Tag: language

‘A king will die’: 4,000-year-old lunar eclipse omen tablets finally deciphered

Tablets added to the British Museum’s collection many decades ago have finally been deciphered.

Scholars have finally deciphered 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablets found more than 100 years ago in what is now Iraq. The tablets describe how some lunar eclipses are omens of death, destruction and pestilence.

The four clay tablets “represent the oldest examples of compendia of lunar-eclipse omens yet discovered” Andrew George, an emeritus professor of Babylonian at the University of London, and Junko Taniguchi, an independent researcher, wrote in a paper published recently in the Journal of Cuneiform Studies. (Lunar eclipses occur when the moon falls into Earth’s shadow.)

The authors of the tablets used the time of night, movement of shadows and the date and duration of eclipses to predict omens.

For example, one omen says that if “an eclipse becomes obscured from its center all at once [and] clear all at once: a king will die, destruction of Elam.” Elam was an area in Mesopotamia centered in what is now Iran. Another omen says that if “an eclipse begins in the south and then clears: downfall of Subartu and Akkad,”which were both regions of Mesopotamia at the time. Yet another omen reads: “An eclipse in the evening watch: it signifies pestilence.”

It’s possible that ancient astrologers used past experiences to help determine what omens the eclipses portended.

“The origins of some of the omens may have lain in actual experience — observation of portent followed by catastrophe,” George told Live Science in an email. However most omens were likely determined through a theoretical system that linked eclipse characteristics to various omens, he noted.

The cuneiform tablets probably come from Sippar, a city that flourished in what is now Iraq, George told Live Science. At the time the tablets were written, the Babylonian Empire flourished in parts of the region. The tablets became part of the British Museum’s collection between 1892 and 1914 but had not been fully translated and published until now.

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Archaeologists Uncovered a Mysterious Ancient Tablet With Major Historical Implications

Most of us can do all of our shopping with the click of a few buttons, and while that’s certainly convenient, it can make it difficult to keep track when exactly that new armoire or bookshelf will show up at your doorstep. If you’re really struggling, it might help to take a page out of ancient Turkey’s proverbial book and keep the details written down—on a palm-sized piece of clay.

An excavation at the Aççana Mound—the site of the ancient Anatolian city of Alalah, which served as the capital of the Mukis Kingdom and lives on in ruins that date as far back as 4,000 years ago—recently unearthed a small clay tablet covered in inscribed cuneiform, according to a statement by Mehmet Ersoy, Turkey’s minister of culture and tourism. Researchers studying the tablet have narrowed its origins to some time in the 15th century B.C., during the Late Bronze Age.

Representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism are conducting the research on the find, along with Johns Hopkins University associate professor Jacob Lauinger and doctoral student Zeynep Türker.

The initial readings of the tablet’s Akkadian cuneiform include details of a major furniture purchase. Linguists are still working through the writing, according to the ministry’s statement, but the deciphered lines detail purchases of an ample number of wooden tables, chairs, and stools. The experts are slowly putting together more information about the buyers and sellers involved with the exchange, making headway towards deciphering a window into the city’s economic processes.

The small piece of clay measures only 4.2 centimeters by 3.5 centimeters, it’s just 1.6 centimeters thick, and it weighs 28 grams. But despite its diminutive size, the tablet will help paint a much larger picture of Bronze Age Turkey as it undergoes more study, providing helpful insight into “the economic structure and state system of the Late Bronze Age,” according to Ersoy.

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Massachusetts bill aims to remove gendered language from birth laws to ‘ensure legal parentage equality’

A new bill making its way though the Massachusetts legislature aims to remove all mentions of “mother” and “father” and replace them with gender-neutral alternatives. Proponents of Bill H.4750 have argued that it will “ensure legal parentage equality.”

Should the bill be signed into law, all instances of the traditional terms for the male and female individuals necessary to bring a life into the world will be erased from the “Return and Registry of Births, Marriages, and Deaths” chapter of the state’s General Laws, with “person who gave birth” and “parent” taking their place. “Paternity” and “a man and a woman” are also replaced by “parentage” and “persons,” respectively.

Also on the chopping block are terms such as “his” or “hers.” Instead, the document would say “their” regardless of which parent was being discussed, or “the defendant’s” during legal proceedings related to the child. A line which currently reads, “father unless he is or was the mother’s husband” would be changed to “parent unless they are or were the spouse.”

The legislation was passed by the state House on June 12 and sent to the state Senate, both of which are dominated by Democrats. It is currently being reviewed by the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

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Top Cancer Charity Apologizes for Using ‘Cervix’ to Describe Female Body Part Instead of Trans-Inclusive Term ‘Front Hole’

The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) has come under fire for yielding to the forces of political correctness, issuing an apology for using the term “cervix” in its health guidelines aimed at LGBTQ+ community members who are biologically female, according to a report by True North.

This move reflects a concerning trend of medical institutions caving to the pressures of ‘woke’ culture, sacrificing clarity and accuracy in health communications for the sake of political correctness.

“Anyone with a cervix can get cervical cancer. Almost all cervical cancer cases are due to HPV infection. HPV is spread through sexual contact including sexual intercourse, genital skin-to-skin contact and oral sex, regardless of gender or sexual orientation… If you have a cervix and have ever had sexual contact with anyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, you should start having regular Pap tests by the time you’re 25,” the website reads.

The charity mentioned the word “cervix” eight times on its website, including a disclaimer explaining their choice of language.

The disclaimer indicated that while the term “cervix” is medically accurate, it might not resonate with or be embraced by all readers, acknowledging that terms like “front hole” might be preferred by some.

“We recognize that many trans men and non-binary people may have mixed feelings about or feel distanced from words like “cervix.” You may prefer other words, such as “front hole.” We recognize the limitations of the words we’ve used while also acknowledging the need for simplicity. Another reason we use words like “cervix” is to normalize the reality that men can have these body parts too,” the disclaimer reads.

The Gateway Pundit previously reported that a cervical cancer trust was also under fire for disgustingly suggesting that people call vaginas “bonus holes” to avoid offending transgender people.

Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, based in the UK, suggested the language in 2020 — but it just went viral after it was noticed by people and posted to Twitter.

“Bonus hole – an alternative word for the vagina. It is important to check which words someone would prefer to use,” the glossary on the trust’s website states.

British gender-critical writer Julie Burchill accused LGBT activists of erasing women by adopting terms such as “bonus hole” and “front hole” as trans-friendly alternatives to “vagina.”

“Both ‘bonus hole’ and ‘front hole’ are recommended as trans-friendly alternatives to vagina. Trans ideologues have long tried to erase or appropriate any word that is specific to females – from woman to mother and now vagina. And they have gained a foothold in our schools and in our media. Now gynaecological-health providers are swallowing the stupid pills, too,” Burchill wrote in a 2023 essay, according to True North.

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Term “Gynecologist” Offensive, According To Scholars

Midwives should avoid saying “gynecologist” in order to be more “inclusive,” according to a recent academic paper.

Not because it sounds like “guy,” but because the word comes from the Greek for woman. Instead, say “reproductive health specialist.”

The same scholars also say men can give birth.

Other problematic words include “breastfeeding” and “breastmilk.”

Instead, midwives should say “human milk feeding,” “human milk provision,” and “milk from the feeding parent.”

The new language guide comes from Sally Pezaro (pictured), a professor and midwife who works at Coventry University in the United Kingdom.

Twelve other authors, including a “queer doula,” contributed to the paper titled, “Gender inclusive language in midwifery and perinatal services: A guide and argument for justice.”

It is all about moving away from “sexed language,” meaning accurate words that describe the fact that every single person to ever give birth in the history of the world was a woman. For example, the guide says not to use “women,” but instead “service users,” as if they are clients downloading software onto their computers.

The authors begin their paper by making a confusing claim.

They write:

The notion of childbearing having a necessary or logical belonging within the nuclear two-parent family initiated by heterosexual couples whose gender has a normative relationship with their sex assigned at birth is a recent development in our human history, and one still inconsistently observed around the globe. Indeed, community and extended family are often as, if not more important.

Pezaro did not respond to an email on Wednesday that asked for clarification on what she meant. The authors cited an entire book as their source.

The paper contradicts itself in several places.

For one, the authors believe men can give birth.

But their “inclusive” language guide says to avoid saying “men/fathers/dads,” and instead say “non-gestational parents.” But if men can give birth, then it is offensive to assume they are the “non-gestational” parent, according to the authors’ logic. It makes sense if you don’t think about it.

And what about the term “midwife”? (Credit Micaiah Bilger for that joke).

Much of the paper reads like a typical gender studies essay.

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The Media Used a Single Comma To Distract From a Ruling To Stop Genocide

Israel’s claim that a single comma exempts it from having to respect the International Court of Justice’s order last week to immediately halt its murderous attack on Rafah should be ridiculed. Instead it is being given space to breathe by complicit media like the Guardian.

The paper’s diplomatic editor offers an “analysis” that takes seriously claims by Israel and the two judges at the ICJ – one an Israeli – who dissented from the ruling approved by the other 13. They argue the following:

The world is wrong to think that the ICJ has required Israel to halt its Rafah assault and any actions elsewhere in Gaza that are genocidal. Instead, a comma in the text qualifies the ruling to mean the court wants Israel to halt its actions in Rafah and elsewhere only if they are genocidal. Because Israel’s actions are not genocidal, the court is not, in fact, asking Israel to halt anything.

That argument is preposterous on its face. It would be a less forceful statement than the one the court issued back in January, when Israel’s genocide was far less developed than it is now.

But there’s another glaring flaw in the argument’s logic that the Guardian somehow overlooks. If the two dissenting judges are really so sure that is what the overwhelming majority meant – that Israel is barred only from carrying out actions if they are already proven to constitute genocide – why on earth did they dissent?

Were this really the case, there could be only one possible interpretation of their decision to dissent: that they favour giving Israel the green light to commit genocide.

This isn’t rocket science.

Israel wants to muddy the waters – as it always does – so it can carry on with its genocide. The “fierce and continuing debate” about the comma, as the Guardian characterises it, is being aired so that Israel can continue murdering children in Gaza until the ICJ makes a definitive ruling on the question of genocide in a few years’ time. By then, Gaza will be even more of a smouldering ruin than it is already. By then, the Palestinian population will be either dead or have been ethnically cleansed.

Imagine if it were Vladimir Putin’s Russia arguing over a comma as a pretext to avoid implementing a clear ruling by the ICJ to halt atrocities in Ukraine. The ignominy the Guardian and the rest of the media would heap on the Russian president would be relentless – and deserved.

So why are Israel’s genocide-justifying evasions not treated the same way?

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This Student Was Allegedly Suspended for Saying ‘Illegal Aliens.’ Did That Violate the First Amendment?

A 16-year-old boy has kicked off a free speech debate—one that’s already attracting spectators beyond his North Carolina county—after he was suspended for allegedly “making a racially insensitive remark that caused a class disturbance.”

The racially insensitive remark: referring to undocumented immigrants as “illegal aliens.” Invoking that term would produce the beginning of a legal odyssey, still in its nascent stages, in the form of a federal lawsuit arguing that Central Davidson High School Assistant Principal Eric Anderson violated Christian McGhee’s free speech rights for temporarily barring him from class over a dispute about offensive language.

What constitutes offensive speech, of course, depends on who is evaluating. During an April English lesson, McGhee says he sought clarification on a vocabulary word: aliens. “Like space aliens,” he asked, “or illegal aliens without green cards?” In response, a Hispanic student—another minor whom the lawsuit references under the pseudonym “R.”—reportedly joked that he would “kick [McGhee’s] ass.” 

The exchange prompted a meeting with Anderson, the assistant principal. “Mr. Anderson would later recall telling [McGhee] that it would have been more ‘respectful’ for [McGhee] to phrase his question by referring to ‘those people’ who ‘need a green card,'” McGhee’s complaint notes. “[McGhee] and R. have a good relationship. R. confided in [McGhee] that he was not ‘crying’ in his meeting with Anderson”—the principal allegedly claimed R. was indeed in tears over the exchange—”nor was he ‘upset’ or ‘offended’ by [McGhee’s] question. R. said, ‘If anyone is racist, it is [Mr. Anderson] since he asked me why my Spanish grade is so low’—an apparent reference to R.’s ethnicity.”

McGhee’s peer received a short in-school suspension, while McGhee was barred from campus for three days. He was not permitted an appeal, per the school district’s policy, which forecloses that avenue if a suspension is less than 10 days. And while a three-day suspension probably doesn’t sound like it would induce the sky to fall, McGhee’s suit notes that he hopes to secure an athletic scholarship for college, which may now be in jeopardy.

So the question of the hour: If the facts are as McGhee construed them, did Anderson violate the 16-year-old’s First Amendment rights? In terms of case law, the answer is a little more nebulous than you might expect. But it still seems that vindication is a likely outcome (and, at least in my opinion, rightfully so). 

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Unknown Assyrian Symbols Solved as ‘Tag’ of Sargon II

Ancient symbols on a 2,700-year-old temple which have baffled experts for over a century have been explained by Trinity Assyriologist Dr Martin Worthington. The sequence of ‘mystery symbols’ were on view on temples at various locations in ancient city of Dūr-Šarrukīn, present day Khorsabad, Iraq, which was ruled by Sargon II, king of Assyria (721-704 BC).

The sequence of five symbols – a lion, eagle, bull, fig-tree and plough – were first made known to the modern world through drawings published by French excavators in the late nineteenth century. Since then, there has been a spate of ideas about what the symbols might mean.

They have been compared to Egyptian hieroglyphs, understood as reflections of imperial might, and suspected to represent the king’s name – but how?

Deciphering the Assyrian Symbols

Dr Martin Worthington of Trinity’s School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies has proposed a new solution in a paper published this month [April 26th] in the  Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research. He argues the Assyrian words for the five symbols (lion, eagle, bull, fig-tree and plough) contain, in the right sequence, the sounds that spell out the Assyrian form of the name ‘Sargon’ (šargīnu)

Sometimes, the same archaeological site uses only  three of the symbols (lion, tree, plough), which Dr Worthington argues again write the name ‘Sargon’, following similar principles.

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US House Passes Controversial Bill That Expands Definition of Anti-Semitism

The United States House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a bill that would expand the federal definition of anti-Semitism, despite opposition from civil liberties groups.

The bill passed the House on Wednesday by a margin of 320 to 91, and it is largely seen as a reaction to the ongoing antiwar protests unfolding on US university campuses. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.

If the bill were to become law, it would codify a definition of anti-Semitism created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

That is a federal anti-discrimination law that bars discrimination based on shared ancestry, ethnic characteristics or national origin. Adding IHRA’s definition to the law would allow the federal Department of Education to restrict funding and other resources to campuses perceived as tolerating anti-Semitism.

But critics warn IHRA’s definition could be used to stifle campus protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of 34,568 Palestinians so far.

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Illegal Alien Tries to Rob Bank in Ohio Using a Translator App Because He Couldn’t Figure Out How to Say “Put the Money in the Bag”

In a bizarre twist to bank robbery attempts, an alleged illegal immigrant tried to rob a bank in Sandusky, Ohio using a translator app on his phone to demand money from the tellers.

The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Yeixon Brito-Gonzalez from Venezuela, found himself in the grips of the law shortly after his failed attempt.

The incident happened on April 4, when local police were alerted to a suspicious individual inside a bank who was attempting to communicate with the tellers via his phone, without speaking, FOX 8 reported.

According to Sandusky Police Chief Jared Oliver, the security footage from the bank clearly showed Brito-Gonzalez using the translator app to convey messages such as “get the money” and “put the money in the bag” to the bank staff.

Despite his efforts, the tellers did not comply with his demands, leading Brito-Gonzalez to leave the premises empty-handed. His departure from the scene was short-lived, however, as Sandusky officers apprehended him nearby shortly after the incident.

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