yourunicornmind

[yourunicornmind]

this is so so important to me and mine, and I'm asking you to Do Something so I'll respect your time and keep it brief

in the UK, if 100k sign a a government petition it will be brought to Parliament and debated. y'all know this country is suffering from some 80s-style bigotry right now, and this is one symptom: almost 200k fuckholes have come together to force the government to discuss whether it is 'appropriate' to tell children that queer people exist. this is a big symbolic victory for them. and i am burning with fury.

please, if you're from the UK, sign this counter-petition so they can at least see how much of a minority they are. simply put, the attempt to put these bastards in their place isn't gathering enough steam. there are barely 2000 more signatures now than there were this morning (27th January 2023), and that isn't enough. i refuse to let these people feel even a moment of victory or satisfaction. please help.

[yourunicornmind]

“There are other forces at work in this world besides the will of evil.”

[yourunicornmind]

When the Venusians realised their mistakes had pushed global warming out of control, they seeded self replicating molecules to their neighbouring planet. Maybe there, without their interference, life would thrive.

[yourunicornmind]

Flint stared back down the timeline. She could see exactly where the adjustment needed to be made. She reached out and jostled the crowd, moving the man a couple of metres to the left. The present remained stubbornly unchanged.

A year from now, Beina stares back down the timeline. She can see exactly where the error occurred. She rearranges the crowd to move the man a couple of metres to the right.

[yourunicornmind]

This is a neutral post

Feel free to stop here and rest before journeying to the posts below.

[yourunicornmind]

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/241584

If you are in the UK, please sign to bring an end to the current chaos.

[yourunicornmind]

Nobody who truly loves and cares for you will ever cheer you on for engaging in harmful behaviors.

[yourunicornmind]

An Atheist Reads the Bible

So, I opened my Bible at random.  The hand of the Lord (some would say) directed me to 1 Samuel.  I turned back to the start of the book and began.  

1 SAMUEL CH 1

After the usual genealogy, the author gets to the story of Elkanah.  Almost all Bible stories are about men, so let’s get that out of the way early.  The old testament traces the ancestry of the Jewish peoples all the way back to Adam, provided you only want to know about first born sons most of the time.  

Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah.  This is the Old Testament, these people were Jews, not Christians.  Though next time someone tells you that the Bible says marriage must be between one man and one woman, you might want to bear this story in mind.  

It seems that Hannah and Peninnah didn’t get on too well.  Elkanah helps out by adding fuel to feud.

“Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah to give to all her sons and daughters.  But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her”

Its hardly surprising that Peninnah is not especially kind about Hannah’s inability to have her own children (because “the lord had closed her womb”).  Peninnah provokes Hannah to tears on a regular basis.

Elkanah’s charm and understanding (which may underpin centuries of Christian marriage guidance), comes to the fore once again as he tells her, “Why are you downhearted?  Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”

Hannah is not comforted by this arrogance and bargains with the Lord (the one who closed her womb in the first place) for a son.  Her wish is granted, on the condition that she gives the son to the Lord and (for reasons not yet explained) “no razor will ever be used on his head”.  The Lord is not really listening, until the priest Eli intervenes.  Eli initially thinks Hannah is drunk (more on marriage guidance, why else would a ‘happily married’ woman be upset?), but Hannah convinces him otherwise.  Eli’s actions are not discussed in detail in my translation, but the result is that Hannah finally gets pregnant.  (Don’t worry, she makes love to Elkanah the same night so no-one suspects anything.)

Note especially that the Old Testament, Jewish, Lord is open to barter and negotiation.  In my view this somewhat undermines the Christian interpretation of “the authority and infallibility of the Bible as God’s Word”, but I’m not a theologian, so maybe I’m missing something?  

Anyway, Hannah’s pregnancy proceeds in the usual way and she has her long awaited son, Samuel.  Once the son is weaned, she hands him over the the Lord.  Well, actually, she hands him over the the priest, Eli.  Presumably the Lord is happy with this variant on the earlier bargain.  

[yourunicornmind]

Bible Remix

I have a confession to make. I was brought up Christian – but don’t worry, I’m better now.

I’ve always wanted to read the Bible, all of it. I want to better understand this epic tome which has so influenced every aspect of my life and culture. I am curious to know what it really says.

I know it’s full of contradictions. I also know it’s been re-written and re-translated so many times that the real version is lost in history along with its authors.

So, where do I start? Not at the beginning, I’ve tried starting from Genesis before and it’s boring as (…drumroll…) hell.

And which version? I contemplated the King James Version. I like it’s flowery prose, but it can be hard going, and my copy, inherited from my grandmother, is rather fragile.

On clearing bookshelves today, we fell across Today’s New International Version, which my daughter was given at school. The foreword grabbed my attention.

That they were from many denominations – including Anglican, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Brethren,Christian Reformed, Church of Christ, Evangelical Covenant, Evangelical Free, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Nazarene, Presbyterian, Wesleyan and other churches – helped to safeguard the translation from sectarian bias.

Marvellous, I thought. The list of biases this does introduce is a fascinating thought diversion which is not explored in the text before me.

I’m not aware of a Bible version translated from the earliest available sources entirely by atheists, so, one with the biases that form the backdrop to my culture seems the next best thing. (If someone knows of a truly unbiased version I’m happy to be corrected. NB Other Christian denominations need not apply.)

My atheistic meanderings are reinforced when the translators inform me…

From the beginning the translators have been united in their commitment to the authority and infallibility of the Bible as God’s Word in written form.

Well! That’s alright then.

[yourunicornmind]

Bible Remix

It can’t have escaped your notice that I have writers block for my sci-fi at the moment.

So here’s a new project

https://bibleremix.home.blog/2019/02/02/an-idea/

[yourunicornmind]

Anyone can help!

(Real pen the last picture)

It is important for EVERYONE to know how to help ANYONE. Not everyone can give them selves their medicine under every circumstance. Be educated, help out.

In the last year, i have gotten about five new violent allergies from foods i used to be able to eat. Next time i eat a fruit, my throat could close. I may not be able to inject myself. My boyfriend and i played with my trainer pen for like 30 minutes. He knows how to inject it. I know how. This is important.

[yourunicornmind]

everything’s a compliment if u pose confidently as u receive it

[yourunicornmind]

THE CAVE OF THE NEON JELLYFISH // a short story about discovering a cave where the jellyfish grant wishes and glow like neon

PS: My new book of stories is out at http://shorteststory.com/book

[yourunicornmind]

Quantum paper shuffling

Looking forward to another week of paper shuffling.

But actually, I work at a computer, therefore I am actually shuffling electrons.

Electrons are very small. So small they are subject to quantum effects.

Influencing quantum effects is beyond the ability of this mere human.

So logically, no-one would notice if I didn’t do it.

Still trying to work out how to explain this to my boss

[yourunicornmind]

Oscar noms for everybody! #badsciencejokes — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2MhcGDK

[yourunicornmind]

,

At age 23, Tina Fey was working at a YMCA. At age 23, Oprah was fired from her first reporting job.  At age 24, Stephen King was working as a janitor and living in a trailer. 

At age 27, Vincent Van Gogh failed as a missionary and decided to go to art school.   At age 28, J.K. Rowling was a suicidal single parent living on welfare.

At age 28, Wayne Coyne ( from The Flaming Lips) was a fry cook. At age 30, Harrison Ford was a carpenter.  At age 30, Martha Stewart was a stockbroker.  At age 37, Ang Lee was a stay-at-home-dad working odd jobs. Julia Child released her first cookbook at age 39, and got her own cooking show at age 51. Vera Wang failed to make the Olympic figure skating team, didn’t get the Editor-in-Chief position at Vogue, and designed her first dress at age 40. Stan Lee didn’t release his first big comic book until he was 40. Alan Rickman gave up his graphic design career to pursue acting at age 42. Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get his first movie role until he was 46.

Morgan Freeman landed his first movie role at age 52. Kathryn Bigelow only reached international success when she made The Hurt Locker at age 57. Grandma Moses didn’t begin her painting career until age 76. Louise Bourgeois didn’t become a famous artist until she was 78. Whatever your dream is, it is not too late to achieve it. You aren’t a failure because you haven’t found fame and fortune by the age of 21. Hell, it’s okay if you don’t even know what your dream is yet. Even if you’re flipping burgers, waiting tables or answering phones today, you never know where you’ll end up tomorrow. Never tell yourself you’re too old to make it. 

Never tell yourself you missed your chance. 

Never tell yourself that you aren’t good enough. 

You can do it. Whatever it is. 

[yourunicornmind]

We did. The result manifests as @rubyredboots

Easy — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2y1XeSV