Start Counting: Week 1, Week 2…

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“Those decisions for children who are conceived in rape or in incest will need to be made prior to the 20-week mark.”

– Elizabeth Graham, head of Texas Right to Life, discussing Gov. Rick Perry’s promotion of “fetal pain” legislation banning abortions after 20 weeks.  The measure would include exceptions for women whose lives are in danger, but not for victims of rape or incest.

Texas Legislature’s Proposed Pregnancy Calendar:

Weeks 1 and 2 – Your pregnancy begins as your body gears up for ovulation and prepares for fertilization, a.k.a. “The Beginning of Life.”

Week 3 – As sperm meets egg, fertilization occurs and your child takes form – as a tiny group of cells.  But, it’s still a kid, so start picking names!

Week 4 – That cluster of God-created cells splits to form the placenta and the embryo.  The specialized parts of your baby begin to develop – including the heart where God will live.

Week 5 – Your baby’s heart and circulatory system are developing – this is God’s plan – and a home pregnancy test will confirm this God’s child.

Week 6 – Your baby’s face takes shape, which is the face of you and your husband (you do have a husband, right?).

Week 7 – Your baby’s brain begins to grow, so it will start to think how God will fit into its life.

Week 8 – As your baby starts moving in the womb, morning sickness sets in – but this is the price all women must pay for the sin of Eve giving Adam that apple.

Week 9 – Your baby is busy building muscle, but all you may want to do these days is take a nice long nap.

Week 10 – Your baby’s bones and cartilage begin to develop more.  Constipation intensifies, but again that’s the price you must pay for the sins of Eve.

Week 11 – That adorable child inside you takes on a more human appearance now – the true face of God should be crystal clear on the sonogram.

Week 12 – While it may seem as if you’ve doubled in size with pregnancy weight gain, it’s your baby who actually has.

Week 13 – As the first trimester comes to a close, your baby’s about the size of a…well, an apple.

Week 14 – Your baby begins to sprout some angel hair.

Week 15 – Your baby begins kicking those little legs and flexing those elbows, as it fills with the spirit of God.

Week 16 – Your baby’s eyesight begins to develop, which means it can see any sharp instruments coming towards it!

Week 17 – Your baby is practicing sucking and swallowing as it gets ready to nurse.

Week 18 – You might start to feel your baby moving around, which will continue even after you get it into a church pew.

Week 19 – Your baby’s gender can be determined at this point.  That means – especially if it’s a male child – your fate as a mother has been set.  And, you can’t go back.

Week 20 – Don’t even think about it, bitch!

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Early Andersen Fairy Tale Discovered

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A Danish historian may have discovered the first fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen.  This past October Esben Brage found the ink-written manuscript at the bottom of a box in the historical archive on the island of Funen, where the Danish author was born.  Now, authorities have confirmed that Andersen wrote the 6-page story entitled “Tællelyset” (The Tallow Candle).  They’ve dated it to the 1820s, when the author was in his teens.

“I am in no doubt that it has been written by Andersen,” Ejnar Stig Askgaard of the Odense City Museum told the Danish daily Politiken.  The paper has published an English-language translation of the story.

The story is about a neglected and dirty tallow candle which finds happiness when a tinder box sees its true beauty and lights its wick.

The front page of the manuscript reads “To Madam Bunkeflod, from her devoted, H.C. Andersen.”  A vicar’s widow, Mme Bunkeflod lived opposite Andersen’s childhood home. Historians know that the writer visited her often as a child, borrowing her books.

“The fairy tale was a present.  A present of thanks to a woman whose home had been very important to him,” Askgaard said.

Experts believe the manuscript is a copy of the original.  Andersen’s first fairy tales were published in 1835.  He wrote some 160 stories, including classics like “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Little Mermaid,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “The Little Match Girl,” that have been translated into more than 100 languages.

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Cliff Dawning

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December 14, 2012 – 7 Days Until Baktun 12

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Survivalist Tip:  Ah – we’ve now reached the critical one week point.  So that reminds me of one more critical element in your arsenal of supplies: rope.  Since prehistoric times, rope has been used for hunting, pulling, fastening, attaching, carrying, lifting and climbing.  Every society on Earth has developed some version of rope.  In the tumultuous aftermath, you may need to evacuate your home, and rope can secure essential belongings to your vehicle or donkey.  You may have to climb over a hill, a mountain, or a pile of dead bodies.  And, if anyone in your clan gets out of line, you can always tie them up with some of that rope until they settle down.

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How to Stay in Shape During the Holidays

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I’ve already started!

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1949 Buick Roadmaster

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The 1949 Buick Roadmaster was the fifth generation in the Roadmaster group.  The car was the first of the “four-hole” Buicks of its era, with the brand’s trademark “ventiports” placed prominently on the front fenders.  Initially, they actually provided some ventilation for the engine compartment, but in later models, the ports were purely emblematic.

The Roadmaster carried Buick’s legendary smooth-running, V8, overhead-valve engine, with 152 hp.  Roadmasters came with a 2-speed Dynaflow automatic transmission as standard equipment, compared to the 3-speed manual transmission offered on lesser models.  The Roadmaster also offered an upgraded interior as part of the “Deluxe” option.  Among the features of a Deluxe Roadmaster were hydraulic power windows and seats – true novelties at the time.  Available Buick Roadmaster body styles included a four-door sedan and two-door sedanette, a two-door hardtop coupe, a four-door station wagon and a convertible.  Options included a toolkit, outside mirrors, hubcaps, a spotlight, a tissue dispenser, upholstery cushion toppers, a parking brake warning light, a sun visor vanity mirror and a polishing kit.

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The Ai Way

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Ai Weiwei (pronounced eye way-way) has become one of the most influential contemporary artists on the international circuit – in both politics and art.  Born in China, Weiwei spent some of his early years in New York in the 1980s where he apparently developed is acumen for merging art with social consciousness.  He’ll use any medium or genre – sculpture, photography, performance, architecture, and now tweets and blogs – to deliver his messages.  Weiwei has become something of a living martyr in China’s ongoing battles with democracy; he has openly criticized the Chinese government and been harassed and jailed.  His antics rival those of Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol: he once dropped an ancient Chinese vase and took a photograph of himself giving the White House the finger.

Weiwei has already been the subject of two shows in Washington, D.C.  This past spring, “Perspectives: Ai Weiwei,” opened at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery with an installation of “Fragments.”  Working with a team of skilled carpenters, Ai turned ironwood salvaged from dismantled Qing-era temples into a handsomely constructed structure that appears chaotic on the ground but, if seen from above, coalesces into a map of China.  “Fragments” embodies a dilemma Weiwei often proposes: can the timber of the past, foolishly discarded by the present, be re-crafted into a different, better China; a China we cannot yet discern?)  Since October 7, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has been presenting a wide-ranging survey of Weiwei’s work, in a display scheduled to run through February 2013.  The exhibition title, “According to What?,” was borrowed from a Jasper Johns painting.

Authorities keep hounding him – now for alleged tax evasion.  Practically imprisoned in his non-descript home, he keeps a camera and an iPhone ready at all times.  He seems to recognize his significance in both the art and political communities.  In centuries past, Weiwei says, Chinese society had something of a “total condition, with philosophy, aesthetics, moral understanding and craftsmanship.”   Art was a powerful force, integral to China’s culture.  “It’s not just a decoration or one idea,” he notes, “but rather a total high model which art can carry out.”

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In Memoriam – Connecticut School Shootings

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As of now 20 children and 6 adult are confirmed dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  Also dead is the shooter – some mentally-deranged fool who somehow managed to get his hands on a massive firearm.  Amidst this horrific tragedy and the ongoing investigation, people on both sides of the gun debate already are lining up to stake their territory.  This comes less than a week after a shooting rampage at a mall in Portland, Oregon; four months after a shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin; and five months after a massacre in a theatre in Colorado.  Yes, this is a uniquely American problem; as bad as budget crises and obesity.  Yet, the gun lobby will inadvertently defend the Connecticut shooter by claiming he was a lone wolf who couldn’t be controlled by gun control laws anyway.  Then, they’ll add that, if just one person in that school had a firearm, they might have been able to stop the rampage.  President Obama will probably bow to them anyway, like most Democrats.  But, it’s days like this that I’m glad Charlton Heston is dead and wish Sarah Palin would drop dead, too.

In the meantime, please think of the victims, especially the children who had no idea what hit them.

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December 13, 2012 – 8 Days Until Baktun 12

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Survivalist Tip:  Every good survivalist has a tent in their cache of supplies.  You should, too, whether or not you plan to be on foot during the upheaval.  A high quality tent is made of sturdy polyester fabric with a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) coating.  PVC is the result of recycled paper, beer cans and skin removed from obese people – so you can be assured it’s great for the environment.  That’s especially important when you realize the Mayan gods are already angered by the extreme waste in our society.  A tent with PVC coating will stand up to most anything – rain, hail, wind, politicians – and will provide you with some level of security, as chaos surrounds you.  And, while people are fighting off zombies and politicians, you can relax in your tent with some chocolate and beer!

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Arking

Huibers with a stuffed tiger and his “ark” in the background.

Huibers with a stuffed tiger and his “ark” in the background.

I thought replications of Noah’s Ark were strictly an American evangelical fascination.  So, I’m surprised to find out a man in the Netherlands has built a recreation of the Ark that would impress both Noah and Home Depot.  After a 20-year quest, Johan Huibers has completed a vessel measuring 427 feet (130 meters) long, 95 feet (29 meters) across and 75 feet (23 meters) high.  Huibers began his construction after a nightmare following heavy flooding of the Netherlands in 1992.  Already a devout Christian, Huibers saw that as a sign and used the Bible’s Genesis books 6 through 9, following the same instructions God gave Noah.  Despite the ship’s massive size, it’s not likely Huibers could fit two of every animal on board.  But, he might be able to fit plenty of tulip seeds and bags of hashish.

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