Merchickety

Bible as Literature Essay-Attitudes Toward Women in the Gospels and Acts

2011-07-06T05:08:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while, so I decided to upload my final paper for Bible as Literature. I originally wanted to explore the entire New Testament's attitudes toward women, but alas, I had to work within the page-count restraints set by my professor. Had I gone in depth in to the Epistles, (especially those written by pseudo-Paul), this would have been a far more scathing analysis. Perhaps another time? Also, there is not a lot of editing. I kind of churned it out in a rush a couple of days before it was due. However, I did get an A on it, and my professor did not seem to give out such high scores easily. So, I figure it must be somewhat worthwhile.

Note: If the small text is difficult to read, try clicking the title above the Scribd box. It should take you to the larger-text version on the Scribd website.

Attitudes Towards Women in the Gospels and Acts

Because I'm in College

2011-02-14T00:16:00.000-08:00

Being a college student, I don't always have a lot of time to blog. That's because I spend the majority of my time writing essays, and once they're written I usually need a little bit of time spent not writing to recuperate. So, on the off chance anyone reading this might be interested in said essays, I've decided to start uploading them to Scribd, and I'll share them here. Enjoy!

Is Q Necessary?

You KNOW you’re being a JERK

2011-01-07T17:16:00.000-08:00

I’m sure if you’re reading this, you’re probably already aware of the American Atheists billboard in Huntsville, Alabama that has stirred up some controversy. If you haven’t heard of it yet, here it is-

Usually, when people start complaining about atheist billboards, I ignore them because the billboard in question is almost always some message about still being Good without God, or something similar. I have never seen a problem with those billboards, because they inform religious people that we are not evil, baby-eating Satan-worshippers, but people just like them. and then when they complain they end up looking like jerks. This one, however, I DO take issue with, and I’ll tell you why.

It’s petty and childish.

You know what I imagine when I read the text of this billboard? I imagine some truther saying, “you KNOW 9/11 was an INSIDE JOB,” or some some moon landing denier saying, “you KNOW the moon landings were a HOAX.” No I don’t know that. and while I don’t believe in god, I don’t think scam is an appropriate word for religion. Scam implies that religious leaders are deliberately misleading their followers. While I can’t say that all religious leaders are good people with no ulterior motives, I think I can say that there are plenty of honest people who devote their lives to their deeply held religious beliefs. I don’t think there would be many priests and nuns willing to commit themselves to a life of celibacy if they didn’t really believe. These are not people who know that it’s a scam.

Just as with the truther, or the moon landing denier, there is also an air of smug superiority here. “Oh you poor misguided sheeple. You KNOW it’s a SCAM, right? Everyone else does, at least everyone with a BRAIN.” I’m not saying this is the message AA meant to impart, but it is the tone this sets. If the already de-converted are getting this impression, what do you think the believers are thinking? This is an ad campaign, and unless your goal is to piss people off (if it is, then well done), you should really put a bit more thought into your marketing.

Look, I’m just as guilty as the American Atheists as far as petty and childish behavior in the name of non-belief. When I first stopped believing in god I felt like a total idiot for not figuring it out sooner, and I have to admit I felt a sort of smug superiority in my ability to sniff out the bullshit, and thought anyone who hadn’t figured it out yet must be some idiotic loser without a brain. The difference is, I grew out of it. I was like that because I was still figuring things out, and my brain hadn’t gotten used to the idea of there being any such thing as a “gray area” yet. That’s why the American Atheists make me think of a cross between a wailing baby and a smug conspiracy theorist under the woeful influence of the Dunning-Kruger effect. Come on, guys, it’s time to grow up a little and realize we don’t have all the answers. and stop pretending we do, that’s their bit.

Blog Title

2010-09-29T23:16:00.000-07:00

Oh, I'm changing my blog title to Merchickety, because I recently discovered that SkepticGeek is taken.

The Psychic

2010-07-31T00:52:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter is Jesus

2010-07-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

I Can Haz Vacation?

2010-07-01T01:08:00.000-07:00

I don't really need one but I'm getting one. I'm going back to Florida for 2 months to see some friends, chill on the beach... oh and I'm gonna spend some time with my dad too, so that's cool. (Just kidding, my dad is awesome.) I might not post very much, so nothing new there, but I'm going to be doing a lot of cool stuff I'll probably blog about, so stay tuned and experience the coolness vicariously!

For the time being, enjoy this picture of a Bonobo I took at the San Diego Zoo recently- they're a bitch to find so you better appreciate it! :P

Huh...

2010-06-26T02:45:00.000-07:00

16 posts in a year, half of them just in the last month...

Then again, the 48 hour book challenge posts hardly count, do they?

Screw it, I'm counting them.

A Modest Proposal Redux

2010-06-26T02:25:00.000-07:00

Overpopulation is a serious issue in many parts of the world. In many countries, the land can no longer support all of the people who live on it, and so many suffer in poverty. Luckily, though, a solution is in sight, and from one of the most unlikely places! A plan has already been put into effect, right under our noses, and it seems even the participants are unaware of the great service they are doing for our planet! I am, of course, talking about the anti-vaccination movement.

The vaccination issue is very hot right now, with those on the antivax side convinced that vaccinations are giving children autism, and those on the anti-antivax side convinced that the antivaxxers are causing children to die of vaccine-preventable diseases. But those on the anti-antivax side are focusing too much on the negative and ignoring the positive, which is that children are dying of vaccine-preventable diseases! It is an uncomfortable thought, to be sure, but think of all the children those kids would have spawned, and their children after them, and so on until the planet would no longer be able to support any kind of life at all. It’s best to prevent that chain of events now while we still can.

As far as autism goes, no one has ever shown conclusively that vaccines cause autism, but we better not take any chances. After all, there has never been one successful autistic person in history. We don’t want all of these autists running around, living off of welfare, and never contributing anything to mankind! Better dead than autistic! And speaking of reducing the population of those who wouldn’t contribute, there is a large group of people with medical problems that prevent them from being able to get vaccinated. They rely on something called “herd immunity” where if most of the people around them are vaccinated they will be protected themselves. If we take away their herd immunity they might contract these diseases and die, and there would be one less group of people to leech off the rest of us.

Another possible benefit, which may seem a little over the top but bear with me, would be that those who die from illnesses might be used to provide food for those who need it. Why litter the ground with coffins when every scrap of leftovers can be put to use? I know what you’re going to say, that if they died from disease the body would be infected. You don’t seem to have taken into account that the people eating the meat would have either gotten infected and developed immunity or have been vaccinated themselves, so there would be no risk. The packaging would be clearly labeled so that those without immunity or who would rather not partake can choose not to. This would help reduce the strain on other food sources as well.

I realize it may seem as if I don’t care, that I enjoy the idea of children across the world dying before they’ve even had a chance to live. On the contrary! I see it as a necessary evil, the loss of some for the benefit of all! Their sacrifice will contribute to the well-being and happiness of others the world over. I’m sure that honorable position will be compensation enough.

--------------------------------

Ok, for those of you who may not have picked up on it, this is satire. I don’t actually think a child dying of vaccine-preventable illness is a good thing, I think it’s a very bad thing, which is why I wrote this. I wasn’t going to write a disclaimer because I figured people would get it, but then I remembered that this is the internet.

This actually spawned from my impression of a lot of antivax arguments, which always seem to be based on the idea that if vaccines do cause autism, it would be better to take a chance with diseases that could potentially kill you if you were to contract them. They are saying, in effect, that it’s better to be dead than autistic. I think there are a lot of autistic people out there that might have a problem with that idea.

My inspiration should be obvious, both from the title and the bit about eating the “leftovers.” Mmmmm… Leftovers…

Links to more serious (and scientifically based) vaccine information-

Science Based Medicine
Anti-Antivax
Jenny McCarthy Body Count

Oh man...

2010-06-08T17:59:00.000-07:00

The problem with spontaneously taking on book challenges is that you forget to take into account that you are going to be leaving on vacation during the challenge.

So... Yeah. That's why I didn't finish.

Oh yeah, and I'm lazy, too.

48 Hour Book Challenge: 8 Hours, 10 Minutes

2010-06-04T20:10:00.000-07:00

Alright, I'm putting the book down for the day. Have you ever spent so much time reading a book that the words just started to swim together and you had to put it down, even though you were really into the story? That's about where I am. So- taking a break, might read a bit more before bed, but might not.

Time Breakdown: (All times PST)

Friday AM
7:40- 8:10 Reading
8:10-8:15 Blogging
8:15-9:15 Reading
9:15-9:20 Blogging
9:20-10:24 Reading
Friday PM
2:15-2:20 Blogging
2:20-5:20 Reading
5:20-5:25 Blogging
5:25-8:00 Reading
8:00-8:10 Blogging

Reading Total- 8:10
Blogging Total- :30

48 Hour Book Challenge: 5 Hours, 35 Minutes

2010-06-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

So, I'm on part two, where Maud tells about her past. All I can say is, yikes! I can see why she's so strange! I saw the miniseries but if I remember right they didn't go into quite as much detail about how... weird her childhood was.

Time Breakdown: (All times PST)

7:40- 8:10 Reading
8:10-8:15 Blogging
8:15-9:15 Reading
9:15-9:20 Blogging
9:20-10:24 Reading
10:24-2:15 Napping
2:15-2:20 Blogging
2:20-5:20 Reading
5:20-5:25 Blogging

Reading Total- 5:35
Blogging Total- :20
Napping Total- 3:50

48 Hour Book Challenge: Whoops...

2010-06-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

How am I only at 2 hours, 35 Minutes you ask? I fell asleep for 4 hours! Oops!

Time Breakdown- (All times PST)

7:40- 8:10 Reading
8:10-8:15 Blogging
8:15-9:15 Reading
9:15-9:20 Blogging
9:20-10:24 Reading
10:24-2:15 Napping
2:15-2:20 Blogging

Reading Total: 2:35
Blogging Total: :15
Napping Total: 3:50

48 Hour Book Challenge: 1 Hour, 30 Minutes

2010-06-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

Counting only the time spent reading and not the time spent blogging, I am at 1 hour and 30 minutes total. Still reading Fingersmith of course (Do you know anyone capable of reading an entire 582 page novel in 1 hour and 30 minutes? Even with a 50-or-so page head start?). I saw the BBC Miniseries before I got the book, so I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to get into it, but I have discovered my fears were for nothing. Sure, I remember what happens, and I don't get the chance to form my OWN picture of the characters, but there is a lot more depth to the book that just couldn't have come out in the miniseries.

Time Breakdown Thus Far: (All times PST)

7:40- 8:10 Reading
8:10-8:15 Blogging
8:15-9:15 Reading
9:15-9:20 Blogging

Reading Total- 1:30
Blogging Total- :10

Now for more reading!

48 Hour Book Challenge: 30 Minutes

2010-06-04T08:15:00.001-07:00

I've been reading a little bit of Fingersmith by Sarah Waters for a couple of days and so I decided to go ahead and keep reading it rather than starting a new book. I just finished reading the part where the main character, Sue Trinder, describes her journey from London to Briar. It was exhausting just reading about it, she sounds so miserable!

48 Hour Book Challenge: Starting Line

2010-06-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

I literally JUST heard about this from reading my sister's blog (Lessons From The Head) and it sounds awesome! So even though I just read about this like 5 minutes ago and I'm totally unprepared, it sounds like fun so I'm gonna go for it!

So I'm starting. Right Now.

Starting Line: Friday, 7:40 AM (PST)

Sorry!

2010-05-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

I did it again. This time it's been 5 months (as if anyone even reads this anyway). I've just been totally busy with class, and I've been thinking through a few ideas for stories and still haven't managed to pin one down to focus my time on. I have about four ideas floating around, and I keep jumping from one to the other. Maybe I'll eventually just finish them all at the same time and suddenly have four completed stories after having none.

I think my main problem is that all the ideas are vastly different. Two are sort of supernatural horror stories, One is an idea for a series about a werewolves with a teen audience in mind, and no, that one is nothing like Twilight. It's much darker. and the last one is an idea for a series of novels about a group of time travelers that would be in a sequence similar to Harry Potter in that as the characters age so would the target audience. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but it's kind of like how in the first Harry Potter the main characters are 11, and the story is written in such a way that it's primary appeal is to kids around 11 years old. The content certainly matured that way. The 7th book, the one in which the main characters are all 17, is clearly targeted to an older teen audience. I hope that makes sense, but I'm just kind of writing this on the fly, the same way I write all my other posts.

Anyway, the last idea about the time travelers, I'm really into that one right now. Especially since the story I have in my head is ridiculously fun. I first had the idea for it last summer, and it's weird that as this summer is starting, so my interest in the idea is reigniting at the same time.

Happy New Year

2010-01-03T15:22:00.000-08:00

It's been about 2 months since my last post. Man I'm bad about this... I think I need to just start posting every time something random pops up into my head. Sure, it'll be really annoying, but at the same time I'll get in the habit of writing more often and eventually (hopefully) something interesting will pop out of my head and onto the computer screen.

National Novel Writing Month: Writer's Block Interludes

2009-11-07T00:58:00.000-08:00

I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this year and I discovered a nifty way to cure writer's block.
Every time i get stuck, I just throw in a random interlude that has nothing to do with the story, delete it, and keep writing. It helps when I can just have fun with it, and helps relieve my own tension when I'm writing a particularly difficult or serious scene.

So, without further ado, here are a couple of interludes I've used so far.

Writer's block interlude #1: Suddenly, out of nowhere, a shark jumped out of the water and swallowed Trent whole! Abigail jumped up, grabbed a knife out of the canoe, and dived into the water after it. She swam toward the menacing shark and plunged the knife into its belly, killing it, and freeing Trent. They swam back to the surface and got back into the boat.

Writer's block interlude #2: Abigail woke the next morning to the sound of a zombie crashing into her room. She screamed, what else would she do? But then she realized how slowly the zombie was shambling toward her. She managed to step around him while he took a lumbering swing at her, and walked out into the hall. She reached into the hall closet and pulled out the rifle she kept there in case of situations like this one. She went back into her room while the zombie was still trying to slowly turn around and catch up to her. She took aim at his head and fired. The zombie’s head exploded all over her room. “Crap,” she said, “Now I have to clean all this up.”

No, these won't actually end up in the story, and actually have nothing to do with the story itself, but it's fun and reminds me of way back when my friends and I would sit at a computer, taking turns writing a completely random and nonsensical story, and having fun with it while we were at it.

Backyard Pareidolia

2009-11-07T00:47:00.000-08:00

The Sunday Site: RESURCH+ORG

2009-07-12T16:32:00.004-07:00

I actually heard about this website a little while back, but I wasn't sure what to talk about this time around so I decided to share one of my favorite skeptical resources, RESURCH+ORG.

This website contains tons of links to skeptical and scientific blogs, as well as links to books, games, and writing resources. True to it's name, it's the perfect resource for those needing to research a skeptical topic, be it for a blog, debate, or good old fashioned pwnage. Since I first found this page, the number of resources listed has almost doubled, and it doesn't look to be slowing anytime soon.

In other news, I've gotten back into reading fanfiction again. and it seems I've developed an addiction to remus/sirius slash. (Even the crappiest stories make me go "awww, it's so... perfect!) They are definitely my personal OTP (One True Pairing).
Here's one I happen to like quite a bit- CLICK ME!.

Well, that's all for the moment. I'm not sure I'll get around to posting much in the next few days, my roommate has broken her back and just got out of surgery a few hours ago. So there's lots of activity in my house right now with her family staying here, and there's a lot of worry all around because the doctors said she may have lost some function in her left leg. Also, I'm leaving town on wednesday to go to my cousin's wedding, and I'm not getting back until next monday, so I might not post in that time and there won't be a sunday site next week. I'll try and make it a good one the week after to make up for it though!

Also, if you read my blog, PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS! I don't know if anyone's reading this if you don't, and I'd love some feedback so I can make the blog better!

Are you a Browncoat?

2009-07-09T14:17:00.003-07:00

I'm a little pissed off.

OK, scratch that, I'm a lot pissed off.

I'm pissed off for two reasons. First, why hadn't I heard of or seen Firefly until recently, and second what idiot made the decision to cancel it after 14 episodes?

OK, I know I'm pretty late to the game on this. I mean the show is from 2002 and the movie came out in 2005 and I didn't watch a single episode of the show until this past week. But as I said, that's one of the reasons I'm ticked off.

But after watching all 14 episodes in a row on Hulu, I'm wondering who thought it was a good idea to cancel it just as it was getting really interesting.

I mean, WTF!?!?!?

Now I'm jonesing for more and wondering how to get my hands on the Serenity movie, seeing as I can't order it offline, I don't rent movies, and I don't think there are any video stores nearby that keep it stocked.

I've fallen in love with the show so quickly, I've been wading through pretty crappy fan fiction just to try and get my fix. (speaking of fanfic, Mal/River? srsly?).

But then again, I'm still flying.

It really doesn't help that this show has sent me into full on geek mode when I'm already in pretty serious geek mode over the new Harry Potter movie coming out in six days.

Oh yeah, and speaking of Harry Potter, I did a Harry Potter movie marathon and watched all 5 of the movies to get ready for the new one. Then I decided to go back and read the books again since it's been a while. (a few years at least since I read the first book, and the only time I read the last one was when it came out.) It's annoying going back to reading the books and remembering everything they changed for the movies. I'm so mad at myself for forgetting about Peeves. I mean, who can forget Peeves? Hollywood and me apparently.

The Sunday Site: Muggle Quidditch

2009-07-05T00:24:00.006-07:00

I've decided to start posting info on cool nerdy stuff I find every Sunday. It's my little way of making sure I keep blogging. The stuff I find might not be new to you but it's definitely new to me, so let me know in the comments if you've heard of this stuff before or not.

Anyway, for the first Sunday Site, we're going to be taking a look at Muggle Quidditch. Yeah, that's right, Muggle Quidditch, a game based on Wizard Quidditch from the popular Harry Potter book series.

You can find out how to play Muggle Quidditch through this wikiHow page. It all seems far to complicated for me, especially since I have no coordination whatsoever and not even a super nerdy in a sort of awesome way sport can lure me into any organized physical activity whatsoever. However, were somebody to start a team near me I would happily stand on the sidelines and cheer them on. At least I understand it somewhat, unlike football. I hate football. (For international readers I mean american football, not your football which we happen to call soccer. I actually kind of like soccer. I might have played it if I'd had any encouragement in pursuing it whatsoever. Thanks mom and dad. It's all your fault.) But I digress.

It's things like this that show just how few true Harry Potter fans I have in my life. It turns out I have 2 friends that I know of that have actually read all the Harry Potter books. and I think one immediate family member. and yeah, one of those friends is definitely a Harry Potter Nerd. She can recite all of book one by heart. It's scary. So how am I just learning about this again? I'm not TOO far behind on HP trends though. I know my Sirius/Remus slash, and my Wizard Rock.

And after reading further, while I wouldn't be a player, I might not mind being the snitch. It would be like an extended game of tag where I do one of my favorite activities (wandering aimlessly) at a high speed (running instead of wandering.) I could do that, just make sure the seekers are hot.