By Ian Punnett

 

 

There's a theme to tonight's blog:

Things that are hard to believe!  For example:

According to a website that tracks news from Malta, creationism in the classroom is on the rise there leading to this unusual claim: 

The dinosaurs actually co-existed with early humans, and even helped in the construction of the pyramids.
This is the word of Vince Fenech, Evangelist pastor and director of a fully licensed, State-approved Creationist institution which admits children aged between four and 18.

I really want to believe that dinosaurs helped to build the pyramids not because I’m a Christian but because I am a fan of the Flintstones.  Still, I’d be willing to bet that if Ramses the Great had managed to get a bridle into the mouth of Brontosaurus and--yabba dabba doo--had tamed the beast into moving giant stones into place, it would have rated at least one wall painting. 

But!  If there were T-Rex’s running around while guys were trying to building the pyramids then at least we could question whether Ussein Bolt of Jamaica truly is the fastest man in the history of the planet.  I mean, you’ve got to wonder whether some Egyptian guy wandering into the bushes for a bathroom break might have come upon a T-Rex and set a land speed record heading back into camp that might never be broken.

So, I find that hard to believe.  So is this:

(BBC) A man accused of making two boys flog themselves until they bled at a Shia Muslim ceremony said they were happy to perform the ritual, a court has heard.

Syed Zaidi said he asked the boys, aged 14 and 15, if they wanted to self-flagellate at the Ashura ceremony.

The father admitted he allowed the boys to use his zanjeer zani, which has five curved blades attached to chains and a wooden handle, to flog themselves.

Let me be clear, teenage boys flogging themselves isn’t hard to believe, it’s flogging themselves with blades that gets tricky for me.  I have two teenage boys and when we ask them to do the dishes, they act like we’re asking them to flog themselves with sharp knives.

So, hard to believe.  But this next story?  I want to believe it!

A newborn baby that was abandoned outdoors by her 14-year-old mother during the Argentina winter was found safe Thursday after being kept alive and warm by a mother dog and her brood of puppies, Reuters reported.

Farmer Fabio Anze found the naked baby near the city of La Plata, Argentina, lying amongst his dog named China’s puppies. The baby was taken to the hospital.

Hospital officials said the baby was only a few hours old when she was found being protected by China, and was in good health.

And speaking of Chinese puppies:

BEIJING: The International Olympic Committee has asked the world governing body for gymnastics to investigate whether members of the Chinese women's team were too young to compete in the Olympics.

Of they’re not old enough to compete according to the rules of the IOC.  That having been said, with the gold medals around their necks, they are quite able to compete according to the judges.  For that matter, other than women’s gymnastics, can anybody else think of an Olympic sports where the physical advantage is in being pre-adolescent?

Not men’s gymnastics.  The only sport where it’s actually an advantage to not be so developed is women’s gymnastics.  Weird. 

Anyway, the Chinese maintain that they have the passports that prove these girls are old enough . . . but you can’t believe everything you read.

For example:

A local Kansas City affiliate is reporting that Gill Studios of Lenexa, which specializes in political literature, has been printing Obama-Bayh material.

Even so, NBC is reporting:

EMPORIA, Va. - Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine have been told by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign they will not be his vice presidential choice.

Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain says that he has made his choice for his running mate and he would report it except that he wrote the name down on a piece of paper and he can’t remember what house of his he left it in.

 

P.S.

Did you love that version of "Smoke on the Water" we played by Judith Owen?

Her songwriting is awesome too!

http://www.judithowen.net/