Fact sometimes stranger than fiction.

Dream Weaver's Allusions
1

I was going to title this “You can’t make this stuff up”,

 

‘Boy Who Came Back From Heaven’ actually didn’t; books recalled

The best-selling book, first published in 2010, purports to describe what Alex experienced while he lay in a coma after a car accident when he was 6 years old. The coma lasted two months, and his injuries left him paralyzed, but the subsequent spiritual memoir – with its assuring description of “miracles, angels, and life beyond This World” – became part of a popular genre of “heavenly tourism.”

Earlier this week, Alex recanted his testimony about the afterlife. In an open letter to Christian bookstores posted on the Pulpit and Pen Web site, Alex states flatly: “I did not die. I did not go to Heaven.”

 

The ironic part is the author’s name. Malarkey.

Abstract Surrealism
2

Well, this is just another example of how myths are perpetuated. I wonder how many Catholic churches, hospitals, and schools are named after children from medieval Europe who had similar experiences.

3

I just came in from having stepped out on my back porch just now. Mind you, Michigan is in the grips of the snowfall deemed to be dubbed Linus. I just watched a motorcycle drive north on the main throughway only to see it drive south minutes later. I’ve already shoveled nearly 4" of snow from my driveway at 2:30 this afternoon, and it has already blown back in and been added to in addition to the accumulations witnessed since having cleared it earlier. Going first north and then south, I watched this two-wheel vehicle pass four wheel vehicles going in both directions. This would be nearly unbelievable, if I had not seen it with my own eyes. Having driven motorcycles in the past, I still have a hard time fathoming what I just saw.

4

After bringing this up at work today, one of the appraisals was if the vehicle might have been a dirt-bike. Given the pitch of the motor, I am not adverse to the consideration. The road is some distance off. Only the two-wheel fact could be readily ascertained at the moment. The motorcycle was simply the first concrete that came to mind.

 

An acquaintance of mine has brought up ice-racing on dirt-bikes, where they stud the tires with screws to provide traction. In this case, it not only seems plausible, but lends much more credibility to what I observed.

5

Well, this is just another example of how myths are perpetuated. I wonder how many Catholic churches, hospitals, and schools are named after children from medieval Europe who had similar experiences.

Looking back on this one, it was the name “Malarkey” (as in ‘this is just a bunch of malarkey’) that lent its power, to me, here. While I can see how your example relates to myth, I found the name of the individual resounding back to the evaluation of material more governing. You seem to be indicating an opposite, or  different direction.

6

You can’t make this stuff up . . . well you can, but when it isn’t made up, the irony is sweeter.

 

A suspect in an Arkansas shooting was wearing a t-shirt reading “You can run, but you can’t hide” when he was tracked down late Tuesday evening after several days on the run.

7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYhTFz\_SGw0

 

Yeah, but is it real?

 

Video: Would you rather have a Hershey bar or a 10-ounce bar of silver?

 

This clip is interesting (assuming the interactions are genuine, which I think they are) but not for the reason intended. You’re supposed to conclude, I guess, that Americans are abject morons in assessing the value of precious metals and/or that Americans are big fat fatties in preferring a quick hit of chocolate to something inedible that’s worth much more. I don’t think it proves either. Many people are morons, no doubt, when it comes to gauging the value of gold or silver, but even a dummy would guess that a bar of silver is worth more than the two dollars it costs to buy the Hershey bar — probably substantially more, which makes it hard to believe they’d prefer the snack even if they were hungry. The behavior you’re seeing is probably more an artifact of them being offered a too-good-to-be-true deal with a camera stuck in their face. If that were me, I might take the Hershey bar too: Obviously there’s a catch if you choose the silver — either it’s fake or the guy won’t really let you walk away with it — so why not just take the chocolate and get out of there? What you’re seeing here is a byproduct of suspicion, not stupidity.

 

Exit question: You’re not really going to eat chocolate that a suspicious stranger handed you, are you?

 

Is it a byproduct of suspicion, or perhaps a degree of cynicism?

 

The “Sound Money”  t-shirt was a nice touch.

8

Man seeks restraining order against God

While the request was ultimately denied in what appears to be an Israeli court. “asserting the applicant needed help not from the court but rather from other sources.”

A protocol of the hearing noted that God did not turn up for the session, although it did not specify how the court determined the Omnipresent was not in fact there, as opposed to merely exercising the right to remain silent.

I not sure whether to cry or laugh here.

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9

Romanian Court Rejects Man’s Claim That He’s Alive

BUCHAREST, Romania — A Romanian court has rejected a man’s claim that he is alive after his wife officially registered him as dead, saying that the decision cannot be reversed.

A spokeswoman for the court told local news outlets on Friday that the man, Constantin Reliu, 63, lost his case in the northeast city of Vasului because he had appealed too late.

The ruling is final.

Should he have filed an extention?

10

Went to the planetarium to listen to a talk on Betelgeuse. Afterward, in some small talk, the fact that Samuel Langhorn Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain (1835-1910), was born and passed away during years that Halley’s comet had been visible from earth had come up.

The internet is a marvelous resource in one regard, and can also provide plenty of distraction as well.

A quick search for when Halley’s comet has appeared in the visible skies of earth provide a history spanning from prior to 1066 until its anticipated return 2134.

Utilizing the appearances provided searches can be created using any span indicated on the 75-76 year cyclical span. Combine this with the knowledge that historical figures are often listed with the year they were born and the year they passed away, keying in two consecutive appearances of Halley’s Comet will provide the following.

1759-1835

1835-1910

1910-1986

The first batch provides a return that includes a print artist, Carl Wilhelm Kolbe (1759-1835). An illustration of his work can be found by clicking on the provided link.

A second search provided “In memoriam Ernest Bueding (1910-1986). - NCBI”, somewhat of a dead end usually for me, and “Customer reviews: Joe Owen, Seagrove N.C. … - Amazon.com” linking to a book that perhaps has more appeal to folk that are related.

Last, Samuel Clemens dates were punched in, and provided with two further potential follow through leads, Sydney Ringer (1835-1910) and Nelidov Alexandr (1835-1910), Russian diplomat, should that be an area of further interest.

 

Speaking of distraction, this post was compiled with the recent blog and forum postings brought to the forefront by merjet kept in mind. Stand Out Of Our Light: #1, #2 & #3, as well as the sidebar dealing with the related reference to Diogenes, a funny philosopher, being duly noted here.

 

A question that could be put forth on basis of what this started with is:

What (other than the fact that they have all passed away) do Karl Wilhelm Kolbe (1759-1835), Samuel Clemens (1835-1910), Ernest Beuding (1910-1986), and Joe Owen (1910, 1986) have in common?

Alex Trebek, I’ll take Halley’s Comet for $1000.

 

 

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11

Edmond Halley was quite an achiever. He aided and funded Isaac Newton’s Principia. He constructed one of the first mortality tables, which are the foundation of life insurance. Much more.

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I crossed my fingers that Mark Twain would return in 1985. Alas, it seems not to have happened. He hasn’t appeared in 34+ years. 🙂

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Personally, I like the direction you opted to investigate. Best know for the identification of the comet granted his namesake. BBC has an web review that credits Harlow Shapely and Herber Curtis with an early stab at it in 1920. How might their method at arriving at their numbers compared to what Edmond Halley had in mind with a transit of Venus across the sun?

Mine was prompted by the thought of “what an odd fact”, and would there be any fruit parsing such a vine?

Too many facts to parse and not enough lifetime to parse them all in. Facts need little green and red flags on them to differentiate the essential from the inessential. (No offense, David Hume, or maybe it was Herr Hegel.)

14

Saw this here,

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F8-Streak-SamToms-ScreenRes3-1-800x530.j800×530 19.7 KB

and thought of this from the movie The Lord of the Rings, borrowed from here.

This could raise yet another ‘rabbit hole’.