December 2023 – Quick Abacus

December 25, 2023 Culture and Religion

The Transmutation of the Jesus Baby into the obese Coca Cola Santa

This was what the Germans called “Christkind”. The Pennsylvania Dutch, who were not Dutch but Germans, called it “Christkindl”, which was misunderstood by English-speaking Americans as “Kris Kringel”, which later became one of the names of Santa.

If you can see any meaningful connection between the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God and savior of mankind, or the holy bishop of Myra and the fat Coca Cola drinking drumstick-eating Boyar-Father-Frost-Santa and his red nosed reindeer, which have by now almost destroyed the original religious content of Christmas, please let me know.

Because I can’t.

December 9, 2023 Culture and Religion

Just Who is a Palestinian?

The Hamas Covenant of 2017 says: “Palestine is the land of the Arab Palestinian people, from it they originate, to it they adhere and belong …”

Well, they do not. They conquered it. Islam proclaims a strange principle about land once conquered by Islam: once a piece of land has come under Islamic dominion, it is forever in the rightful possession of Islam. This is why Islam claims Spain and Southern France as their property. It is like saying: “I stole your car, therefore, I now legally own it.”

But who is a “Palestinian” anyway?

December 9, 2023 Science and Philosophy

The Red Wolf — A Red Herring?

Historically the red wolf (Canis rufus) ranged from southeastern Texas to central Pennsylvania. It is native to the southeastern United States. Today, the only place red wolves can be found in the wild is in eastern North Carolina’s Albemarle Peninsula.

Red wolves are highly adaptable and can live in a variety of habitats: forested areas, grasslands, steppes, tundra, boreal forests, and even deserts. They can survive in both cold and hot climates. However, like all other wolves, they prefer mountainous areas and prairies (steppe) over swamps. The best habitat for wolves depends, of course, on the availability of prey and the absence of human threats.