origin takes place in the full light of history in an era of mass literacy and printing so the mythologizing looks more transparent and outlandish. 

The baptisms are at best tacky and very bad form; the presence of the bull iconography is no more than a minor detail.

I was under the impression that bull worship was pretty widespread in the middle east before there were Israelites.  It's seen in Sumeria, Egypt and Crete. If you are inclined to believe that the there was an exodus, then the worship of bull idols during the trip in the Sinai isn't off the wall.

[Queequeg]

Minsky is arguing that there wasn't a particular, exact moment when Moses said "wtf stop worshiping this bull dumbasses", but that it was a legend post-dated to around the time of the Babylonian Exodus when modern Judaism began to take shape. 

[Syt]

http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/725670

Ukrainian citizen carrying weapons and explosives detained in Moscow Region

"The so-called Ukrainian leadership is making direct threats of what they call a 'guerilla war' on the territory of Russia," deputy plenipotentiary representative of the president said

MOSCOW, March 28. /ITAR-TASS/. A national of Ukraine who was carrying weaponry and explosives has been detained in the Moscow Region, Nikolai Ovsiyenko, a deputy plenipotentiary representative of the Russian President in the Central Federal District said Friday.

Ovsiyenko did not rule out that the man might have arrived in the Moscow Region for the purpose of organizing a 'guerilla war' here.

"The so-called Ukrainian leadership is making direct threats of what they call a 'guerilla war' on the territory of Russia and a question arises in this connection on whether or not we're ready for this," Ovsiyenko said.

"A man who had arrived from Ukraine with a huge arsenal of munitions and explosives - quite possibly, for translating those threats into life - was detained in the Moscow region several days ago," he said. "All the details of the situation are being clarified now, as a criminal case against him has been instituted."

On the whole, the crimes related to extremist activities grew almost 20% in the Central Federal District last year. "Given the current developments in Ukraine, this situation is causing a really big concern," Ovsiyenko said.

[Syt]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26787051

Obama: Russia must pull back troops

US President Barack Obama has urged Russia to stop "intimidating" Ukraine and reduce the number of troops it has on its border.

He also called on Russia to "de-escalate the situation" and begin negotiations with Kiev.

Russia is believed to have massed a force of several thousand troops close to the eastern frontier of Ukraine.

Mr Obama told CBS News it may "be an effort to intimidate Ukraine, or it may be that [Russia has] additional plans."

In a separate development, ousted President Viktor Yanukovych has called for a national referendum to determine each region's "status within Ukraine".

He fled to Russia last month after massive demonstrations against him and clashes between protesters and police in which more than 100 people died. The Kremlin says the new government in Kiev came to power illegally.

President Obama, in the interview recorded before he left Italy on Thursday, said President Vladimir Putin had been "willing to show a deeply-held grievance about what he considers to be the loss of the Soviet Union".

But he warned that the Russian leader should not "revert back to the kinds of practices that were so prevalent during the Cold War".

"I think there's a strong sense of Russian nationalism and a sense that somehow the West has taken advantage of Russia in the past, " Mr Obama said. "What I have repeatedly said is that he may be entirely misreading the West. He's certainly misreading American foreign policy."

Mr Obama said the US has "no interest in circling Russia" and "no interest in Ukraine beyond letting Ukrainian people make their own decisions about their own lives."

[Ed Anger]

Lolz.

[Capetan Mihali]

Mr Obama told CBS News it may "be an effort to intimidate Ukraine, or it may be that [Russia has] additional plans."

Interesting theory Mr. President...a little bit "out-there," I have to admit, but interesting nonetheless.

[Tamas]

Lolz.

He has drawn...

A RED LINE

[Tamas]

Mr Obama told CBS News it may "be an effort to intimidate Ukraine, or it may be that [Russia has] additional plans."

  Interesting theory Mr. President...a little but "out-there," I have to admit, but interesting nonetheless.

He is sharp as a razor.

[derspiess]

When I went to the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Conn. some years back, I learned that Mark Twain was one of America's first drunk-diallers; an early adopter of the telephone, he would get loaded and pick up his receiver and make crude comments to the female operators.  They took his service away as a result.

Awesome.  Too bad there aren't any recordings of that.

He also had these really small beds in the house that the tour guide was incredibly sensitive about.  Before we went into the room she warned us very testily "Everybody thinks these beds look small but they are actually normal length!".  But then the beds did look extremely small and some people couldn't resist commenting on that, and she got really agitated.

I'm usually the one who pisses off the tour guide.  Half the time, unintentionally.

[Syt]

I was always confused by very short beds in historic farmhouses and some castles over here. I later learned that a lot of people slept sitting up, partially to keep their noses uncongested.

[Caliga]

Nice job, Barack Carter.