The Language of Christianity

To follow up on my recent post regarding religion, here's a more even handed video, which is a fascinating way the language of the Christian bible has changed over time to mean different things. It's very short and completely worth the three minutes it would take you to watch it.

What's Your Cereal Number?

Another monday, another picture puzzle!! Ooh boy! This time we have a selection of several brand name cereals (sorry oatmeal!) and your job, should you choose to accept it, is to see how many of them you can figure out. Good luck! All will be revealed Friday.

Friday Cheat Sheet

Okay, so just like last week we had two puzzles. One without any words and another consisting entirely of words. Also, my very first acrostic which I think I mentioned before how obscenely long it took me to make it. I wish I could find a way to better present those kind of puzzles online, because really if you wanted to solve it, you'd really have to print out both the clues and puzzle picture and do it by hand, and my God people we live in the twenty-first century! You should be able to solve acrostics on your laptop while you zip through the air in your fully automated flying car as your personal robot butler massages your feet. Well, one out of three ain't bad. Anyway, the answers to all of your questions, including life the universe and everything (42) after the jump!

Brooks Recommends - Sam Harris vs Rabbi David Wolpe

Frankly, you either get this picture or you don't.

I'm not gonna lie to you. I've always been a skeptical sort. I didn't have any traumatic experience with the church, but even at an early age I remember having doubts about the Big Bearded Guy in the sky. I remember vividly at the age of six being alone and having these doubts, but then trying to cover my tracks I would use my internal monologue to say in my brain "I do believe in God. I do believe in God," just in case the Big Guy was up there paying attention. As the years wore one, I became less and less cautious as it became clearer and clearer to me that this whole religious stuff was all a bunch of hooey.

However, I have respect for the religious. Growing up Lutheran, I can tell you that it was nothing but a good experience. Pastor Rockwood taught me everything I need to know about nuanced and intelligent public speaking and story telling. I met many good friends both young and old through the church. I sort of consider myself, like many "secular jews" a "cultural lutheran". When I listen to A Prairie Home Companion, I laugh because those are my people. But I'm about as atheistic as they come.

But I also like a fair and strong fight. Last year, notorious raconteur (and Cancer patient (we're pulling for you Hitch!)) Christopher Hitchens battled ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair on the question of whether or not Religion was a force for good in the world. Quite frankly it was a one sided blood bath. Tony Blair put up a pretty weak defense and Hitchens danced circles around his opponent. Far more interesting is the heated and significantly more nuanced debate author Sam Harris and Rabbi David Wolpe had concerning the existence of God, which they conducted two years earlier.

It's a long discussion, and there's not much to be gained by watching it. I do though highly recommend playing the video and doing something else as you listen to these two go at it with intellect and vehemence. Forewarned, Rabbi Wolpe  takes a decidedly Jewish slant on the issue, but it's a fascinating discussion all the way around.

Accidental Youtube - Bill Cosby Dreams

Ah Jello! Quite possibly the most delicious thing one can make out of ground up horse hooves. Watch this video of jello squares being dropped in slow motion. It's like taking mescaline but without the accompanying paranoid delusions. Or so I'm told...

Acrostic Nature

Hi everybody! Today, I bring you an acrostic I made. It's the first time I've ever made an acrostic and believe it or not, creating these puzzles are HARD. I don't know if I'd say they're harder to make than Crosswords, but it certainly took more time than creating one of my average crosswords. But they're fun puzzles to do. It's a lot like solving a cryptogram and a crossword at the same time. If you've never encountered one before you might find this helpful. Anyway, here it is. Hope you enjoy!

The clues are after the jump:

Question Mark? Period-ical.

So I've got another image puzzle for you folks. Below is a series of twenty covers from contemporary magazines all of which should be able to be picked up at any standard periodical retailer. Of course, just like last time, I've removed the titles to each. How many can you name? I'll give you a hint: Hustler isn't one of them. Neither is The National Review. I didn't want to be offensive.