Uppnefningar

Það hefur alltaf þótt svo lítið svalt á Íslandi að geta svarað fyrir sig með háði og glósum. Málfar okkar og ritmenning er lifandi dæmi um það og ekkert þótti eins snjallt í kveðskap hér áður fyrr eins og vel kveðin níðvísa.

Ég held að íslendingar séu ekki vaxnir upp úr þessum ósóma og að stór þáttur þess sem við köllum "einelti" séu uppnefningar.

Nú hefur talsverðum tíma og fjármunum verið varið í að rannsaka þetta fyrirbæri, þ.e. hvað liggi að baki þörf einstaklinga til að nota uppnefni sem einkennandi samskipta-aðferð og hvernig viðbrögð slíkt vekur hjá þolandanum.

Í fljótu bragði eru þetta niðurstöðurnar;

Uppnefning er bæði rökvilla (logical fallacy)  og skilningsvilla (cognitive bias) og er einkum notuð sem áróðurstækni. Sem slík er henni ætlað að vera aðferð til að vekja ótta og fordóma og að sá ótti og fordómar verði til að mynda meðal þeirra sem lesa heyra eða sjá áróðurinn, neikvæða mynd af einstaklingnum, hópnum, trúnni eða hugmyndakerfinu sem áróðurinn beinist að.

Aðferðinni er ætlað að koma fyrir í hugum viðtakenda niðurstöðum um menn og málefni án þess að rannsókn á staðreyndum fari fram. Uppnefningar koma þannig í stað rökréttrar hugsunar sem grundvölluð er á staðreyndum og koma í veg fyrir að hugmyndin eða trúin séu dæmd á eigin verðleikum. 

Því er ekki að neita að það hvarfli að mér að uppnefningar hafi fengið endurnýjun lífdaga meðal fullorðins fólks með tilkomu bloggsins. Óvirðingin og munnsöfnuðurinn er slíkur á stundum að maður getur ekki annað en dregið þá ályktun að þarna sé komin bein ástæða fyrir því hvers vegna einelti meðal skólabarna er viðvarandi vandamál. Sé þetta það sem fyrir börnum er haft þarf ekki að spyrja að útkomunni.

PS.

Aftur minni ég á skoðanakönnunina hér til vinstri um jafnréttið.

 

Síðasta blómið

Ég ætla að fara að ráðum bloggvinar míns Kreppumannsins og blogga um "eitthvað fallegt og uppbyggilegt." Auðvitað er það persónulegt hvað fólki finnst fallegt og uppbyggilegt en það sem hér fer á eftir finnast mér uppfylla þau skilyrði.  

Ein af þeim bókum sem hreyfst af í æsku var bókin Síðasta blómið. Skilaboð bókarinnar, ljóðsins  og teikninganna eftir James Thurber sem kom fyrst út á Ensku 1939, höfðu djúp áhrif á mig. Thurber var bandarískur teiknari og húmoristi og var vel kunnur fyrir skopmyndir sínar og smásögur sem birtust m.a. í hinu virta blaði eins og The New Yorker Magazine. 

Thurber var fæddur í Columbus í Ohio 1894 og lést árið 1961. Hann lýsti móður sinni sem "fæddum grínara" og sem "mestu hæfileikamanneskju sem ég hef þekkt". Hún átti það til að þykjast vera fötluð á kristnum vakningarsamkomum og stökkva svo um með látum eftir að hún hafi hlotið "lækningu."

Thurber átti tvo bræður; William og Robert. Eitt sin léku þeir sér saman og þóttist William vera William Tell. Leikurinn endaði þegar William skaut ör í auga Thurber. Thurber tapaði auganu og með aldrinum varð hann því næst blindur á hinu auganu líka. Í æsku tók Thurber lítinn þátt í íþróttum og örum leikjum en þróaði með sér í staðinn sköpunargáfu sem augljóst er af verkum hans.

Myndirnar í bókinni Síðasta blómið, voru einfaldar, nánast barnalegar en hæfðu samt erindinu ákaflega vel.

Hér kemur ljóðið og fyrr neðan það getið þið séð teikningarnar ásamt enska textanum á stuttu myndbandi.Seinna sömdu Utangarðsmenn lag við íslenska textann eftir Magnús Ásgeirsson og því er líklegt að margir kannist við ljóðið.

Síðasta blómið

Undir XII. alheimsfrið
(eins og fólk mun kannast við).

eftir blóðug öfgaspor
endursteyptist menning vor.

Heimsbyggð öll var eydd að grunni.
Uppi stóð ei tré né runni.

Bældir heimsins blómsturgarðar.
Brotnir heimsins minnisvarðar.

Lægra en dýr með loðinn bjór
lagðist mannkind smá og stór

Horfin von, með hlýðni þrotna,
hundar sviku lánadrottna.

Sótti á bágstatt mannkyn margur
meinkvikinda stefnisvargur.

Músík-, bóka- og myndalaus
manneskjan sat með kindahaus,
gleði-, dáða- og girndalaus.

Glötunin virtist þindarlaus…

Pótintátar XII. stríðsins,
tórandi enn á meðal lýðsins,
mundu orðin ekki par
út af hverju stríðið var.

Hvort til annars drós og drengur
dreymdum augum renndu ei lengur,
heldur gláptu öndverð á:
Ástin sjálf var lögst í dá…

Ein síns liðs á víðavangi
vorkvöld eitt var telpa á gangi
og hún fann á sínu sveimi:

Síðasta blóm í heimi.

Heim hún stökk þá sögu að segja
að síðasta blómið væri að deyja.

Ungum pilti út í haga
einum fannst það markverð saga.

Saman forðuðu sveinn og meyja
síðasta blóminu frá að deyja.
Í heimsókn komu, að heilsa því,
hunangsfluga og kólibrí.

Bráðum urðu blómin tvö
og blómin tvö að fjórum,
fimm, sex, sjö… …
og síðast breiðum stórum.

Laufgast tók hvert tré og lundur.
(Telpan fékk sér snyrtingu).

Piltinum fannst hún alheims undur.
Ástin var í birtingu.

Börnin tóku að hoppa og hlæja
hnellin, keik og létt á brá.

Hundar snéru heim til bæja
(hefði verið að ræða um þá).

Ungi maðurinn framtaksfús
fór að byggja úr steinum hús,

og senn fóru allir að hlaða og hýsa,
og heimsins byggðir að endurrísa,

og söngvar lífsins upphófust menn,

og fram komu fiðlarar
og fjölbragða smágusar
og skraddarar og skóarar
og skáld og listamenn,
höggmeistarar, hugvitsmenn
og hermenn!

Og aftur komu ofurstar
og aftur risu upp kapteinar
og majórar og marskálkar
og mannkynslausnarar!

Niður í dölum, fram til fjalla
fólk sér dreifði um veröld alla.

En fyrr en varði fjallahyggja
fór að sækja á dalabyggja,

og þeir sem áttu heima á hæðum
hugann sveigðu að lægri gæðum.

Lýðinn ærðu í lygaskaki
lausnarar, með guð að baki,

uns eftir skamma hríð
hófst alheimsstríð.

Í stríði því var öllu eytt

ekki neitt
lifði af þann lokadóm,

nema einn piltur

nema ein telpa

nema eitt lítið blóm

Upprunalegur texti James Thurber, þýðing: Magnús Ásgeirsson

Blekpennar senda frá sér ruslpóst

Eitthvað er ekki að virka þarna hjá Blekpennum.Com. Nú eru þeir farnir að senda bloggin sín beint til fólks á þær tölvupósta addressur sem þeir hafa komist yfir. Ég hef ekki skráð mig á Blekpennar.com eða óskað eftir svona ruslpósti, en það virðist ekki skipta neinu máli.

Í morgun var ruslpóstur frá Skúla Skúlasyni í tölvu póstinum mínum;  enn eitt framlag hans í anda hrydjuverka. Hann er að hallmæla Bandaríkjastjórn fyrir að gera ekkert í málum Saudí Araba, eins og t.d. að hætta að kaupa af þeim olíu, vegna þess að þeir styðja hryðjuverkasamtök. - Hræsni Bandaríkjamanna er löngu kunn hvað þetta varðar, en Skúli var greinilega að fatta þetta fyrst núna.  

En aftur að Blekpennum.com þá eru þeir greinilega orðnir úrkula vonar um að nokkur komi til að lesa þá, fyrst þeir verða að grípa til svona "direct marketing" bragða. En slíkt virkar bara einu sinni. Hér eftir getur maður eitt póstinum um leið og ljóst er hvaðan hann er.  Meðal bloggara hefur friðhelgi tölvipósta heimilisfanga verið virt og þær aðeins notaðar fyrir persónuleg samskipti og athugasemdakerfin látin duga öðru leiti.

Ég hef líka orðið var við að orðsendingakerfið hér á blog.is er notað í auknum mæli til að vekja athygli á færslum bloggara. Satt að segja finnst mér það líka óviðeigandi. Það er allt í lagi þegar mikið liggur við, en ekki svona almennt finnst mér.

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Ég vil aftur vekja athygli á skoðunarkönnuninni hér til hliðar þar sem spurt er um hvort jafnrétti ríki á Íslandi.

 

 

Er jafnrétti á Íslandi?

Í framhaldi af fjörugum umræðum um kvenréttindi í Íslam, vaknaði spurningin um hversu margir telja að á framfara og mennta-landinu Íslandi, ríki fullt jafnrétti milli kynja í þjóðfélaginu.

Til að kanna þetta meðal blogglesara setti ég upp einfalda skoðanakönnun um þetta efni. Hún er hér til vinstri á síðunni. Hún verður ekki lengi uppi svo endilega dragið ekki að láta skoðun ykkar í ljós.

Skoðanir fólks á hvað jafnrétti er geta örugglega verið mismunandi. Ef að þið kjósið að gera grein fyrir atkvæði ykkar með athugasemd, þá er það velkomið.

 

Laukur

Það er haft fyrir satt að af öllum grænmetistegundum í heiminum sé mest ræktað af tómötum og kartöflum. En það grænmeti sem víðast er notað ku vera laukurinn. Laukur er notaður í fleiri réttum í fleiri löndum en nokkuð annað grænmeti. Sumstaðar er hann notaður til bragðsauka í réttum en annarsstaðar eldaður til átu einn og sér.

Egyptar til forna notuðu lauk á báða vegu en fyrir 5000 árum var laukur algengasta grænmetið á meðal þeirra. 

Á miðöldum í Evrópu var laukurinn einnig algengasta tegund grænmetis sem hægt var að fá ásamt ættingja sínum graslaukinum.

Laukur hefur ætíð verið talinn afar hollur matur og getað virkað sem meðal við ýmsum kvillum. Það tíðkaðist að hengja lauk yfir húsdyr til að varna sóttum eins kóleru, taugaveiki og jafnvel svarta dauða inngöngu í húsin.

Egyptar héldu skrá yfir 8000 kvilla sem þeir töldu læknanlega með lauk. Laukur og hvítlaukur voru ein aðal fæðutegund þrælanna sem byggðu píramídana og  laukleifar fundust t.d. í gröf sjálfs Tuts konungs.  

Mismunandi tegundir af villtum laukum voru einnig brúkaðar til átu og sem lyf af Indíánum norður Ameríku. Þá, sem í dag, var laukur oft notaður sem vörn eða lyf við kvefi.  Svartfeta-mæður drukku lauk-te í stórum skömmtum þegar þær höfðu ungabörn á brjósti til að börnin mættu fá í sig sjúkdómavarnar-eiginleika lauksins. Fyrir utan kvefið, var laukur notaður af þeim við höfuðverkjum og ennisholu-stíflun var losuð með að anda að sér reyk frá brennandi laukum.  

Hinn illræmdi keisari Rómaveldis Neró, er sagður hafa etið mikið af lauk til að bæta söngrödd sína., enda annálaður tónlistarunnandi. En hann átti víst enga fiðlu enda ekki  búið að finna þær upp.

Í dag eru um 20 billjón pund af lauk framleidd í heiminum.

En orðið laukur á ekki endilega við um grænmetið eitt, eða eins og segir á vísindavefnum góða;

Laukur er einnig notaður um það besta af einhverju. Þannig er talað um að einhver sé laukur ættarinnar og orðasambandið að stíga í laukana merkir að 'lifa í sæld'. Líklegt er því að herðandi forliðurinn sé sóttur til merkingarinnar 'það besta af einhverju' og laukrétt sé því eitthvað sem er svo rétt að það getur ekki verið réttara.

Orð sem öllu breyta

Eins og komið hefur fram í fréttum kom til rósturs á fundi málvísindamanna í gær þegar þeir kynntu niðurstöður sínar úr árlöngum rannsóknum á Galaxíu, hinu heilaga riti 90% jarðarbúa. Málvísindamenn hafa unnið hörðum höndum í 12 ár að flokka og endurþýða  hin nýju Galaxíu gögn sem fundust fyrir 15 árum á Tunglinu. Nú hafa niðurstöður þeirra verið gerar opinberar og þær eru líklegar til að valda miklum usla, sérstaklega í röðum einlægra Galaxíu átrúenda sem telja að allt í Galaxíu bókinni sé heilagt orð Guðs almáttugs og það beri að skilja nákvæmlega eins og það er skrifað.

Víst er að margar af niðurstöðum málvísindamananna munu valda umtali og talverðum breytingum á lífi fólks, en engin eins og sú fullyrðing að hin alkunna setning "Bíll er þvottavél" sem á sínum tím gjörbylti gerð bíla í heiminum, sé ekki rétt.  Þessi setning úr Galaxíu "Bíll er þvottavél" er auðvitað orsökin að því að fólk hefur í aldir reynt að nota bíla sína sem þvottavélar og jafnvel gert misheppnaðar tilraunir til að hanna bifreiðar sem eru líka þvottavélar. Þær tilraunir hafa aftur á móti leitt til enn flóknari umræðu og deilna því margir benda á að slíkt samræmist ekki anda ritningargreinarinnar.

Sú aðferð, að setja óhreint tau inn í bílinn, fylla hann upp með vatni og þvottaefni og fá svo fjölskylduna í lið með sér til að hrista bílinn og skekja, er enn sú eina sem er almennt viðurkennd sem rétta leiðin til að uppfylla öll skilyrði ritningargreinarinnar hvað bókstaf og anda varðar. Í ljósi þessa eru hinar nýju upplýsingar málvísindamannanna en meira sláandi og eftirmáli hennar enn algjörlega ófyrirsjáanlegur.

Á sögulegum fundi þar sem niðurstöðurnar voru kynntar í gærdag kom fram að í upprunalegum texta Galaxíu er setningin "Bíll er þvottavél" í fjórum orðum þótt  í flestum þýðingum  telji setningin aðeins þrjú orð.

Í upprunalega textanum eru það orðin, "bíll" sem er augljóst og auðskilið. Orðið "er" kemur næst en það getur einnig þýtt "að eiga" eða "skal vera". Þar næst er orðið "þvo" og að lokum orðið "vél". Snemma á sjöttu öld E.G. komu fræðimenn sér saman um að orðin "þvo" og "vél" gætu aðeins átt við og þýtt "þvottavél".

Það sem olli öllu fjaðrafokinu á fundinum var þegar vísindamennirnir tilkynntu að orðið vél hafi í raun átt að vera;  orðið "vel". 

Þeir sögu ennfremur að það hefði komið í ljós að blekið í kommunni yfir E-inu sé af allt örðum uppruna enn það sem notuð var til að skrifa allt annað í bókinni með. Ekki er vitað hvernig þessi mistök urðu en helst menn að því að "komman" sé kaffisletta.  Setningin í sinni upphaflegri merkingu á því að hljóma svona; "Bíl skal þvo vel."

 

 

Jafnrétti kynjanna og Íslam

Það er alls ekki ætlun mín í þessum pistli að bera á einn eða annan hátt í bætifláka fyrir kúgun kvenna hvar sem hún finnst eða hvaða myndir sem hún tekur á sig. -

Eitt helsta ámæli sem Íslam verður að þola af hendi gagnrýnenda sinna, er hvernig staða jafnréttis kvenna hefur dregist aftur úr miðað við vesturlönd og þau gildi sem þar ráða. - Hið sjálfsagða en nýfundna frelsi kvenna á vesturlöndum til að ráða sjálfar lífi sínu og limum kallar ósjálfrátt á samanburð við stöðu kvenna annarsstaðar í heiminum og oft án tillits til mismunandi menningarheima sem samt sem áður ættu að vera öllum ljóst að eru til staðar.

Í nánast öllum íslömskum ríkjum þola konur almennt gróft misrétti, miðað við þær hugmyndir um jafnrétti kynjanna sem við vesturlandabúar höfum reynt að tileinka okkur á síðastliðinni öld. Þær hugmyndir sem endurspeglast í löggjöf flestra vesturlanda og í menningu þeirra urðu ekki til af sjálfu sér. Að baki þeirra liggur aldalöng barátta við gamla heimsmynd sem haldið var við m.a. af þeim karllægum trúarskoðunum sem vesturlönd voru og eru enn undir áhrifum af. Með aukinni menntun og þekkingu, sem eins og ætíð er eina ganglega vopnið í baráttunni við fáfræðina og hjátrúna, hefur margt áunnist. En enn í dag, þótt almennt sé talað um að fullt jafnrétti ríki, hafa margir hafi orðið til að benda á að enn loði við samfélögin gömul viðhorf og gildismat sem séu meira í ætt við fortíð okkar en hina nýju tíma. 

Eitt af einkennum þessara "nýju tíma" er að þeir menningarheimar sem áður virtust hafa rúm á jarðarkringlunni til þess að fara sínar eigin leiðir, þrátt fyrir að rekast stundum illþyrmilega á, eru að breiða úr sér bæði landfræðilega og samfélagslega inn á hefðbundin svæði hvors annars. Til dæmis hefði bygging Mosku á Íslandi fyrir 50 árum hefði verið óhugsandi og óþörf. Í dag eru 500 íslendingar múslímar og þeir vilja byggja sitt tilbeiðsluhús. Sem annarsstaðar í Evrópu hefur gripið um sig sá ótti á Íslandi að Múslímum takist að skyggja á eða jafnvel hafa áhrif á íslensk menningargildi ef þeir fái til þess svigrúm. Algengasta dæmið er; afstaða þeirra til jafnréttismála.

Minnug þess hverju til þurfti að kosta til að koma jafnrétti í lög á Íslandi (og það er ekki langt síðan) skulum við aðeins staldra við og skoða stöðu kvenna undir Íslam í ljósi sögunnar. 

Þegar að Múhameð kom fram á Arabíuskaganum á sjöundu öld tókst hann á við að sameina sundraða ættbálka landsins undir einni trú. Trúarboðun hans var komið fyrir í bók sem heitir Kóran. Hún ein hefur að geyma það sem múslímar líta á sem heilagt orð Guðs.

Munnmæli Múhameðs og arfsagnir er að finna í sérstökum samantektum sem kallast Haddíður. Þau eru mannanna verk og hafa ekki sama gildi og Kóraninn, nema fyrir þá sem sjá sér akk í því að skilgreina þau sem slík, öfgamenn, bæði múslímar og andstæðingar þeirra. - Í Kóraninum er að finna lagaákvæði sem urðu að rammalögum fyrri mjög stóran lagbálk sem kallaður er Saría lög. Sum þeirra laga sem í Saría lagbálknum er að finna, eru hreinar túlkanir manna á lögum Kóransins, önnur viðaukar, aftur mannanna verk. Þetta ber að hafa í huga þegar vitnað er í forsendur múslíma fyrir afstöðu þeirra til margra mála sem orðið hafa að ásteytingasteini milli þeirra og nútíma vesturlandabúa.

Á sínum tíma voru lög Múhameðs mikil réttarbót fyrir þorra kvenna í Arabíu, sérstaklega hvað varðaði hjúskaparstöðu og eignarétt. Konur höfðu þar lítinn eða engan rétt. Þær voru undirgefnar karlmönnum, feðrum, bræðrum og eiginmönnum. Í sumum tilfellum voru þær eins "búgripir", eign karlmannanna. Þær áttu engan rétt til erfða og voru álitnar algjörlega óhæfar til að fara með mannaforráð eða eignir. Þær voru réttdræpar fyrir fjölda saka og alls óhugsandi sem frumburðir. Þess vegna voru meybörn grafin lifandi í sandinn strax eftir fæðingu ef svo bar undir. Þegar að svarf í búi, sérstaklega meðal fátækra fjölskyldna, voru stúlkurnar drepnar til að karlmennirnir fengju að borða. Þrátt fyrir lög Kóransins, einkum í seinni tíð, hefur þessi slæmi "menningararfur" náð að loða við menningu Íslam.

Þótt að það sé sýnt að bæði Haddíðurnar og Saría lagabálkurinn hafi haldið konum og reyndar flestum íslömskum þjóðfélögum í fornaldargreipum og þau séu á engan hátt til þess fallin að stýra nútíma samfélagi, verður að gera greinamun á þeim og boðun Múhameðs á sínum tíma. En jafnvel hrein lög Kóransins mundu aldrei ná að sinna þörfum nútíma alheimslegs samfélags frekar en lagabálkar Biblíunnar eða Zend Avesta (Zóroasterstrú) svo eitthvað sé nefnt til samanburðar.

Búrkuklæðnaður kvenna, sérstaklega blæjan, er ótvírætt tákn þessara gömlu úreltu viðhorfa. Ég ritaði fyrir löngu grein um fyrstu kvennaréttindakonu Austurlanda, skáldkonuna Tahirih, sem að lokum var hengd fyrir skoðanir sínar. Saga hennar finnst mér lýsa betur enn flest annað þeirri áþján sem konur undir járnaga Saría laga, kreddufullra Haddíða og ofstopafullra klerka sem halda fáfróðum þjóðum í heljargreip vankunnáttu, líða. Sjá hér.

 

En það er fráleitt engu að síður að nálgast Íslam eða múslíma sem eitthvert glæpahyski eins og gerð hefur verið tilraun til að segja fólki að sé réttlætanlegt. Heimurinn á Íslam að þakka, þrátt fyrir hnignun trúarbragðanna á seinni öldum, fjölda mikilvægra framfara og stuðlaði m.a. að þeirri upplýsingu sem við vesturlandabúar stærum okkur af á góðri stundu.

Nauðsyn fræðslu um það sem að baki liggur viðhorfum framandi menninga, hefur aldrei verið augljósari. Viðhorf breytast ekki án hennar, hvorki okkar sjálfra, né þeirra sem við álítum að okkur stafi ógn af. Íslenskar konur (og karlar)  hafa margt fram að bjóða undirokuðum systrum sínum og ættu frekar að líta á það sem tækifæri að hér á meðal okkar skuli búa fólk sem þurfa á reynslu þeirra að halda, heldur en að það sé ógn við öryggi okkar.

Umsátrið við Sidney Street

Þessi náungi hét Pétur Piaktow og var alræmdur á götunum í eystri enda Lundúna á árunum fyrir fyrra heimstríð.

Peter Piaktow, sem var af Lettneskum ættum,og reyndar betur þekktari undir nafninu Peter the Painter (Pétur Málari) var  leiðtogi stjórnleysingja gengis sem sagt var bera ábyrgð á dauða þriggja lögregulumanna sem  skotnir voru til bana þegar gengið rændi skartgripaverslun. Pétur var að lokum króaður af í frægu umsátri sem átti sér stað við Sidney Street 100 og hófst þann 2. Janúar 1911.

Umsátrinu lauk með miklum skotbardaga og síðan eldsvoða og það var þáverandi innanríkisráðherra Winston Churchill sem stjórnaði aðgerðum 200 lögreglumanna og 800 herliða sem kallaðir voru til. 

Winston var mjög gagnrýndur eftir að umsátrinu lauk, fyrir tilskipanir sínar, en sjálfur var hann næstum drepinn þegar að stjórnleysinginn skaut byssukúlu í gegnum hatt hans.  Á myndinni sést Winston kíkja fyrir horn rétt áður en kúlan gerði gat á hattinn hans. þegar að eldur kom upp í húsinu sem stjórnleysingjarnir vörðust frá, neitaði Winston Churchill slökkviliðinu aðgang að húsinu og innsiglaði þannig dauða þeirra allra.

Nú, næstum öld eftir að þessir atburðir áttu sér stað hafa aftur risið deilur vegna Péturs. Húsnefnd þeirra húsa sem byggð hafa verið á þeim stað þar sem Pétur féll, hefur sett upp tvo minningarskildi sem tíunda tengsl staðarins við Pétur.

Á öðrum skildinum stendur þetta; Þessi bygging var reist árið 2006 af Tower Hamlets Community Housing og er nefnd eftir Peter Piaktow,sem fyrst var þekktur sem  Peter the Painter og and-hetja í umsátrinu við Sidney Street Siege árið 1911.'

Lögreglusambandið breska hefur sent frá sér yfirlýsingu þar sem bent er á að minningaskildirnir "mikli gjörðir morðingja" Einnig bendir sambandið á "að það valdi vonbrigðum að húsbyggingafélagið hafi valið að heiðra stjórnleysingjann á þennan hátt þegar hryðjuverk eru svo fyrirferðamikil í hugum fólks."

Hér fyrir neðan eru nokkrar myndir frá umsátrinu. Þær skýra sig sjálfar.

 

 

Óskar Arnórsson læsir bloggsíðu sinni

Fyrir fáeinum dögum fékk ég sérstök skilaboð frá Óskari Arnórssyni bloggara um að mikilvægar upplýsingar um ástand mála hvað varðaði stöðu Íslam í vestrænum heimi hefðu verið birtar á síðu hans. Greinin gaf það í skin að múslímar væru ógn við þjóðaröryggi okkar. Þótt ég sé ekki hlynntur því  að skilaboðakerfið á blog.is sé notað til að auglýsa bloggsíður kíkti ég á þessa "mikilvægu" grein hjá Óskari. Mér satt að segja snar brá því það var ekki annað að sjá en að hryðjuverkasíðan sem á sínum tíma var úthýst hér á blog.is fyrir slælegan áróður, væri upprisin.

Ég átti á síðunni nokkur orðaskipti við aðila sem kallaði sig Kaspar og virtist sá vera hallur undir þær skoðanir sem í grein óskars voru tíundaðar og fólu m.a. í sér að réttast væri að fangelsa eða setja í einhvers konar fangabúðir, alla múslíma á Íslandi. - Langflestir sem settu inn athugasemdir lýstu samt innihald greinarinnar og þeirra athugasemda sem studdu hana, óráð eitt.

Í morgun þegar ég ætlaði að athuga með athugasemdirnar, enda kerfið þannig stillt ð ég gæti það, bregður svo við að Óskar er búinn að læsa síðunni. Hann hefur enn ekki sent út um það neinar tilkynningar hvað þá skýringar á þessu athæfi sínu, sem hefði þó verið upplögð nýting á tilkynningakerfinu. Mér þótti það dálítið skrýtið að Óskar tók ekki þátt í umræðunni á síðu hans, nema rétt í byrjun. Kann einhver skýringar á þessu einkennilega athæfi Óskars?

Beðið eftir Ástralíu

Það er þegar farið að líkja þessari mynd við "Á hverfandi Hveli" og þótt ég sé ekki alveg sannfærður enn,um  að myndirnar séu sambærilegar finnst mér þetta ekki líta illa út. Hér fyrir neðan getið þið nálgast kynningarmyndbandið.

Það er Baz Luhrmann sem stýrir þessari stórmynd sem gerist í norður Ástralíu nokkru áður en Heimsstyrjöldin seinni skellur á. Hún segir sögu enskrar aðalskonu (Nicole Kidman) sem erfir risastórt býli í Ástralíu. Þegar að enskir kúabarónar reyna að taka yfir land hennar, sameinar hún krafta sína með frekar grófgerðum kúasmala (Hugh Jackmann) og saman halda þau með 2000 nautgripi nokkur hundruð kílómetra langa leið yfir auðnir Ástralíu. Þau komast í hann krappan í Darwin þegar að Japanir gera loftárás á borgina, en sú orrusta var sú eina sem átti sér stað á meginlandi Ástralíu í allri heimstyrjöldinni. Reyndar var þarna kominn sami árásarherinn og gert hafði árásina á Pearl Habour aðeins einum mánuði fyrr.

Í þessari nýju kvikmynd málar Luhrmann á ansi stóran striga með öllum helstu litbrigðum góðra kvikmynda, rómantík, drama, ævintýrum og sjónarspili.

Myndin verður frumsýnd 14. Nóvember næst komandi.

 

50 ára starfs-afmæli Cliffs Richards

Fyrir réttri viku síðan hélt popphetjan Cliff Richard upp á að fimmtíu ár voru liðin frá því að hann hóf feril sinn í skemmti og söngbransanum. Merkilegt þykir, að honum tókst að koma lögum sínum á topp tíu listann í Bretlandi á öllum fimm áratugum ferils síns. 

Í tilefni þessara tímamóta tók Sir. Richard á móti vinum og vandamönnum á The Dorchester í London. Þar voru samankomin mörg af stórmennum Bretlands, þ.á.m. Cilla Black og  Gloria Hunniford, Cherie Blair og Dame Kelly Holmes.

Á ferli sínum hafa 14 lög með Cliff náð fyrsta sæti á breska vinsældarlistanum og um þessar mundir er lag hans  Thank You For a Lifetime, í þriðja sæti á þeim lista. Á undan því koma amerísku rokkararnir í Kings of Leon's með lagið "Sex on Fire"og  Katy Perry með lagið "I Kissed a Girl."

Sir Cliff, sem er  67 ára hefur sent frá sér 120 sérútgáfur og plötur og hefur selt yfir 250 milljónir þeirra víðsvegar um heiminn.

Síðasta lagið sem náði verulegum vinsældum var  Millennium bænin 1999 sem náði fyrsta sæti þótt margar útvarpsstöðvar tækju það úr spilun hjá sér.

Í  nýrri sjálfsævisögu sinni My Life, My Way,segir Cliff sem er afar kristinn frá vináttu sinni og vel kunns fyrrum kaþólsks prests, föður John McElynn, sem er bandarískur og fyrrum trúboði sem Cliff deilir heimili sínu með.

Hann lýsir föður  McElynn sem "félaga" sínum og "blessun sinni".

Hann segir einnig frá því að tvisvar sinnum hafi hann íhugað að ganga í hjónaband. Í fyrra skiptið með söngkonunni singer Jackie Irving og það seinna með Sue Barker.

Cliff á auðvitað fjölda aðdénda á Íslandi sem sannaðist best þegar hann kom til landsins hér um árið og sjarmeraði allar miðaldra konur upp úr skónum rétt eins og hann hafði gert þegar þær voru unglingar.

 

Að hata mannkynið og drepa það

Hvernig verður sú tilfinning til? Hvernig ákveður ungur maður að drepa eins marga og hann getur áður enn hann drepur sjálfan sig? Hver svarar svona spurningum? Er ég kannski ekki að spyrja réttra spurninga? Á ég kannski að spyrja; Hm af hverju ekki? Hvaða ástæðu hefur ungt fólk svo sem til að elska mannkynið?

Ég þekki ekki sögu þessa unga manns Matti Juhani Saari  sem drap 10 skólasytkini sín í gær.  Ég veit að sjálfsagt er hún jafn einstök og saga drengsins sem gerði það sama í Finnlandi fyrir nokkrum misserum. Og hún er jafn einstök og saga piltanna allra sem gert hafa það sama vítt og breytt um  Bandaríkin og í fjölmörgum öðrum löndum heimsins. Allir eiga þeir sína sérstöku sögu, sitt sérstaka uppeldi, sína sérstöku ástvini og sínar sérstöku tilfinningar. Þeir eiga aðeins það sameiginlegt að hafa viljað enda líf sitt og gera það á þann hátt að þeir tækju eins marga af meðbræðrum sínum með sér og þeir gátu.

Eða er það eitthvað annað sem þeir eiga sameiginlegt?

Að hata eitthvað svo mikið að þú sért tilbúin að fórna eigin lífi til að lýsa yfir þessu hatri er auðvitað ákveðin geðveila, ekki satt. Ég er ekki sammála. Mér finnst, eftir að hafa lesið talsvert um æfi þessara óhamingjusömu drengja, sérstaklega þeirra sem gert hafa háskólafjöldamorð fræg að endemum í Bandaríkjunum, að þeir hafi alveg getað dregið þær ályktanir sem þeir gerðu, án þess að vera veilir á geðheilsu. Alla vega ekkert geðveikari en stjórnvöld marga þjóða heimsins. Aðferðin að drepa fólk "to make a point" er vel viðurkennd aðferð notuð af öllum helstu ríkjum heims. Kína, Rússland, Bretland, Frakkland, Bandaríkin, ásamt flestum þjóðum Asíu, Afríku og Suður Ameríku nota þessa aðferð. Hvervegna ættu þegnar þessara landa ekki að draga sömu ályktanir. Óvinir þeirra er heimurinn, mannkyni allt eins og þeir sjá það. Drepum það.

Vegna þessa heyrist lítið um niðurstöður rannsókna sem leita að svörum um hvers vegna þessi borgarlegu fjöldamorð eiga sér stað. Niðurstöður þeirra eru að einstaklingarnir nota sömu rök til að réttlæta gjörðir sínar og stjórnvöld nota til að halda sínum óvinum í skefjum. Stjórnvöld eru meira en fús til þess að fórna ungum lífum borgara sinna við þá iðju. Hver er geðveilan? Og hver er munurinn?

 

500$ sekt fyrir að sprengja kjarnorkusprengju innan borgarmarka!

Hvar annarsstaðar en í Bandaríkjunum, nánar til tekið í Kaliforníu, mundir þú finna slíka reglugerð. Karlmenn meiga líka berja konuna sína einusinni í mánuði í Arizóna.  Ég rakst á þennan langa lista af reglugerðum og lögum sem annað hvort eru enn í gildi í USA eða hafa verið það til skamms tíma. Hann er skondinn vægast sagt og áhugaverður. Samt ekki alveg nógu mikið til að ég legði vinnu í að þýða hann.

Alabama

• Dominoes may not be played on Sunday.
• Incestuous marriages are legal.
• It is illegal to impersonate a person of the clergy.
• It is illegal to stab yourself to gain someone's pity.
• It is illegal to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church.
• Masks may not be worn in public
• Men may not spit in front of the opposite sex.
• Putting salt on a railroad track may be punishable by death.
• You may not drive barefooted.
• You may not have an ice cream cone in your back pocket at any time.

Alaska

• In Alaska it is illegal to whisper in someone's ear while they are moose hunting.
• Kangaroos are not allowed in barber shops at any time.
• While it is legal to shoot bears, waking a sleeping bear for the purpose of taking a photograph is prohibited.

Arizona

• A man can legally beat his wife, but not more than once a month.
• Donkeys cannot sleep in bathtubs.
• It is illegal to take naked photographs before noon on Sunday.
• It is unlawful to refuse a person a glass of water.
• Oral sex is considered to be sodomy.
• There is a possible 25 years in prison for cutting down a cactus.
• You may not have more than two dildos in a house.
• Glendale: Cars may not be driven in reverse.
• Maricopa County: No more than six girls may live in any house.
• Mesa: It is illegal to smoke cigarettes within 15 feet of a public place unless you have a Class 12 liqueur license.
• Mohave County: A decree declares that anyone caught stealing soap must wash himself with it until it is all used up.
• Nogales: An ordinance prohibits the wearing of suspenders.
• Tucson: Women may not wear pants.

Arkansas

• A law provides that school teachers who bob their hair will not get a raise.
• Fayetteville: It is illegal to kill "any living creature".
• It is illegal to buy or sell blue lightbulbs.
• It's illegal to mispronounce the name of the state of Arkansas.
• Little Rock: Dogs may not bark after 6 PM.; Flirtation between men and women on the streets of Little Rock may result in a 30-day jail term; It is unlawful to walk one's cow down Main Street after 1:00 PM on Sunday; No person shall sound the horn on a vehicle at any place where cold drinks or sandwiches are served after 9:00 P.M. -Little Rock City Code Sec. 18-54
• The Arkansas legislature passed a law that states that the Arkansas River can rise no higher than to the Main Street bridge in Little Rock.

California

• A city ordinance states that a $500 fine will be given to anyone who detonates a nuclear device within city limits.
• Alhambra: You cannot leave your car on the street overnight without the proper permit.
• Animals are banned from mating publicly within 1,500 feet of a tavern, school, or place of worship.
• A regulation in San Francisco makes it unlawful to use used underwear to wipe off cars in a car wash.
• Baldwin Park: Nobody is allowed to ride a bicycle in a swimming pool.
• Bathhouses are against the law.
• Blythe: You are not permitted to wear cowboy boots unless you already own at least two cows.
• Burlingame: It is illegal to spit, except on baseball diamonds; Carmel Ice cream may not be eaten while standing on the sidewalk; Women may not wear high heels while in the city limits.
• Giving or receiving oral sex is prohibited.
• Hollywood: It is illegal to drive more than two thousand sheep down Hollywood Boulevard at one time.
• In Los Angeles courts it is illegal to cry on the witness stand.
• In California it's against regulations to let phones ring more than nine times in state offices.
• In Los Angeles a man is legally entitled to beat his wife with a leather belt or strap, but the belt can't be wider than 2 inches, unless he has his wife's consent to beat her with a wider strap. Consent should be given prior to the event, as is carefully stipulated.
• In Los Angeles, you cannot bathe two babies in the same tub at the same time.
• In Riverside, California, kissing on the lips, unless both parties wipe their lips with carbonized rose water, is against the local health ordinance.
• In San Francisco it's illegal to play poker in public or gamble in a barricaded room.
• In Ventura County, California, cats and dogs are not allowed to have sex without a permit.
• It is a misdemeanor to shoot at any kind of game from a moving vehicle, unless the target is a whale.
• It is illegal for a secretary to be alone in a room with her boss.
• It is illegal to eat an orange in your bath tub
• It is illegal to pile horse manure more than six feet high on a street corner.
• Lodi: It is illegal to own or sell "Silly String".
• Lompoc: It is illegal to posses, own or raise roosters. This is considered disturbing the peace.
• Long Beach: Cars are the only item allowed in a garage; It is illegal to curse on a mini-golf course.
• Molesting butterflies can result in a $500 fine.
• No alcohol beverages can be displayed within five feet of a cash register of any store in California that sells both alcohol and motor fuel.
• No vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 miles per hour.
• Prunedale: Two bathtubs may not be installed in the same house.
• Riverside: One may not carry a lunch down the street between 11 and 1 o'clock.
• San Diego: It is illegal to shoot jackrabbits from the back of a streetcar; The owners of houses with Christmas lights on them past February second may be fined up to $250.
• San Francisco bans any "mechanical device that reproduces obscene language."
• San Jose: It is illegal to have more than two cats or dogs. -Ord. 7.08.595
• Santa Monica: You may not play percussion instruments on the beach.
• Sunshine is guaranteed to the masses.
• The city of San Francisco holds a copyright on the name "San Francisco." It is illegal to manufacture any item with the name without first getting permission from the city. Since the Supreme Court upheld the copyright, San Francisco has had an annual $300 million surplus every year.

Colorado

• Car dealers may not show cars on a Sunday.
• Colorado Springs: It is permissible to wear a holstered six-gun within city limits, except on Sunday, Election Day, or holidays.
• Crippe Creek: It is illegal to bring your horse or pack mule above the ground floor of any building.
• Denver: The dog catcher must notify dogs of impounding by posting, for three consecutive days, a notice on a tree in the city park and along a public road running through said park; It is unlawful to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next-door neighbor; It is illegal to mistreat rats; You may not drive a black car on Sundays.
• It is illegal to mistreat rats in Denver.
• Durango: It is illegal to go in public dressed in clothes "unbecoming" on one's sex.
• In Colorado it's now legal to remove the furniture tags that say, "Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law."
• In Denver, Colorado it is illegal for Barber's to give massages to nude customers unless it is for instructional purposes.
• Logan County: It is illegal for a man to kiss a woman while she is asleep.
• It is illegal for liquor stores to sell food or grocery stores to sell any alcohol except beer that is at most 3.2% alcohol.
• It is illegal to ride a horse while under the influence.

Connecticut

• A local ordinance in Atwoodville, Connecticut prohibits people from playing Scrabble while waiting for a politician to speak.
• A pickle is not officially a pickle unless it bounces
• Balloons with advertising on them are illegal in Hartford, Conn.
• Bloomfield, Conn: It's against the law to eat in your car.
• Devon: It is unlawful to walk backwards after sunset.
• Guilford: Only white Christmas lights are allowed for display.
• Hartford: You aren't allowed to cross a street while walking on your hands
• In colonial times, Hartford, Conn., had an ordinance that allowed any resident to rent the town chain for 2 pence.
• In Connecticut any dogs with tattoos must be reported to the police.
• In Connecticut it is illegal to pirouette while crossing the street.
• In Hartford, Conn., it's illegal to plant a tree in the street.
• In Hartford, Connecticut, it is illegal to kiss your wife on Sunday.
• In Simsbury, Conn., it's illegal for a politician to campaign at the town dump.
• It is illegal to discharge a firearm from a public highway.
• It is illegal to dispose of used razor blades.
• New Britain: It is illegal for fire trucks to exceed 25mph, even when going to a fire.
• No one may use a white cane, unless they are blind.
• Waterbury: It is illegal for any beautician to hum, whistle, or sing while working on a customer.
• You can be stopped by the police for biking over 65 miles per hour.
• You cannot buy any alcohol after 8pm or on Sundays.
• You may not educate dogs.

Delaware

• Delaware prohibits horse racing of any kind on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
• In Delaware it is illegal to get married on a dare.
• In Delaware you may not sell dead people for money without a license.
• It is illegal to fly over any body of water, unless one is carrying sufficient supplies of food and drink.

Florida

• Florida prohibits topless walking or running within a 150 foot zone between the beach and the street.
• Having sexual relations with a porcupine is illegal.
• Daytona Beach: The molestation of trash cans is banned; While intoxicated, being under influence of narcotics is prohibited; It shall be unlawful for any person to swim or bathe in that portion of the Atlantic Ocean within the corporate limits of the city when under the influence of intoxicating liquor or narcotic drugs to the extent that his or her normal faculties are impaired;
• Florida deals with its prostitution problem by giving prostitutes spending money, a five-year banishment, and a bus ticket out of town.
• Florida law forbids rats to leave the ships docked in Tampa Bay.
• Hialeah: Ambling and strolling is a misdemeanor.
• If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle.
• Failure to tell your neighbor his house is on fire is illegal.
• It is illegal to fish while driving across a bridge.
• In Miami, it is forbidden to imitate an animal.
• In Saratoga, Florida it is illegal to sing while wearing a bathing suit.
• It is considered an offense to shower naked.
• It is illegal to fart in a public place after 6:00pm on a Thursday.
• Key West: Chickens are considered a 'protected species'.
• Oral sex is illegal.
• You may not kiss your wife's breasts.
• Penalty for horse theft is death by hanging.
• Pensacola: Citizens may not be caught downtown without at least 10 dollars on their person; It is illegal to roll a barrel on any street, fines go up according to the contents of the barrel; A women can be fined (only after death), for being electrocuted in a bath-tub because of using self-beautification utensils.
• Pinecrest: In order to operate a burglar alarm, a permit must be obtained.
• Sanford Stage: Nudity is banned, with the exception of "bona fide" theatrical performances. Violating this ordinance results in a $100 fine.
• Sarasota: If you hit a pedestrian you are fined $78.00; You may not catch crabs.
• Tampa Bay: It is illegal to eat cottage cheese on Sunday after 6:00 P.M.
• Under a 1959 ordinance, stubborn children were considered vagrants in Jupiter Inlet Colony, Fla.
• When having sex, only the missionary position is legal.
• Women can be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer. The salon owner can also be fined for this horrible crime.

Georgia

• Acworth: All citizens must own a rake.
• A Kennesaw, Ga. law makes it illegal for every homeowner not to own a gun, unless you are a convicted felon, conscientious objector or disabled.
• Atlanta: Against the law to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp; One man may not be on another man's back.
• Columbus: Can't cut off a chicken's head on Sunday; It is illegal to carry a chicken by it's feet down Broadway on Sunday.
• Gainesville: Chicken must be eaten with the hands.
• In Columbus, Georgia it is illegal to sit on one's porch in an indecent position.
• In Georgia, movie houses that want to show films on Sunday must reserve one showing a month for religious material.
• It is illegal in Georgia to use profanity in the presence of a corpse.
• In Quitman, It is illegal for a chicken to cross the road.
• It is illegal to change the clothes on a storefront mannequin unless the shades are down.
• It is illegal to say "Oh, Boy" in Jonesboro.
• It is illegal to take a bath of orange peel.
• Kennesaw: Every head of household must possess a firearm of some kind.
• Marietta: Though it is illegal to spit from a car or bus, citizens may spit from a truck.
• Members of the state assembly cannot be ticketed for speeding while the state assembly is in session.
• Signs are required to be written in English.
• St. Mary's: No spitting on the sidewalk is permitted after dark.

Hawaii

• Honolulu: Within the limits of any public park, it is unlawful to annoy any bird.
• In Hawaii it is illegal to get a tattoo behind your ear or on your eyelid unless in the presence of a registered physician.
• Coins are not allowed to be placed in one's ears.
• It used to be the law in Hawaii that children had to obey all "lawful and moral" commands of their parents.
• It's illegal for a shooting gallery to offer liquor as a prize. The shooter might want to come back after drinking the prize and try again.
• You will be fined if you do not own a boat.

Idaho

• It is illegal for a man to give his sweetheart a box of candy weighing less than fifty pounds.
• If a police officer approaches a vehicle and suspects that the occupants are engaging in sex, he must either honk, or flash his lights and wait for three minutes before approaching the car.
• Idaho Falls: If you're 88 years of age or older, it's illegal for you to ride your motorcycle.
• Idaho and other states allow members of the Native American church to use the hallucinogenic plant peyote in religious services.
• Walking along the street with a red-tipped cane is strictly prohibited.
• Non-married couples in Idaho who engage in sexual intercourse can be jailed for up to six months
• Riding a merry-go-round on Sundays is considered a crime.
• You may not fish on a camel's back.

Illinois

• "Dwarf-tossing," the strange practice of hurling dwarfs in padded suits, is outlawed in the bars of Springfield, Ill., because it's dangerous and exploitative. The practice is apparently allowed elsewhere in town, with a special permit.
• A state law in Illinois mandates that all bachelors should be called master, not mister, when addressed by their female counterparts.
• It is illegal to speak English. The officially recognized language is "American".
• Champaign: One may not pee in his neighbor's mouth.
• Chicago: Law forbids eating in a place that is on fire; It is illegal to give a dog whiskey; Kites may not be flown within the city limits; Spitting is forbidden
• Cicero: Humming on public streets is prohibited on Sundays.
• Crete: It is considered an offense to attempt to have sex with one's dog; Cars may not be driven through the town.
• Des Plaines: Wheelbarrows with For-Sale signs may not be chained to trees.
• Eureka: A man with a moustache may not kiss a woman.
• Evanston: Bowling is forbidden; It is illegal to go trick-or-treating on Halloween; It is unlawful to change clothes in an automobile with the curtains drawn, except in case of fire.
• Fairfield: It is unlawful for "Negroes" to be within county boundaries from sundown to sunrise.
• Freeport: It is illegal to expectorate from any second-story window.
• Galesburg: There is a $1,000 dollar fine for beating rats with baseball bats.
• Homer: It is against the law to use a slingshot unless your are a law enforcement officer.
• If the Rushville, Ill., city council doesn't have a quorum, those sent can have the cops go out and arrest absent members and bring them to the meeting.
• In Illinois it is illegal for barbers to use their fingers to apply shaving cream to a customer's face.
• In Illinois, it is illegal for anyone to give lighted cigars to dogs, cats, and other domesticated animal kept as pets.
• In Chicago it is also illegal to take a French poodle to the opera, and for women over 200 pounds (90 kilos) to ride horses in shorts.
• In Chicago, it is illegal to fish in pajamas.
• In Chicago, people who are diseased, maimed, mutilated, or "otherwise an unsightly or disgusting object" are banned from going out in public.
• In Oblong, it's punishable by law to make love while hunting or fishing on your wedding day.
• It is against the law for a monster to enter the corporate limits of Urbana, Illinois.
• It is legal to protest naked in front of city hall as long as you are under seventeen years of age and have legal permits.
• It's not clear what this has done to the bar business, but a law in Chicago, makes it illegal to serve liquor to the feeble-minded.
• Kenilworth: A rooster must step back three hundred feet from any residence if he wishes to crow; Hens that wish to cackle must step two hundred feet back from any residence.
• Kirkland: Bees are not allowed to fly over the village or through any of Kirkland's streets.
• Law forbids eating in a place that is on fire.
• Moline: Ice skating at the Riverside pond during the months of June and August is prohibited; There is a ban on unnecessary repetitive driving on 23rd Avenue.
• Morton Grove: You may not own a handgun
• Normal: It is against the law to make faces at dogs.
• Orland Park: No pool tables are allowed in a public establishment, because it supports gambling.
• Ottawa: Spitting on the sidewalk is a criminal offense.
• Park Ridge: Trucks may only park inside closed garages.
• Peoria: Basketball hoops may not be installed on a driveway.
• Pullman: It is illegal to drink beer out of a bucket while sitting on the curb; It is forbidden to fish while sitting on a giraffe's neck.
• The English language is not to be spoken.
• Take some elocution lessons if you're going to Joliet, Ill., where it's against the law to mispronounce the city's name. Offenders can be fined up to $500.
• The people in Manteno, Ill., do not want used facial tissue, period. Hence, you cannot "throw, drop or place" a used hankie "upon any public way or public place or upon the floor of any convenience or upon the floor of any theater, hall or assembly or public building or upon the surface or any lot or parcel of ground or on the roof on any building or in any light or air shaft, court or areaway."
• You may be arrested for vagrancy if you do not have at least one dollar bill on your person.
• You may be convicted of a Class 4 felony offense, punishable by up to three years in state prison, for the crime of "eavesdropping" on your own conversation. -720 ILCS 5/14-2.

Indiana

• "Spiteful Gossip" and "talking behind a person's back" are illegal.
• A three dollar fine per pack will be imposed on anyone playing cards in Indiana under the Act for the Prevention of Gaming.
• All males 18 to 50 years old must work six days a year on public roads.
• Anyone 14 or older who profanely curses, damns or swears by the name of God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, shall be fined one to three dollars for each offense, with a maximum fine of ten dollars per day.
• Auburn: It is illegal to bike, roller-skate, skateboard, or inline skate in a commercially zoned area. For these offenses, there is a fine of no more than $5 or the impounding of one's bicycle for a period not to exceed 30 days.
• Baths may not be taken between the months of October and March.
• Beech Grove: It is forbidden to eat watermelon in the park.
• Check forgery can be punished with public flogging up to 100 stripes.
• Citizens are not allowed to attend a cinema or theatre nor ride in a public streetcar within at least four hours after eating garlic.
• Drinking from your own bottle in a bar can lead to your arrest.
• Drinks on the house are illegal.
• Elkhart: It is illegal for barbers to threaten to cut off kid's ears.
• Evansville: While driving on Main Street you may not have your lights on.
• Fort Wayne: You may not sell or play on a radio broadcast, the record "It's In the Book".
• Grocery stores may not sell any type of cold liquor.
• Hotel sheets must be exactly 99 inches long and 81 inches wide.
• If any person has a puppet show, wire dancing or tumbling act in the state of Indiana and receives money for it, they will be fined $3 under the Act to Prevent Certain Immoral Practices.
• In Indiana it is illegal to sell laughing gas with the intent to induce laughter.
• In South Bend, Indiana, it is illegal to make a monkey smoke a cigarette.
• It is against the law to pass a horse on the street.
• Men are prohibited from standing in a bar.
• Mustaches are illegal if the bearer has a tendency to habitually kiss other humans.
• No one may catch a fish with his bare hands.
• One man may not back into a parking spot because it prevents police officers from seeing the license plate.
• Oral sex is illegal.
• Pedestrians crossing the highway at night are prohibited from wearing tail lights.
• Smoking in the state legislature building is banned, except when the legislature is in session.
• State government officials who engage in private duels can be dismissed from their post.
• Taxpayers of Bainbridge, Ind., used to have to swear a solemn oath that the values they placed on their taxable property were the fair market values.
• Terre Haute: No one may spit on the sidewalk.
• The value of Pi is 4, and not 3.1415
• You are not allowed to carry a cocktail from the bar to a table; the waiter or waitress has to do it.
• You are required to pour your drink into a glass.
• You can get out of paying for a dependent's medical care by praying for him/her.

Iowa

• A man with a moustache may never kiss a woman in public.
• An owner or employee of an establishment in Iowa that sells alcohol can't legally consume a drink there after closing for business.
• Don't plan on running a "tab" in Iowa; it's illegal.
• Horses are forbidden to eat fire hydrants in Marshalltown, Iowa.
• If a law enforcement officer is having a drink in a bar in Iowa and an employee pours water down the drain, the water is legally considered an alcohol beverage intended for unlawful purposes.
• In Dubuque any hotel in the city limits must have a water bucket and a hitching post in front of the building.
• In Fort Madison the fire department is required to practice fire fighting for fifteen minutes before attending a fire.
• Indianola: The "Ice Cream Man" and his truck are banned.
• It is illegal to hunt from an aircraft.
• It is illegal to accept a gratuity or tip in Iowa.
• Kisses may last for as much as, but no more than, five minutes.
• One-armed piano players must perform for free.
• Ottumwa: Within the city limits, a man may not wink at any woman he does not know.
• Riverboat gamblers in Iowa have a $5 maximum bet.
• The Iowa Legislature once passed a resolution ordering the state cafeteria to start serving cornbread.
• Warn your hubby that after lovemaking in Ames, Iowa, he isn't allowed to take more than three gulps of beer while lying in bed with you -- or holding you in his arms.
• You may shoot Native Americans if there are more than five of them on your property at any one time.

Kansas

• If two trains meet on the same track, neither shall proceed until the other has passed.
• In Kansas City, KS, saying the name "George Washington" without adding the phrase "blessed be his name," can land you with a fine of up to fifty cents.
• In Natoma, Kansas, it's illegal to throw knives at men wearing striped suites.
• In Topeka, Kansas, servers are forbidden to serve wine in teacups.
• It is illegal to catch bullfrogs in a tomato patch.
• It is illegal to hunt whales.
• It is illegal to put ice cream on cherry pie in Kansas.
• Kansas state law requires pedestrians crossing the highways at night to wear tail lights.
• Lawrence: All cars entering the city limits must first sound their horn to warn the horses of their arrival. No one may wear a bee in their hat.
• Minors in Kansas City, Missouri, are not allowed to purchase cap pistols; they may buy shotguns freely, however.
• No one may catch fish with his bare hands in Kansas.
• Pedestrians crossing the highways at night must wear tail lights.
• Rabbits may not be shot from motorboats.
• Russell: Musical car horns are banned
• Salina: It is against the law to leave your car running unattended.
• The state game rule prohibits the use of mules to hunt ducks.
• Topeka: The installation of bathtubs is prohibited.
• Any person caught using or carrying bean snappers or the like shall upon conviction, be fined. -City ordinance 349 of Wichita, Kansas.

Kentucky

• A person can be sent to jail for five years for merely sending a bottle of beer, wine or spirits as a gift to a friend in Kentucky.
• An ordinance in Murray, Ky., says the superintendent of sanitation "shall determine whether a person is small, medium or large." Why the superintendent should make this determination is left unsaid.
• All nude people in your house must be registered in Kentucky.
• An excerpt from brilliant Kentucky state legislation. "No female shall appear in a bathing suit on any highway within this state unless she be escorted by at least two officers or unless she be armed with a club". The following important ammendment however is to be considered here: "The provisions of this statuate shall not apply to females weighing less than 90 pounds nor exceeding 200 pounds,
• Any person who appears on any highway, or upon the street of any city that has no police protection, when clothed only in ordinary bathing garb, shall be fined no less than five dollars nor more than twenty-five dollars." - KRS 436.140
• Any person who displays, handles or uses any kind of reptile in connection with any religious service or gathering shall be fined not less than fifty dollars ($50) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100). -KRS 437.060 (Passed 1942, from Ky. Stat. sec. 1267a-1.).
• By law, anyone who has been drinking is "sober" until he or she "cannot hold onto the ground".
• Each year, the mayor of Danville, Ky., must appoint "three intelligent housekeepers" to the Board of Tax Supervisors.
• Frankfort, Kentucky, makes it against the law to shoot off a policeman's tie.
• In Danville, Ky., it's illegal to throw slops or soapsuds in the street.
• In Kentucky, according to an old law, it's illegal to use any kind of reptile in a religious service. It's not certain if the law would withstand First Amendment scrutiny today.
• In Kentucky every citizen of is required to take a shower once a year.
• In Kentucky you need a license to walk around nude on your property.
• It is illegal in Kentucky to marry the same man more than 3 times.
• It is illegal to fish with a bow and arrow in Kentucky.
• It is illegal to shoot game out of the window of a moving vehicle, with the exception of a whale
• It is illegal to transport an ice cream cone in your pocket.
• It's illegal to fish in the Ohio River in Kentucky without an Indiana Fishing License.
• No person owning or controlling a billiard or pool table shall permit, for compensation or reward, any minor under eighteen (18) years of age to play any game on the table, unless such minor shall have first displayed an identification card containing his name, age, photograph, and the signature of his parents or guardian. The minor shall keep such identification card on his person, and it shall be subject to inspection at any time by any peace officer. The person owning or controlling such billiard or pool table shall keep and maintain a registration book in which each minor shall sign. The person owning or controlling such billiard or pool table shall supply a blank identification card to each parent or guardian who makes request for same. Any person who violates this section shall be fined not less than ten ($10) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense. -KRS 436.320 (Passed 1893; Amended in 1954, Ky. Acts ch. 232, sec. 1)
• No person shall sell, exchange, offer to sell or exchange, display or possess living baby chicks, ducklings, or other fowl or rabbits which have been dyed or colored; nor dye or color any baby chicks, ducklings or other fowl or rabbits; nor sell, exchange, offer to sell or exchange or to give away baby chicks, ducklings or other fowl or rabbits, under two months of age in any quantity less than six, except that any rabbit weighing three pounds or more may be sold at an age of six weeks. Any person who violates this section shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500. -KRS 436.600 (Passed 1966 Ky. Acts ch. 215, sec. 5.)
• Owensboro: A woman may not buy a hat without her husband's permission. One may not receive anal sex. All bees entering Kentucky shall be accompanied by certificates of health, stating that the apiary from which the bees came was free from contagious or infectious disease. -KRS 252.130 (Passed in 1922; Repealed in 1948)

Louisiana

• An old ordinance declares goatees illegal unless you first pay a special license fee for the privilege of wearing one in public.
• Biting someone with your natural teeth is "simple assault", while biting someone with your false teeth is "aggravated assault".
• Communism has been against the law in Haines City, La., since 1950.
• If you've ever been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, you'll see the kings and queens on the various floats throwing plastic money, medallions and jewels to the crowd, but not food. It's against the law to throw food from a float in the Mardi Gras festivities.
• It is against state law to steal even a single crawfish.
• It is illegal to gargle in public places.
• It is illegal to rob a bank and then shoot at the bank teller with a water pistol.
• It illegal for a woman to drive a car unless her husband is waving a flag in front of it.
• It is illegal in Lafayette, Louisiana to play a musical instrument for the purpose of attracting attention, without a license.
• It's legal to walk down the street with a drink in New Orleans, even to drive with a drink. But if you fall over and block the sidewalk, you've just broken the law.
• Louisiana law prohibits couples who are shopping for a new bed from putting it to the "ultimate test"-- in other words, from trying it out by making love on it, or even simulating this activity.
• Mourners at a wake may not eat more than three sandwiches.
• New Orleans: You may not tie an alligator to a fire hydrant.
• Rituals that involve the ingestion of blood, urine, or fecal matter are not allowed.
• Snoring is prohibited unless all bedroom windows are closed and securely locked.
• Taxi drivers are prohibited from making love in the front seat of their taxi during their shifts.

Maine

• After January 14th you will be charged a fine for having your Christmas decorations still up.
• In Augusta to stroll down the street playing a violin is against the law.
• It's illegal to clean salmon along Maine's upper Kennebec River. Enforcement of this law has been made easier for many years by the fact that, because of a dam, there are no salmon on the upper Kennebec River.
• In Maine it's illegal to catch lobsters with your bare hands.
• In Portland shoelaces must be tied while walking down the street.
• In Waterville, Maine, it is illegal to blow one's nose in public.
• It's unlawful to tickle a woman's chin with a feather duster in Portland.
• Shotguns are required to be taken to church in the event of a Native American attack.
• You may not step out of a plane in flight.

Maryland

• Baltimore City: Though you may spit on a city roadway, spitting on city sidewalks is prohibited. You may not curse inside the city limits.
• Baltimore: It's illegal to throw bales of hay from a second-story window within the city limits. It's illegal to take a lion to the movies. It is a park rule violation to be in a public park with a sleeveless shirt. $10 fine. This would include joggers that go shirtless. (1898) -Park Rule 6 It is a violation of city code to sell chicks or ducklings to a minor within 1 week of the Easter holiday.
• Baltimore has regulations governing the disposal of hog's heads, pet droppings and oyster shells.
• Columbia: You can not have a antenna exposed outside of your house yet you can have a 25' satellite dish. Though clotheslines are banned, clothes may be draped over a fence.
• Eating while swimming in the ocean is prohibited.
• Gypsies should steer clear of Caroline County, Md., where it's a $100 fine or six months in the can for "forecasting or pretending to foretell the future."
• In Baltimore it's illegal to block the sidewalk with a box. But the offense only carries a $1 fine. Another law makes it illegal to throw bale of hay (or of anything else) out a second-story window. That gets you a $20 fine. In Baltimore it's illegal to play professional croquet before 2 p.m. Sunday. The law also applies to professional quoits.
• In Baltimore it is illegal to mistreat oysters.
• In Baltimore, it is illegal to wash or scrub sinks no matter how dirty they get.
• In Baltimore, Maryland, it is not legal to take a lion to the movies.
• In Halethrope, Maryland kisses longer than one second are illegal.
• In Maryland, a woman may not go through her husband's pockets while he is sleeping.
• In Maryland, men may not buy drinks for female bartenders.
• In Maryland, it is illegal to sell condoms from vending machines with one exception: prophylactics may be dispensed from a vending machine only "in places where alcoholic beverages are sold for consumption on the premises."
• In Maryland, the legislature once proposed a board of parachute examiners to be made up of five licensed parachute instructors who would test and license all other parachute instructors. The plan had been abandoned when it was learned there were only three licensed parachute instructors in the state.
• In the entire state of Maryland, it is illegal to give or recieve oral sex.
• It is a violation to be in a public park with a sleeveless shirt. $10 fine.
• Maryland now requires that alcohol beverage writers be certified as experts by an agency of the state before they can receive product samples, which it limits to three bottles per brand.
• Ocean City: A law from the early 1900's prohibits men from going topless on the Boardwalk. Eating while swimming in the ocean is prohibited
• Thistles may not grow in one's yard.
• You cannot swear while inside the city limits of Baltimore.

Massachusetts

• A Boston mayor who disliked dancing and liked to retire early once banned midnight dancing in the Hub City.
• A woman can not be on top in sexual activities.
• Affiliation with the Communist party is illegal.
• Alcoholic drink specials are illegal.
• An old ordinance declares goatees illegal unless you first pay a special license fee for the privilege of wearing one in public.
• At a wake, mourners may eat no more than three sandwiches.
• Boston: It is illegal to play the fiddle. Two people may not kiss in front of a church. No more than two baths may be taken within the confines of the city. No one may cross the Boston Common without carrying a shotgun in case of bears. Anyone may let their sheep and cows graze in the public gardens/commons at any time except o Sundays. It is illegal to eat peanuts in church. An old law prohibits the taking of baths on Sunday. Duels to the death permitted on the common on Sundays provided that the Governor is present. Women may not wear heels over 3 inches in length while on the common. No one may take a bath without a prescription. It is illegal for any citizen to own more than three dogs.
• Both Massachusetts and New Hampshire had old laws that penalized gamblers who lost money. You'd get fined in Massachusetts if you had any money left.
• Bullets may not be used as currency.
• Burlington: You may not walk around with a "drink".
• Cambridge: It is illegal to shake carpets in the street, or to throw orange peels on the sidewalk. It costs $50 extra for a permit for hurling, soccer or Gaelic football games in a public park on a Sunday.
• Children may smoke, but they may not purchase cigarettes.
• Defacing a milk carton is punishable by a $10 fine.
• Eating while swimming in the ocean is prohibited.
• Hingham: You may not have colored lights on your house if it can be seen from Main Street. Only white lights may be visible. If you live on Main Street and want to paint your house, the colors must be approved by the historical society.
• Hopkinton: Though horses and cows are allowed on the common, dogs are prohibited.
• Hunting on Sundays is prohibited.
• Holyoke, Massachusetts, makes it unlawful to water your lawn when it is raining.
• In a law that predates returnable bottles and cans, it's illegal in Boston to rummage through rubbish containers.
• In 1659 the state of Massachusetts outlawed Christmas.
• In Boston it's illegal to post an advertisement on a public urinal. It's also against the law to hang a vending machine on a utility pole.
• In Boston, it's illegal to cut firewood in the street, or shoot a bow and arrow in the street.
• In Boston it's against the law to keep manure in a building unless the building is being used as a stable. If it is, you can keep up to two cords of manure. If you're overstocked, you need a permit to move the stuff. And you can't leave it in the street.
• In Boston, Massachusetts it is illegal to take a bath unless instructed to do so by a physician.
• In Massachusetts, it is unlawful to deliver diapers on Sunday, regardless of emergencies.
• In Massachusetts, if you get caught eating peanuts in church , you can be jailed for up to one year.
• In Provincetown, Mass., it's illegal to sell suntan oil until after noon on Sunday.
• In Salem, Massachesetts sleeping in the nude in a rented room is forbidden, even for married couples.
• It is illegal to frighten a pigeon.
• It is illegal to go to bed without first having a full bath.
• It is illegal to put tomatoes in clam chowder.
• It is illegal to reproach Jesus Christ or the holy ghost.
• It is illegal to take more than 2 baths a month within Boston confines.
• It is unlawful to injure a football goal post, doing so is punishable by a $200 fine
• It's illegal to allow someone to use stilts while working on the construction of a building.
• It's illegal to drive Texan, Mexican, Cherokee, or Indian cattle on a public road.
• It's illegal to keep a mule on the second floor of a building not in a city unless there are 2 exits.
• It's illegal to sell fewer than 24 ducklings at a time before May 1, or to sell rabbits, chicks, or ducklings that have been painted a different color.
• Longmeadow: It is illegal for two men to carry a bathtub across the town green.
• Marlboro: It is illegal to buy, sell or possess a squirt gun. Silly string is illegal in the city limits. One may not detonate a nuclear device in the city. It is illegal for any citizen to own more than two dogs.
• Massachusetts law declares that peanuts may not be eaten in court.
• Massachusetts liquor stores can only open on Sundays if they are in Berkshire, Essex, Franklin, Middlesex or Worcester counties and are within 10 miles of the Vermont or New Hampshire borders.
• Milford: Peeping in the windows of automobiles is forbidden.
• Mourners at a wake may not eat more than three sandwiches.
• Newton: All families must be given a hog from the town's mayor.
• No gorilla is allowed in the back seat of any car.
• North Andover: An ordinance prohibits the use of space guns.
• Peeping in the windows of automobiles is forbidden.
• Public boxing matches are outlawed.
• Quakers and witches are banned.
• Snoring is prohibited unless all bedroom windows are closed and securely locked.
• Southbridge, Massachusetts, makes it illegal to read books or newspapers after 8 p.m. in the streets.
• Tattooing and body piercing is illegal.
• Tomatoes may not be used in the production of clam chowder.
• Under an old law in Marblehead, Mass., it was illegal to cross the street on Sunday, unless absolutely necessary.
• Woburn: In bars, it is illegal to "walk around" with a beer in your hand.
• You may not, at any time take a crap on your neighbour.

Michigan

• A Michigan law states that a wife's hair legally belongs to her husband.
• A woman isn't allowed to cut her own hair without her husband's permission.
• Any person over the age of 12 may have a license for a handgun as long as he/she has not been convicted of a felony.
• In Clawson, Mich., there is a law that makes it LEGAL for a farmer to sleep with his pigs, cows, horses, goats, and chickens.
• In Detroit, couples are not allowed to make love in an automobile unless the act takes place while the vehicle is parked on the couple's own property.
• In Detroit, Michigan it is illegal to sleep in a bathtub.
• In Rochester, Michigan, anyone bathing in public must have his or her bathing suit inspected by a police officer.
• It is legal for a robber to file a law suit, if he or she got hurt in your house.
• It is illegal to loiter in the city morgue in Detroit.
• It's illegal in Michigan for a person under the age of 21 to give a gift of alcohol beverage to anyone, even to a person of legal age.
• Permitting diners to take home an unfinished bottle of alcohol beverage, rather than consuming it all before leaving to prevent "waste," encourages moderation and discourages intoxication. However, this is prohibited in Michigan.
• Smoking while in bed is illegal.
• The use of the names of dead presidents to sell alcohol in Michigan is prohibited.
• Under an 1889 law, the health officer of East Jordan, Mich., could send any nonresident with an infectious disease back to where he came from, as long as the person could travel. If not, the officer could rent a house for use as a pest house.
• You may not swear in front of women and children in the state of Michigan.

Minnesota

• A Blue Earth, Minnesota, law declares that no child under the age of twelve may talk over the telephone unless monitored by a parent.
• A Minnesota tax form is quite thorough. Some would say too thorough. It even asks for your date of death.
• A person may not cross state lines with a duck atop his head.
• A woman isn't allowed to cut her own hair without her husband's permission.
• All bathtubs must have feet.
• All men driving motorcycles must wear shirts.
• Citizens may not enter Wisconsin with a chicken on their head.
• Clawson: There is a law that makes it legal for a farmer to sleep with his pigs, cows, horses, goats, and chickens.
• Every man in Brainerd, Minnesota is required by law to grow a beard.
• Grand Haven: No person shall throw an abandoned hoop skirt into any street or on any sidewalk, under penalty of a five- dollar fine for each offense.
• Hamburgers may not be eaten on Sundays.
• Harper Woods: It is illegal to paint sparrows to sell them as parakeets.
• Hibbing: It shall be the duty of any policeman or any other officer to enforce the provisions of this Section, and if any cat is found running at large, or which is found in any street, alley or public place, it shall be the duty of any policeman or other officer of the city to kill such cat.
• In Duluth, Minnesota it is illegal to allow animals to sleep in a bakery.
• In Minnesota, it's illegal to tease skunks.
  
• It is illegal to sleep naked.
• It used to be legal in Minnesota to sell rolled candy on Sunday, and illegal to sell flat candy. The wafer people have gotten this one repealed.
• Minneapolis: Red cars can not drive down Lake Street
• Minnesota has repealed its so-called "Twinkie" law, under which a Minneapolis City Council candidate was indicted for dispensing $34 worth of Twinkies, Ho-Hos, cookies, Kool-Aid and coffee to some senior citizens.
• No man is allowed to make love to his wife with the smell of garlic, onions, or sardines on his breath in Alexandria, Minnesota. If his wife so requests, law mandates that he must brush his teeth.
• Public intoxication is a crime in Pennsylvania but specifically not a crime in Minnesota.
• Rochester: All bathing suits must have been inspected by the head of police. Smoking while in bed is illegal.
• St. Cloud: Hamburgers may not be eaten on Sundays.
• There is a 10 cent bounty for each rat's head brought into a town office.
• Wayland: Anyone can keep their cow on Main Street downtown at a cost of 3 cents per day.
• You may not swear in front of women and children in the state of Michigan. Kalamazoo: It is against the law to serenade your girlfriend.

Mississippi

• Adultery or Fornication (living together while not married or having sex with someone that is not your spouse) results in a fine of $500 and/or 6 months in prison.
• Cattle rustling is punishable by hanging.
• Columbus: The fine for waving a gun in public is higher than actually shooting it.
• Horses are not to be housed within 50 feet of any road.
• In Brandon, Mississipi it is illegal to attempt to stop someone from walking down the sidewalk by parking a motorhome in their path.
• In Temperance, MS, you can't walk a dog without dressing it in diapers.
• In Oxford, Miss., it's illegal to "create unnecessary noises."
• It is illegal for a male to be sexually aroused in public.
• It is illegal to drive around the town square more than 100 times in a single session.
• Oxford: It is illegal to drive around the town square more than 100 times in a single session. One may not spit on the sidewalks on the square. Motor vehicles on the square are prohibited. Horn honking is not permitted as it might scare horses.
• Tylertown: It is unlawful to shave in the center of main street.
• Unnatural intercourse, if both parties voluntarily participate, results in a maximum sentence of 10 years and $10,000.
• Vagrancy is punishable by either 30 days in prison or a $201 fine.

Missouri

• Anyone under the age of 21 who takes out household trash containing even a single empty alcohol beverage container can be charged with illegal possession of alcohol in Missouri.
• Buckner: In this small town of only 4,000, yard waste may be burned any day except Sunday.
• Children can buy shotguns in Kansas City, Missouri... but not toy cap guns.
• Excelsior Springs: Hard objects may not be thrown by hand. Worrying squirrels is not tolerated.
• In Ballwin, Mo., the only place you can use vulgar, obscene or indecent language is in your home.
• In Merryville women are prohibited from wearing corsets because "the privilege of admiring the curvaceous, unencumbered body of a young woman should not be denied to the normal, red-blooded American male."
• In Springfield, door to door salesman are prohibited from selling their goods while standing in the middle of the road, screaming at passing vehicles.
• In St. Louis, it's illegal to sit on the curb of any city street and drink beer from a bucket.
• In St. Louis, a law on the books makes it illegal to park your car without turning off the engine. This was to avoid scaring horses.
• It is not illegal to speed.
• Kansas City: Minors are not allowed to purchase cap pistols, however they may buy shotguns freely. Installation of bathtubs with four legs resembling animal paws is prohibited.
• Marceline: Minors can buy rolling paper and tobacco but not lighters.
• Marquette: It is illegal for more than four unrelated persons to occupy the same dwelling (The Brothel Law).
• Minors can buy rolling paper and tobacco but not lighters.
• Minors in Kansas City, Missouri, are not allowed to purchase cap pistols; they may buy shotguns freely, however.
• Mole: Frightening a baby is in violation of the law.
• Natchez: It shall be unlawful to provide beer or other intoxicants to elephants.
• Purdy: Dancing is strictly prohibited.
• St. Louis: It's illegal to sit on the curb of any city street and drink beer from a bucket. This law refers back to the extinct Italian celebration, Hill Day, when beer was served in buckets. A milk man may not run while on duty.
• University City: Four women may not rent an apartment together.

Montana

• It is a felony for a wife to open her husband's mail.
• It is illegal to have a sheep in the cab of your truck without a chaperone.
• In Billings, Montana it is illegal for employees of the city's communications center to program their phones with speed dial.
• It is a misdemeanor to show movies that depict acts of felonious crime in Montana.
• Bozeman has a law that bans all sexual activity between members of the opposite sex in the front yard of a home after sundown -- if they're nude.
• Seven or more Indians are considered a raiding or war party and it is legal to shoot them.
• It is illegal for a man and a woman to have sex in any other position other than missionary style. In Montana, it is illegal for married women to go fishing alone on Sundays, and illegal for unmarried women to fish alone at all.
• It is a misdemeanor to show movies that depict acts of felonious crime.
• Excelsior Springs: Balls may not be thrown within the city limits.
• Helena: No item may be thrown across a street.
• Helena, Montana, mandates that a woman can't dance on a table in a saloon or bar unless she has on at least three pounds, two ounces of clothing.
• Salisbury: Pop bottles are not to be thrown on the ground.
• Whitehall: It is illegal to operate a vehicle with ice picks attached to the wheels.
• Montana just legalized the production of caviar.

Nebraska

• A man is not allowed to run around with a shaved chest.
• Barbers are forbidden by law from shaving a man's chest in Omaha, Nebraska.
• If a child burps during church, his parent may be arrested.
• It is illegal for a mother to give her daughter a perm without a state license.
• It is illegal for bar owners to sell beer unless they are simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup.
• It is illegal to go whale fishing.
• It is illegal to sleep naked in a hotel/ motel room.
• Lehigh: Doughnut holes may not be sold
• Omaha: Sneezing or burping is illegal during a church service.
• The owner of every hotel in Hastings is required to provide each guest with a clean and pressed nightshirt. No couple, even if they are married, may sleep together in the nude. Nor may they have sex unless they are wearing one of these clean, white cotton nightshirts.
• Waterloo: Barbers are forbidden from eating onions between 7 A.M. and 7 P.M.

Nevada

• A man is forbidden from buying drinks for more than three people other than himself at any one period during the day.
• Clark County: An ordinance makes bringing a concealable fire arm into the county illegal unless it is registered with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. In order to register a handgun, however, it must be brought in to the police station. Furthermore, you may not register a gun on the weekends, but the police may prosecute you at that time.
• Elko: Everyone walking the streets is required to wear a mask.
• Eureka: Men who wear moustaches are forbidden from kissing women.
• In Las Vegas, Nevada: It's against the law to pawn your dentures.
• In Las Vegas you can bet on any team--except The University of Nevada at Las Vegas.
• In Nevada sex without a condom is considered illegal.
• In Nevada until the 1960s it was illegal to sell liquor at religious camp meetings, within a half-mile of the state prison, in the State Capitol Building or to imbeciles.
• In Reno, Nevada staging a marathon dance is illegal, although posting a notice on a fire hydrant about illegal dance marathons is not.
• In the old days in Nevada a man caught beating his wife was tied to a stake for eight hours a day with a sign that read, "Wife Beater" fastened to his chest.
• It's illegal in Nevada to have a "house of ill fame" within 400 yards of a church or school.
• It is illegal in Reno, Nevada to conceal a spray-painted shopping cart in your basement.
• It's still "legal" to hang someone for shooting your dog on your property.
• Saloonkeepers had to post the names of habitual drunkards if so requested by the local sheriff or members of the imbibers' immediate families.

New Hampshire

• Any cattle that crosses state roads must be fitted with a device to gather its feces.
• In New Hampshire it is illegal to inhale bus fumes with the intent of inducing euphoria.
• In New Hampshire you are prohibited from pawning the clothes off your back to pay off gambling debts.
• It is considered an offense to check into a hotel under an assumed name.
• It is illegal to pick seaweed up off of the beach.
• New Hampshire law forbids you to tap your feet, nod your head, or in any way keep time to the music in a tavern, restaurant, or cafe.
• On Sundays citizens may not relieve themselves while looking up.
• White Mountain Nat. Forest: If a person is caught raking the beaches, picking up litter, hauling away trash, building a bench for the park, or many other kind things without a permit, he/she may be fined $150 for ''maintaining the national forest without a permit''.
• You cannot sell the clothes you are wearing to pay off a gambling debt.
• You may not run machinery on Sundays.

New Jersey

• Automobiles are not to pass horse drawn carriages on the street.
• Bernards Township: It is illegal to frown as the town is a "Frown-Free Town Zone".
• Caldwell: You may not dance or wear shorts on the main avenue.
• Cranford: Citizens are not permitted to park their own boat on their lawn.
• Cresskill: All cats must wear three bells to warn birds of their whereabouts.
• Elizabeth: It is forbidden for a woman, on a Sunday, to walk down Broad Street without wearing a petticoat.
• If you have been convicted of driving while intoxicated, you may never again apply for personalized license plates.
• In Berkley Heights you may not walk your cattle on the street on Sunday.
• In New Jersey it is illegal to delay or detain a homing pigeon.
• In New Jersey, it is illegal to slurp soup.
• It's illegal in New Jersey for parents to give their children under the age of 18 even a sip of alcohol.
• It is against the law for a man to knit during the fishing season.
• It is against the law to "frown" at a police officer.
• It is illegal to offer whiskey or cigarettes to animals at the local zoo.
• It's also illegal in this state to throw a bad pickle on the street.
• Lovers in Liberty Corner should avoid satisfying their lustful urges in a parked car. If the horn accidentally sounds while they are frolicking behind the wheel, the couple can face a jail term.
• Manville: It is illegal to offer whiskey or cigarettes to animals a the local zoo.
• Newark: It is illegal to sell ice cream after 6pm, unless the customer has a note from his doctor.
• Pinball machines are not to be played on Sunday.
  
• Raw hamburger may not be sold.
• On a highway you can not park under a bridge.
• Raritan: Profanity is prohibited.
• Sea Isle City: There will be no boiling of bones on the property.
• There is no horse racing allowed on the New Jersey Turnpike.
• You cannot pump your own gas. All gas stations are full service and full service only.

New Mexico

• A city council member in Albuquerque, N.M., introduced a resolution a few years ago to ban Santa Claus from the city. The matter was defeated.
• Carrizozo: It's forbidden for a female to appear unshaven in public.
• In Albuquerque, New Mexico it is illegal for cab drivers to reach out and pull potential customers into their cabs.
• In Carlsbad it's legal for couples to have sex in a parked vehicle during their lunch break from work, as long as the car or van has drawn curtains to stop strangers from peeking in.
• In recent years, several efforts have been made to legalize camel racing and ostrich racing in New Mexico, but to no avail. Those bills were defeated, but the legislature recently allowed gambling on bicycle races.
• Las Cruces: You may not carry a lunchbox down Main Street.
• State officials ordered 400 words of "sexually explicit material" to be cut from Romeo and Juliet.

New York

• A fine of $25 can be levied for flirting. This old law specifically prohibits men from turning around on any city street and looking "at a woman in that way." A second conviction for a crime of this magnitude calls for the violating male to be forced to wear a "pair of horse-blinders" wherever and whenever he goes outside for a stroll.
• A license must be purchased before hanging clothes on a clothesline.
• Before the enactment of the 1978 law that made it mandatory for dog owners in New York City to clean up after their pets, approximately 40 million pounds of dog excrement were deposited on the streets every year.
• Carmel: A man can't go outside while wearing a jacket and pants that do not match.
• Citizens may not greet each other by "putting one's thumb to the nose and wiggling the fingers".
• Donkeys are not allowed to sleep in bathtubs in Brooklyn, N.Y.
• During a concert, it is illegal to eat peanuts and walk backwards on the sidewalks.
• In New York, you can teach your pet parrot to speak, but not to squawk.
• In New York City you need a permit to transport carbonated beverages.
• In New York City it is illegal for a man to give 'The Standard Lear' to a woman. Violators are forced to wear horse blinders.
• In New York City, it's illegal to throw swill into the street.
• In New York City it's illegal to shake a dust mop out a window.
• In New York State it is still illegal to shoot a rabbit from a moving trolley car.
• In Ocean City, New York It is illegal to eat in the street in residential neighborhoods, and the only beverage you can drink on the beach is water in a clear plastic bottle.
• In Ocean City New York, It is illegal for men to go topless in the center of town.
• In Staten Island, New York, It is illegal for a father to call his son a "faggot" or "queer" in an effort to curb "girlie behavior."
• In Staten Island, New York, You may only water your lawn if the hose is held in your hand.
• In Tonawanda, New York homeless people may not start a fire in the park unless they intend to cook food.
• It is against the law to throw a ball at someone's head for fun.
• It is illegal for a woman to be on the street wearing "body hugging clothing."
• It is illegal to jump off the Empire State building.
• It's illegal in New York to start any kind of public performance, show, play, game or what have you, until after 1:05 p.m.
• Jaywalking is legal, as long as it's not diagonal. That is, you can cross the street out of the crosswalk, but you can't cross a street diagonally.
• Members of nine New York Indian tribes are exempt from the city's eight percent parking tax.
• New York and a handful of other states require that toilets be evenly divided among men and women in public theaters or arenas.
• Women may go topless in public, providing it is not being used as a business.
• New York City may be the theater capital of the country, but it's illegal to have a puppet show in your window and a violation can land you in the snoozer for 30 days.
• New Yorkers cannot dissolve a marriage for irreconcilable differences, unless they both agree to it.
• Slippers are not to be worn after 10:00 P.M.
• Staten Island: You may only water your lawn if the hose is held in your hand.
• The New York City Transit Authority has ruled that women can ride the city subways topless. New York law dictates that if a man can be somewhere without a shirt, a woman gets the same right. The decision came after arrests of women testing the ordinance on the subways. A transit police spokesman said they would comply with the new rule, but "if they were violating any other rules, like sitting on a subway bench topless smoking a cigarette, then we would take action." Smoking is not allowed in the subways.
• The New York State Senate passed a resolution to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Brooklyn Dodgers' 1955 world championship and expressed a longing that someday the Dodgers will return to "their one and only true home."
• To cut down on its once-horrific graffiti problem, New York City several years ago made it illegal to carry an open can of spray paint.

North Carolina

• A recent proposal that ministers walk the beat with police officers in Belmont, N.C., notes "the ministers will carry a Bible instead of a gun."
• An ordinance proposed in Robbins, N.C., states, "In the future, anyone not living within the immediate vicinity of Robbins must have a permit from the Chief of Police and okayed by the Mayor or one of the Commissioners." It's not clear what the permit is for, but they may be on to something.
• In Robbins, N.C., anyone who refuses to black out after hearing the blackout signal is subject to a $5 fine.
• A marriage can be declared void if either of the two persons is physically impotent.
• All couples staying overnight in a hotel must have a room with double beds that are at least two feet apart. Making love in the space between the beds is strictly forbidden.
• Barber: Fights between cats and dogs are prohibited.
• By town law the sewer service charge in Belhaven, N.C., used to be "$2 per month, per stool." It was recently changed to read "per toilet."
• Because people were using them for cheap furniture, it's now illegal in North Carolina to take and sell labeled milk crates.
• Chapel Hill: It is a misdemeanor to urinate or defecate publicly.
• Charlotte: Women must have their bodies covered by at least 16 yards of cloth at all times.
  
• Elephants may not be used to plow cotton fields.
• Fights between cats and dogs are prohibited.
• Forest City: You must stop and call City Hall before entering town in an automobile. This is so the townspeople will have time to go out and hold their horses until you get through town.
• Greensboro: Restaurants "with on sidewalk dining" must post their menu so that it is clearly readable from the sidewalk, but is not readable from the street.
• Hornytown: Massage parlors have been banned.
• In Asheville, North Carolina, it is illegal to sneeze on city streets.
• In Raleigh, North Carolina, before a man asks for a woman's hand in marriage, he must be "inspected by all the barnyard animals on the young woman's family's property, to ensure a harmonious farm life."
• If a man and a woman who aren't married go to a hotel/motel and register themselves as married then, according to state law, they are legally married.
• If you happen to own a marl bed in North Carolina, the law demands that you put a fence around it. A marl bed may not be what you think. It is a kind of rock quarry.
• In Forest City, N.C., it's illegal to bring a pea-shooter to a parade. It's also illegal to shoot paper clips with rubber bands.
• In Mooresville, N.C., it's illegal to attach anything to a pool table.
• In Nags Headm North Carolina you can be fined for singing out of tune for more than ninety seconds.
• In Rockwell, N.C., anyone who violates the terms of a proclamation--such as failing to appropriately celebrate Peanut Day or Jaycees Week--is guilty of a misdemeanor.
• North Carolina just passed a law saying a political action committee, or PAC, has to have a name that describes the group's cause or purpose. The idea is to prohibit, say, the highway or tobacco lobbies from calling themselves "Citizens for Good Government."
• In North Carolina it's illegal to dig ginseng on other people's property between the months of April and September, according to an 1866 law.
• In North Carolina it's illegal to sell cotton lint at night.
  
• In North Carolina it is illegal to make love on the floor of a hotel room between two double beds.
• In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, it is against the law for children under seven years of age to go to college.
• It is against the law to roller blade on a state highway.
• It is illegal to have sex in a churchyard.
• It's against the law to sing off key.
• It's unlawful to attract a crowd in Forest City, N.C., except when aching the Gospel, politicking or "serenading on occasion of public rejoicing."
• Kill Devil Hills: You may not ride a bicycle without having both your hands on the handle bars.
• Making love in the space between the beds is strictly forbidden.
• North Carolina forbids sex outside of marriage, or "fornication," but the girlfriend as well as the man would have to be prosecuted.
• Oral sex is considered a crime against nature.
• Punching an official at a youth sports program in Nashville, N.C., incurs a three-year suspension from the program for adult spectators as well as participants.
• Rocky Mount: It is required that you must pay a property tax on your dog.
• Southern Shores: It is against the law to roller-blade on a state highway.
• Thomasville, North Carolina, prohibits airplanes from flying over the town on Sundays during the hours between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• The good people of Tryon, N.C., are serious about getting a good night's sleep. It's against the law for anyone to keep "fowl that shall cackle," or for anyone to play the piccolo between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7:30 a.m.
• While having sex, you must stay in the missionary position and have the shades pulled.
• You can't sneeze on the streets of Asheville, North Carolina.
• You may not ride a bicycle without having both your hands on the handle bars.
  
• There is to be no roller-blading during daylight hours, on the roads, or on the bricks.
  

North Dakota

• Beer and pretzels can't be served at the same time in any bar or restaurant.
• Fargo: One may be jailed for wearing a hat while dancing, or even for wearing a hat to a function where dancing is taking place.
• In Collierville: Keeping clean can be a chilly proposition, as a law there says all bathtubs must be kept in the backyard.
• In North Dakota, charitable groups can hold stud poker games to raise money, but only twice a year
• In North Dakota it is illegal to keep an elk in a sandbox in your backyard.
• In Waverly you better not let your horse near the tub, since horses are prohibited from sleeping in them, as well as in the house.
• It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on.
• It is legal to shoot an Indian on horseback, provided you are in a covered wagon.

Ohio

• According to Ohio law, it's against the law to kill a housefly within 160 feet of a church without a license.
• A policeman may bite a dog to quiet him. However, the reverse is not true, even if it's a police dog.
• Bay Village: It is illegal to walk a cow down Lake Road.
• Bexley: The installation and usage of slot machines in outhouses is prohibited.
• Breast feeding is not allowed in public.
• Cars are not allowed to scare horses in Centerville, Ohio.
• Cincinnati: Anal intercourse is banned.
• Cleveland: It's illegal to catch mice without a hunting license!
• Cleveland law forbids you to operate a motor vehicle while sitting in another person's lap.
• In Cleveland, Ohio, women are forbidden from wearing patent leather shoes, lest men see reflections of their underwear.
• Clinton County: Any person who leans against a public building will be subject to fines.
• In Chillicothe, Ohio it is illegal to throw rice at weddings.
• Columbus: It is illegal for stores to sell corn flakes on Sunday.
• Fairview Park: It's against the law to honk your horn "excessively". A grandmother was fined for honking her horn twice at her neighbor. Items left on a tree lawn become city property. A young man was fined for removing an item from a tree lawn even though he had the owner's permission.
• Funeral jargon seems to have crept into the wording of a cemetery fee regulation in Norton, Ohio. There regular plots are $33, but "creamies" are $75.
• In Marysville, Ohio it is illegal for a dog to urinate on a parking meter.
• In the hippy-dippy late '60s, Youngstown, Ohio, briefly had a law making it illegal to walk barefoot through town.
• In ohio it is illegal to ride on the roof of a taxi cab.
• In ohio it is illegal to run out of gas.
• In Ohio women are forbidden from wearing patent leather shoes, lest men see reflections of their underwear.
• In Ohio, if you ignore an orator on Decoration day to such an extent as to publicly play croquet or pitch horseshoes within one mile of the speaker's stand, you can be fined $25.00.
• In Oxford, Ohio, it's illegal for a woman to strip off her clothing while standing in front of a man's picture.
• In Oxford, Ohio, it is unlawful for a woman to appear in public while unshaven. This includes legs and face.
• In Xenia, Ohio, it's illegal to spit in a salad bar
• Ironton: Cross-dressing is against the law.
• It is against the law to roller skate without notifying the police.
• It is illegal for more than five women to live in a house.
• It is illegal to fish for whales on Sunday.
• It is illegal to get a fish drunk.
• It is illegal to mistreat anything of great importance.
• It is legal to throw a snake at someone but it is illegal to shake a snake at someone.
• Items left on a tree lawn become city property. A young man was fined for removing an item from a tree lawn even though he had the owner's permission.
• It's illegal to catch mice without a hunting license.
• Lima: Any map that does not have Lima clearly stated on the map cannot be sold.
• Lowell: It is unlawful to run a horse over five miles per hour.
• Marion: You cannot eat a doughnut and walk backwards on a city street.
• McDonald: Your goose may not paraded down Main Street.
• No one may be arrested on Sunday or on the Fourth of July.
• Owners of tigers must notify authorities within one hour if the tiger escapes.
• Oxford: It's illegal for a woman to strip off her clothing while standing in front of a man's picture.
• Participating or conducting a duel is prohibited.
• Paulding: A policeman may bite a dog to quiet him.
• Riding on the roof of a taxi cab is not allowed.
• The Ohio driver's education manual states that you must honk the horn whenever you pass another car.
• Toledo: Throwing a snake at anyone is illegal.
• You may not run out of gas.

Oklahoma

• Alfalfa Bill Murray was a legendary legislator in Oklahoma around the turn of the century who became speaker of the house and governor. He was also a tall fellow, and nothing ticked him off more than going into a hotel and having short sheets on the bed. In 1908 he had a law passed that required all hotels in the Sooner state to have sheets that covered the bed and had three extra feet of linen to cover the head and feet. The so-called "Nine Foot Sheet" stayed on the books for several decades, until after Alfalfa went to his last resting place.
• Ada: If you wear New York Jets clothing, you may be put in jail.
• Anyone arrested for soliciting a hooker must have their name and picture shown on television.
• Cars must be tethered outside of public buildings.
• Clinton, Oklahoma has a law against masturbating while watching two people having sex in a car.
• Clinton: Molesting an automobile is illegal.
• Dogs must have a permit signed by the mayor in order to congregate in groups of three or more on private property.
• Females are forbidden from doing their own hair without being licensed by the state.
• Fish may not be contained in fishbowls while on a public bus.
• Harthahorne City Ordinance, Section 363, states that it shall be unlawful to put any hypnotized person in a display window.
• In Broken Arrow, Oklahoma pigs less than 32 inches in length may be kept as pets provided there are no more than two in a house.
• In Bromide, Oklahoma it is illegal for children to use towels as capes and jump from houses pretending to be superman.
• Oklahoma will not tolerate anyone taking a bite out of another's hamburger.
• In Oklahoma, people who make "ugly faces" at dogs may be fined and/or jailed.
• In Tulsa, Oklahoma the limit on kisses is three minutes.
• It is against the law to read a comic book while operating a motor vehicle.
• It is illegal to have sex before you are married.
• It is illegal to have the hind legs of farm animals in your boots.
• It is illegal to wear your boots to bed.
• It's statutory rape for a man over 18 to have sex with a female under the age of 18, provided she's a virgin. If she's not a virgin, it is okay, but the said person must be over 16. If both parties are under 18, then the law does not apply.
• No one may spit on a sidewalk.
• One may not promote a "horse tripping event".
• Oral sex is a misdemeanor and is punisable by one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
• Residents are taxed for the furniture in their homes, and any other personal belongings.
• Schulter: Women may not gamble in the nude, in lingerie, or while wearing a towel.
• Tattoos are banned.
• Whale hunting is strictly prohibitted throughout the entire state of Oklahoma.
• Wynona: One's mode of transportation must be tied up while not attended. Mules may not drink out of bird baths. Clothes may not be washed in bird baths.
• Yukon: It is illegal to tie a horse in front of city hall. While passing another vehicle, you must honk your horn.

Oregon

• Beaverton: You must buy a $10 permit to be allowed to install a burglar alarm.
• Canned corn is not to be used as bait for fishing.
• Dishes must drip dry.
• Eugene: It is illegal to show movies or attend a car race on Sundays. It is legal to conduct a horse race or a symphony concert.
• Hood River: Juggling is strictly prohibited without a license.
• In Oregon anyone with a bad reputation is prohibited from distributing malt beverages.
• In Salem, Oregon, it's illegal for patrons of establishments that feature nude dancing to be within two feet of the dancers.
• In Willowdale, Oregon, no man may curse while having sex with his wife.
• It is against the law for animals to have sex in the city limits.
• It is illegal to buy or sell marijuana, but it is legal to smoke it on your own property.
• It is illegal to whisper "dirty" things in your lover's ear during sex.
• It's against the law for a wedding ceremony to be performed at a skating rink.
• There is a law in Portland, Oregon saying that it is illegal to own bolt cutters but yet they sell them in all the local hardware stores. One person got pulled over for carrying a bolt cutter down the street and the police took it away from him saying it was illegal for him to have.
  
• Klamath Falls: It's illegal to walk down a sidewalk and knock a snakes head off with your cane.
• Marion: Ministers are forbidden from eating garlic or onions before delivering a sermon.
• Ministers are forbidden from eating garlic or onions before delivering a sermon.
• Myrtle Creek: One may not box with a kangaroo.
• No more than two people may share a single drink.
• One may not bathe without wearing "suitable clothing," i.e., that which covers one's body from neck to knee.
• People may not whistle underwater.
• You cannot wear roller skates in restrooms.
• Salem: Women may not wrestle in Salem. Springfield It is illegal to own a reptile within the city limits, unless you are a school or city, as a pet.
• The "Peer Review Statute" prohibits you from finding out details of any written or oral discussion about your medical treatment. Not even a court of law can. All you can access is what the doctor or nurse voluntarily records in your chart.
• You may not pump your own gas in service stations.

Pennsylvania

• A person is not eligible to become Governor if he/she has participated in a duel.
• A special cleaning ordinance bans homemakers from hiding dirt and dust under a rug in a dwelling.
• All fire hydrants must be checked one hour before all fires.
• Allentown: There is a ban on men becoming aroused in public.
• Any motorist driving along a country road at night must stop every mile and send up a rocket signal, wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, and continue.
• Any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, and let the horses pass. If the horses appear skittish, the motorist must take his car apart, piece by piece, and hide it under the nearest bushes.
• By law, "watch stuffers" are unwelcome in McKeesport, Pa. Now, no one is quite sure what a watch stuffer does, but whatever he does, he better do it somewhere else.
• Carlisle: In the middle of town, one must pay a fee of $50 dollars a year to park on a particular block. At night, however, the cars must be moved for street cleaning. This law is enforced even if snow or ice prevents the cars from being moved.
• Connellsville: One's pants may be worn no lower than five inches below the waist.
• Dynamite is not to be used to catch fish.
• Fireworks stores may not sell fireworks to Pennsylvania residents.
• In Bensalem, Pennsylvania it is illegal to race mufflerless go-karts after 6PM on Sunday.
• In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania it is illegal to have sex with a truck driver inside a toll booth.
• In Hazelton, Pennsylvania, there is a law on the books that prohibits a person from sipping a carbonated drink while lecturing students in a school auditorium.
• In Philadelphia, you can't put pretzels in bags.
• In the Mount Pocono region any group of 5 or more Native Americans are to be considered a raiding party and may be killed on the spot.
• In York, Pennsylvania, you can't sit down while watering your lawn with a hose.
• It sounds like the title of a rock album or something, but "Coasting on Beaver Street" is illegal in Edgeworth, Pa.
• It is contrary to Pennsylvania law to discharge a gun, cannon, revolver or other explosive weapon at a wedding.
• It is illegal to have over 16 women live in a house together because that constitutes a brothel. However up to 120 men can live together, without breaking the law.
• Millville: One may not shoot any dog that is found wandering the streets. The sale of alcohol is prohibited.
• Ministers are forbidden from performing marriages when either the bride or groom is drunk.
• Morrisville: It is required that a woman have a permit to wear cosmetics.
• Newtown: Every outlet or switch (which can be purchased for 59 cents) that is installed requires an electrical inspection fee of 1 dollar and 33 cents.
• No man may purchase alcohol without written consent from his wife.
• No more than two packages of beer at a time may be purchased, unless you are buying from an official "beer distributor"
• No one is allowed to sleep on a refrigerator. Stoves, dishwashers and microwave ovens are not specifically mentioned.
• Pittsburgh: It is still illegal to bring a donkey or a mule onto a trolley car.
  
• Tarentum: Horses are not to be tied to parking meters.
• The state law of Pennsylvania prohibits singing in the bathtub.
• Though you do not need a fishing license to fish on your own land, a hunting license is required to hunt on your own land.
• Witchcraft was first legalized in the colony of Pennsylvania.
• You may not catch a fish by any body part except the mouth.
• You may not catch a fish with your hands.
• You may not sing in the bathtub.

Rhode Island

• Any marriage where either of the parties is an idiot or lunatic is null and void.
• Exercising any labor, business, or work, or using any game, sport, play, or recreation, or causing any of the above to be done to or by your children, servants, or apprentices on the first day of the week (Sunday) results in a penalty of $5 for the first offense and $10 for the second.
• In Providence, Rhode Island it is illegal to sell toothpaste and a toothbrush to the same customer on a Sunday.
• In Scituate, Rhode Island it is illegal to keep a flock of chickens in your motorhome if you live in a trailer park.
• Impersonating a town sealer, auctioneer, corder of wood, or a fence-viewer is against the law. Penalty: $20 to $100 fine.
• It is considered an offense to throw pickle juice on a trolley.
• It is illegal to challenge someone to a duel, or accept a duel, even it it is never actually fought. Penalty: Imprisonment for one to seven years.
• It is illegal to coast downhill in your car with your transmission in neutral, or with the clutch disengaged.
• It is illegal to place a windmill within twenty-five (25) rods of any traveled street or road.
• It's a misdemeanor to keep more than 11 inoperable vehicles in front of a house.
• Professional sports, except ice polo and hockey, must obtain a license to play games on Sunday.
• It is illegal to wear transparent clothing.
  
• Riding a horse over any public highway for the purpose of racing, or testing the speed of the horse is illegal. Penalty: Maximum $20 fine and imprisonment for 10 days.
• This state still prohibits unmarried people from having sex under any circumstances. However, if caught, the lovers are both fined only 10 dollars
• West Warwick It is illegal to use water on even-numbered days for the sole purpose of watering plants, gardens, or lawns. If you break this law there is a fine of $25-$100.

South Carolina

• A railroad my not remove itself from a town of more than five hundred people.
• All schools must prepare a suitable program for Francis Willard Day.
• By law, if a man promises to marry an unmarried woman, the marriage must take place.
• Charleston: It is against the law to drive a motorized vehicle on King Street.
  
• The Fire Department may blow up your house. This law was made so that the fire department could create a fire brake.
• Dance halls may not operate on Sundays.
• Every adult male must bring a rifle to church on Sunday in order to ward off Indian attacks.
• Fortune tellers are required to obtain a special permit from the state.
• Fountain Inn: Horses are to wear pants at all times.
• In South Carolina, wife beaters weren't allowed to hold public office.
• In South Carolina you can be fined for not denouncing "the evils of intemperance" on the fourth Friday of every October.
• It is a capital offense to inadvertently kill someone while attempting suicide.
• It is considered an offense to get a tattoo.
• It is illegal to communicate with a woman using obscene messages.
• It is illegal to display a confederate flag on a courthouse.
• It is illegal to give or receive oral sex.
• It is illegal to sell any alcoholic beverages on Sunday, unless you own a private club.
• It is legal to beat your wife on a Sunday morning on the steps of the state house.
• Lancaster County: It is illegal to dance in public.
• Merchandise may not be sold within a half mile of a church unless fruit is being sold.
• Musical instruments may not be sold on Sunday.
• No work may be done on Sunday. An exception is that light bulbs may be sold.
• On Hilton Head Island, South Carolina it is illegal to shine a flashlight on a sea turtle
• Performing a U-turn within 1,000 feet of an intersection is illegal.
• Railroad companies may be held liable in some instances for scaring horses.
• Spartanburg: Eating watermelons in the Magnolia Street cemetery is forbidden.
• When approaching a four way or blind intersection in a non-horse driven vehicle you must stop 100 ft from the intersection and discharge a firearm into the air to warn horse traffic.

South Dakota

• In hotels in Sioux Falls, every room is required to have twin beds. And the beds must always be a minimum of two feet apart when a couple rents a room for only one night. And it's illegal to make love on the floor between the beds!
• In South Dakota it is illegal to try to convince a pacifist to renounce his beliefs by threatening to arm-wrestle him.
• It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep in a cheese factory.
• Movies that show police officers being struck, beaten, or treated in an offensive manner are forbidden.

Tennessee

• "Crimes against nature" are prohibited.
• Any person crippling, killing or in any way destroying a proud bitch that is running at large shall not be held liable for the damages due to such killing or destruction.
• Driving is not to be done while asleep.
• Dyersburg: It is illegal for a woman to call a man for a date.
• Fayette County: You may not have more than five inoperable vehicles on a piece of property.
• Hollow logs may not be sold.
• In Jonesboro, Tenn., a slingshot used to be classified by law as a deadly weapon.
• In Memphis, it is illegal for a woman to drive a car unless there is a man either running or walking in front of it, waving a red flag to warn approaching motorists and pedestrians.
• In Tennessee it is illegal to use a lasso to catch fish.
• It is illegal to use a lasso to catch a fish.
• It is legal to gather and consume road kill
• It's illegal for frogs to croak after 11 PM.
• Knoxville: In front of their buildings, all businesses must have a "hitching post."
• Lexington: No one may eat ice cream on the sidewalk. Spitting on the sidewalk is prohibited.
• Memphis: It's illegal for frogs to croak after 11 PM. Panhandlers must first obtain a $10 permit before begging on the streets of downtown Memphis. It is illegal to give any pie to fellow diners. It is also illegal to take unfinished pie home. All pie must be eaten on the premises.
• More than 8 women may not live in the same house because that would constitute a brothel.
• Nashville: Males may not be sexually aroused in public.
• Stealing a horse is punishable by hanging.
• You can't shoot any game other than whales from a moving automobile.
  
• Oneida: An ordinance forbids anyone to sing the song "It Ain't Goin' To Rain No Mo'."

Texas

• A city ordinance states that a person cannot go barefoot without first obtaining a special five-dollar permit.
• A recently passed anticrime law requires criminals to give their victims 24 hours notice, either orally or in writing, and to explain the nature of the crime to be committed.
• Abilene: It is illegal to idle or loiter anyplace within the corporate limits of the city for the purpose of flirting or mashing.
• Austin: Wire cutters can not be carried in your pocket.
• Beaumont: Collegiate football is banned at Lamar University.
• Borger: It is against the law to throw confetti, rubber balls, feather dusters, whips or quirts (riding crop), and explosive firecrackers of any kind.
• Clarendon: It is illegal to dust any public building with a feather duster.
• Dallas: It's illegal to possess realistic dildos.
• El Paso: Churches, hotels, halls of assembly, stores, markets, banking rooms, railroad depots, and saloons are required to provide spittoons "of a kind and number to efficiently contain expectorations into them."
• Galveston: It is illegal to drive a motor car down Broadway before noon on Sundays.
• Houston: Beer may not be purchased after midnight on a Sunday, but it may be purchased on Monday. It is illegal to sell Limburger cheese on Sunday.
• If you went to church in Texas years back, you'd better be recognized. An old law made it illegal to go to church in disguise.
• In Alamo a person found intoxicated must be given a large dose of castor oil by a local doctor...and failure to gulp it down will result in a fine.
• In Corpus Christie it is illegal to raise alligators in your home.
• In Dallas County it is illegal to own any realistic looking, phallic shaped, personal massager more than one foot in length.
• In Houston you cannot buy beer after midnight on Sunday, but you can buy it on Monday.
• In Kingsville, there is a law against two pigs having sex on the city's airport property.
• In Lefors, Texas it is illegal to take more than three swallows of beer at any time while standing.
• In Mesquite, Texas it is illegal for kids to have unusual haircuts.
• It is illegal for one to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel.
• It is illegal to drive without windshield wipers. You don't need a windshield, but you must have the wipers.
• It is illegal to have an open container in a car.
• It is illegal to have anything protruding from your bumper unless it is attached with a chain
• It is illegal to milk another person's cow.
• It is illegal to urinate on the Alamo.
• It is legal for the blind to go hunting as long as they have someone with them who isn't blind.
• In Texas any artificial constructed underwater barrier reefs must come with an instruction booklet.
• In Texas, sixteen-year old divorced girls are prohibited from talking about sex during high school extracurricular activities.
• It is unlawful for a person to consume an alcoholic beverage while operating a motor vehicle upon a public roadway, if the person is observed doing so by a peace officer.
• Jasper: Dogs must be on a leash at ALL times. Fine of 100 dollars.
• Lubbock County: It is illegal to drive within an arm's length of alcohol - including alcohol in someone else's blood stream.
• Port Arthur: Obnoxious odors may not be emitted while in an elevator.
• Richardson: It is now illegal to place a "for sale" sign on a car if it visible from the street. It is illegal to do "U Turns".
• San Antonio: It is illegal for both sexes to flirt or respond to flirtation using the eyes and/or hands.
• Temple: No one may ride a horse and buggy through the town square. You can ride your horse in the saloon. Cattle thieves may be hanged on the spot.
• Texarkana: Owners of horses may not ride them at night without tail lights.
• Texas law forbids anyone to have a pair of pliers in his possession.
• The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.
• There is an old law in Texas that states you are unable to tuck your pants into one boot unless you own ten or more cattle.
• You can be legally married by publicly introducing a person as your husband or wife 3 times.

Utah

• A husband is responsible for every criminal act committed by his wife while she is in his presence.
• A Utah legislator proposed a resolution urging that each TV weather person be required to provide an ice cream cone to every member of the state House of Representatives whenever the forecast was wrong. The resolution failed, perhaps on First Amendment grounds.
• In addition to normal charges, the woman's name will be published in the local newspaper.The man does not receive any punishment.
• Birds have the right of way on all highways.
• In Monroe, daylight must be visible between partners on a dance floor.
• It is against the law to fish from horseback.
• It is considered an offense to hunt whales.
• It is illegal not to drink milk.
• Kaysville: You must have identification to enter a convenience store after dark.
• Logan: Women may not swear.
• No one may have sex in the back of an ambulance if it is responding to an emergency call.
• No woman may have sex with a man while riding in an ambulance within the boundaries of Tremonton, Utah. If caught, the woman can be charged with a sexual misdemeanor and "her name is to be published in the local newspaper." The man isn't charged nor is his name revealed.
• Salt Lake City: No one may walk down the street carrying a paper bag containing a violin.
• The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BAFT) bans the word "refreshing" to describe any alcohol beverage.
• Throwing snowballs will result in a $50 fine.
• Trout Creek: Pharmacists may not sell gunpowder to cure headaches.

Vermont

• At one time it was illegal to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole.
• Barre All residents shall bathe every Saturday night.
• Call a Vermont court a "kangaroo court" or some similar moniker, and you might be looking at a $200 fine. It is illegal to defame a court.
• In Vermont it is illegal to paint landscapes in times of war.
• In Vermont, women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.
• It is illegal to deny the existence of God.
• It's against the law in Vermont for vagrants to procure food by force. Apparently if you have a good job and stable home life, it's O.K. to procure food by force.

Virginia

• An old Virginia law was titled, "An Act to Prevent Corrupt Practices or Bribery by Any Person Other Than a Candidate."
• As in many towns, you need a permit to run a barbershop in Christiansburg, Va. But the wording of the town's law indicates that the permit will be revoked if you're caught operating without a permit.
• A Virginia law requires all bathtubs to be kept out in the yards, not inside the houses.
• Children are not to go trick-or-treating on Halloween.
• Citizens must honk their horn while passing other cars.
• Culpeper: No one may wash a mule on the sidewalk.
• Driving while not wearing shoes is prohibited.
• If one is not married, it is illegal for him to have sexual relations.
• If you are intoxicated but not driving your car, but the person who is driving your car is intoxicated, both you and the driver can be charged with DUI in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
• In Christiansburg, Va., it's illegal to imitate a police whistle.
• In Christiansburg, Va., it's illegal to "spit, expectorate or deposit any sputum, saliva or any form of saliva or sputum."
• In Newport it's against the law to tickle a girl under her chin with a feather duster in order to get her attention.
• In Norfolk a woman can't go out without wearing a corset.
• In Radford, VA you are not allowed to spit, loogie, puke or urinate on the streets.
• In Richmond, Va., you must buy a license for 93 cents to sell song books on the street.
• In Richmond, Virginia it is illegal to flip a coin in any eating establishment to determine who buys a cup of coffee.
• It is illegal to tickle women.
• Lebanon: It is illegal to kick your wife out of bed.
• Norfolk: Spitting on a sea gull is not tolerated. A man may face 60 days in jail for patting a woman's derriere. Women must wear a corset after sundown and be in the company of male chaperone.
• Not only is it illegal to have sex with the lights on, one may not have sex in any position other than missionary.
• Perhaps anticipating telemarketing, the town fathers of Albany, Va., have for years prohibited peddlers from using the telephone to either sell things or raise funds.
• Police radar detectors are illegal.
• Richmond: It is illegal to flip a coin in a restaurant to see who pays for a coffee.
• Swearing at someone over the phone in virginia is punishable by a $100 fine.
• There is a state law prohibiting "corrupt practices of bribery by any person other than candidates."
• There was once a law in Salem Virginia that made it illegal to leave home without knowing where you were going.
• Victoria: It is illegal to skate down the sidewalk of Main Street.
• Virginia Beach: It is illegal for a person to ride on the handlebars of a bike. It is illegal to use profanity on Atlantic Avenue or the boardwalk. It is also unlawful to drive by the same place within 30 minutes on Atlantic Avenue.
• You cannot buy hardware of any kind on Sunday.
• You cannot sell lettuce on Sunday, but you can sell beer, wine etc.
• You may not work on Sunday.

Washington

• "It shall be unlawful for a candidate for office or for nomination thereto whose name appears upon the ballot at any election to give to or purchase for another person, not a member of his or her family, any liquor in or upon any premises licensed by the state for the sale of any such liquor by the drink during the hours that the polls are open on the day of such election."
• A law to reduce crime states: "It is mandatory for a motorist with criminal intentions to stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police as he is entering the town."
• All lollipops are banned.
• All motor vehicles must be preceded by a man carrying a red flag (daytime) or a red lantern (nighttime) fifty feet in front of said vehicle.
• An old Washington law sent duelists to jail for ten years, assuming they didn't lose the duel.
• A proposed Washington law protects sports referees from civil suit unless their actions were "willful, wanton, reckless, malicious or grossly negligent."
• Auburn: Men who deflower virgins, regardless of age or marital status, may face up to five years in jail.
• A Washington state law offers the presumption that youngsters will read comic books.
• Bremerton: You may not shuck peanuts on the street.
• Everett: It is illegal to display a hypnotized or allegedly hypnotized person in a store window. If the honey you are eating in Seattle is a blend of honey from or more types of flowers, it's illegal for the honey to be labeled as having come from one type of flower.
• In Electric City, WA, it is illegal to "keep, or permit to remain, in any location . . . anything whatsoever in which flies or rats may breed or multiply."
• In Olympia, Wash., minors are prohibited from frequenting pool halls.
• In Seattle, Washington, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon that is over six feet in length.
• In Spokane, Wash., it used to be illegal to interrupt a religious meeting by having a horse race.
• In the state of Washington it's illegal to catch a fish by throwing a rock at it.
• In Washington state it's illegal for a candidate to buy anyone a drink on Election Day.
• In Washington state it's illegal to sleep in an outhouse without the owner's permission.
• In Washington state it's illegal to sell to minors comics that might incite them to violence or depraved or immoral acts.
• In Washington it's illegal to pretend you're the child of a rich person and entitled to his estate.
• In Washington, anyone under the age of 18 must have parental permission to throw a tear gas canister.
• In Washington state, until quite recently, you could have been fined up to $500 for removing or defacing the label on a pillow.
• It is illegal to paint polka dots on the American flag.
• It's illegal in Wilbur, Washington, to ride an ugly horse.
• Lynden: Dancing and drinking may not occur at the same establishment.
• Seattle: Women who sit on men's laps on buses or trains without placing a pillow between them face an automatic six-month jail term. No one may set fire to another person's property without prior permission. It is illegal to carry a fishbowl or aquarium onto a bus because the sound of the water sloshing may disturb other passengers.
• The state of Washington doesn't allow marathon dancing--or marathon skipping, sliding, gliding, rolling or crawling.
• Under the law of the state of Washington, any restroom with pay toilets has to have an equal number of free toilets. This law came to pass after the speaker of the state House of Representatives raced to an all-pay facility without a dime.
• Waldron Island: No structure shall contain more than two toilets that use potable water for flushing.
• Washington state doesn't allow fake wrestling.
• You are not allowed to breast feed in public.
• You need a license to sell condoms in Washington state.

West Virginia

• According to the state constitution, it is unlawful for anyone to own a red or a black flag.
• Alderson: One may not walk a lion, tiger or leopard, even on a leash.
• A person may not hold public office if they have ever taken part in a duel. A person may be jailed for up to six months for making fun of someone who does not accept a challenge.
• Doctors and dentists may not place a woman under anesthesia unless a third person is present.
• Huntington: Firemen may not whistle or flirt at any woman passing a firehouse.
  
• If you wear a hat inside a theater, you may be fined.
• In Nicholas County, W. Va., no member of the clergy is allowed to tell jokes or humerous stories from the pulpit during a church service.
• In West Virginia it is illegal to dig for ginseng on your neighbor's lawn without their permission.
• In West Virginia, it is legal for one to take roadkill home for dinner
• It is against the law for men to have sex with any animal over 40 pounds in weight.
• It is illegal to snooze on a train.
• It is illegal to spit on any sidewalk which women may walk down.
• Nicholas County: No member of the clergy is allowed to tell jokes or humorous stories from the pulpit during a church service.
• No children may attend school with their breath smelling of "wild onions."
• When a railroad passes within 1 mile of a community of 100 or more people in it, they must build a station and stop there regularly to pick up and drop off passengers.

Wisconsin

• As people used to smuggle it in from Illinois, all yellow butter substitute is banned.
• At one time, margarine was illegal.
• A Wisconsin legislator recently introduced a bill making it illegal to tattoo someone under the age of 18. He was quoted as saying, "I'm going to save the buttocks of a few juveniles."
• Butter substitutes are not allowed to be served in state prisons.
• Cheese making requires a cheese maker's license; Limburger cheese making requires a master cheese maker's license.
• Citizens may not murder their enemies.
• Condoms were considered an obscene article and had to hidden behind the pharmacist's counter.
• In Connorsville, Wisconsin no man shall shoot off a gun while his female partner is having a sexual orgasm.
• In St. Croix, women are not allowed to wear anything red in public.
• In Wisconsin you are allowed to marry your house.
• It is illegal to cut a woman's hair.
• It is illegal to display an unclothed mannequin in a store window.
• It is illegal to kiss on a train.
• It is illegal to wake a fireman when he is asleep.
• Kenosha: No male is allowed to be in a state of arousal in public.
• La Crosse: It is illegal to play checkers in public. You cannot "worry a squirrel."
• Milwaukee: An old ordinance forbids parking for over two hours unless a horse is tied to the car. It is against the law to play a flute and drums on the streets to attract attention. If one is thought of as offensive looking, it is illegal for him to be in public during the day. It is illegal to purchase or use Sparklers in the city, yet you can buy fully disassembled automatic machine guns.
• Next time you start a riot in Wisconsin remember that it i illegal to use a laser pointer to do so.
• Racine: Women may not walk down a public street at night without being accompanied by a man.
• State Law made it illegal to serve apple pie in public restaurants without cheese.
• Wisconsin law provides for a fine of $2 to $20 for anyone under age 17 caught jumping onto a railroad car while the train is in motion.
• You must manually flush all urinals in a building.

Wyoming

• An ordinance in Newcastle specifically bans couples from having sex while standing inside a store's walk-in meat freezer!
• Cheyenne Citizens may not take showers on Wednesdays.
• In Wyoming it is illegal to tattoo a horse with the intent of making it unrecognizable to its owner.
• It is illegal for women to stand within five feet of a bar while drinking.
• It is illegal to wear a hat that obstructs people's view in a public theater or place of amusement.
• Wyoming required that every inmate of the state's training school for girls be issued crinoline bloomers.
• You may not take a picture of a rabbit during the month of June.

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it. For the end a little disclaimer: although most of these laws are true, or were true in the past, there are some that were intentionally taken out of context for entertainment purpose.
And remember, always obey the law no matter how crazy it is.

Sköpun, þróun eða hvort tveggja?

Fyrir stuttu skrifaði ég greinarstúf um hættuna sem ég tel að stafi af bókstafstrú og öfgafullum birtingarmyndum hennar í samfélaginu. Við greinina voru gerðar vel yfir 300 athugasemdir og tóku þær fljótt á sig svip þess karps sem við þekkjum svo vel af bloggsíðum sem gerðar eru út á það eitt, að því er virðist, að færa sönnur á að sköpunarsaga Biblíunnar standist vísindalega skoðun.

Ég dró mig fljótlega til hlés í þeirri umræðu og svaraði m.a. ekki a.m.k. tveimur fyrirspurnum sem beint var til mín um afstöðu mína til þróunarkenningarinnar út frá persónulegum trúarlegum skoðunum mínum.

Um sama leiti skrifaði ágætur bloggari Kristinn Theódórsson góða gein sem hann nefnir Sköpunarverk Guðs og þar í athugasemd geri ég einmitt grein fyrir því sem um var spurt í umræðunum á minni síðu.

Um leið og ég vil vekja athygli á grein Kristins endurbirti ég hér athugasemd mína við hana sem mér finnst alveg geta staðið sem grein út af fyrir sig. Ég feta þannig í fótspor Arnars Pálssonar sem einnig gerði athugasemd við grein Kristins og birti hana síðan sem sér bloggfærslu sem hann nefnir Dýr skynja dauðan.

Athugasemd mín er svar við spurningu Kristins; "Ertu þú, Svanur, sannfærður um að gögnin bendi til þess að samviskan, kærleikurinn, "sálin" og fleira séu frá einhverju vitrænu afli komin, en geti ekki verið lífræn afleiðing greindar?"

Sem betur fer hefur mannkyninu fleygt áfram í vísindalegi þekkingu og jafnvel þótt erfðafræðin sé enn ung erum við að byrja að fá svör við ýmislegu sem okkur var áður hulin ráðgáta.

Hvaða ályktanir er hægt að draga af þeirri staðreynd að maðurinn hefur eitt síðustu 50.000 árum (og kannski miklu lengur) í að koma sér upp hegðunarmunstri, lagabálkum og öðrum þáttum siðmenningar sem beinast að stórum hluta að því að stjórna og jafnvel bæla niður hvatir sem eru honum erfðafræðilega eiginlegar?

Tökum sem dæmi kynhvöt mannsins. Um daginn kom frétt um það (hún olli talverðu umtali hér á blogginu og var um margt misskilin) að karlmönnum væri eðlilegt samkvæmt erfðafræðinni að breiða gen sín út sem víðast. Þess vegna væri eðlileg svörun við þessu að konur drægjust að þeim karlmönnum (hinum ótryggu) vegna þess að afkomu-gen þeirra væru virkari. Einkvæni stangast sem sagt á við þessar lífrænu hvatir. - Hvaða vitleysis hugmyndir eru þá í gangi um einkvæni og hjónabönd? -

Þróun hugmynda manna um eignarrétt er annað dæmi. Hverskonar lífríki gerir ráð fyrir því að tegundinni sé best borgið með því að 2% af heildinni ráði yfir og eigi 95% af lífsviðurværi hennar? NB að við erum ekki maurar eða býflugur þar sem líffræðilegar forsendur forsjár af þessu tagi eru augljósar. Hvaða óyndisaukalimur þróunarinnar getur orsakað þessa hegðun?

Allt sem ég hef lesið um trúarbrögð og mankynssögu í bland við það litla sem ég þekki til vísinda leggst á eitt með að álykta að maðurinn sé tvíeðla. Hann er dýr og í honum býr dýrseðlið og hann er vitsmunavera sem gerir dýrseðli hans hræðilegt láti hann undan því og hann er vitsmunavera af því hann er meira en afurð lífrænnar þróunar. Þessi sérstaka lífræna þróun hans, þurfti að vera all-sérstæð eins og Óskar kemur inn á, (munurinn á okkur og dýrunum (við erum líka dýr) er þumallinn.. án hans hefðum við enn verið að flýja hýenur í afríku upp í tré ;) til þess að andlegir kraftar hans gætu komið í ljós. Þumallinn hjálpar okkur að ná gripi á áhöldum sem urðu til þess á undarverðum tíma að við sendum apa út í geiminn langt áður en við voguðum okkur sjálfir þangað.

Trú og trúarbrögð eru enn ein erfðafræðilega "mótsögnin". Tilraunir til að skýra fyrirbrigðið með eðlislægri hræðslu við líffræðilegan dauðann eða sem tilraun okkar til að gera áætlanir um framtíðina standast ekki.

Neanderdalsmaðurinn gerði sér altör í hellum sínum og gerði hinum dauðu grafir án þess að hafa ástæðu til að sýna neina fyrirhyggju um framtíð sína frekar en aðrar tegundir mannapa. Hann var veiðimaður og safnari. Samt átti hann greinilega sér átrúnað. Óttinn við dauðann er að mínu mati menningarlegt fyrirbæri. Líffræðilega verður líkaminn  með aldrinum stöðugt óhæfari til lífs og erfðafræðilega erum við eins og dýrin hvað það varðar að ef ekki væri fyrir menningarlega þætti, mundum við skríða afsíðis án nokkurrar hræðslu og deyja. Við deyjum meira að segja á hverjum degi án þess að hræðast meðvitundarleysið.

Meðvitundin um sjálf okkur, án tillits til greindar, er annað.

Stundum er sagt að einhver api hafi greind á við sjö ára barn. Samt mundum við aldrei líta svo á að lítil börn hafi ekki sjálfsmeðvitund eða að hún sé í réttu hlutfalli við greind þess. Heili mannsins virðist afar flókið tæki. Við vitum ekki einu sinni til hvers megnið af honum er. Hann getur t.d. skipt um svæði eða tekið í notkun fyrir skemmd svæði önnur heil, fyrir starfsemi sína. Þetta bendir til að hugurinn sé ekki háður heilanum að öllu leiti.

Hugurinn sem reyndar vinnur eftir því sem við best vitum aðeins í gegnum heilann, er svo sterkur að hann fær yfirstigið lögmál líffræðinnar. Með jákvæðu hugarfari styrkist ónæmiskerfið og veikist að sama skapi við depurð og neikvæðni. Það eru sem sagt hugmyndafræðilegar ástæður frekar en líffræðilegar, fyrir ákveðinni hegðun líkamans.  Frægt er dæmið um manninn sem lokaðist inn í frystigám í New York á sjöunda áratugnum og fraus í hel. Lík hans sýndi öll einkenni þess að hann hafði króknað úr kulda. Það sem vakti undrun lækna var að frystigámurinn var ekki í gangi og hitastigið inn í honum var um 11 stig.

Persónulega er ég því  sannfærður um að maðurinn sé sál (andleg vera og óefnisleg orkueining.Gott dæmi er eins og sólargeisli sem er frá sólinni en ekki hluti af henni lengur) í dýrslegum líkama. Grunnhvatir hennar birtast í manninum í þörfinni til að þekkja og elska. Þessar grunnþarfir kontrasta stöðugt við dýrseðli okkar og er nauðsynlega forsenda fyrir það sem við getum kallað þroska og sá sameiginlegi þroski er það sem við köllum siðmenningu.

Hvort tilvist sálar leiði endilega af sér tilvist Guðdóms er svo annað mál en ég er einnig sannfærður um að svo sé.

Tarzan

Alltaf klukkan þrú á sunnudögum var farið í bíó. Tvö bíóhús voru í bænum, Félagsbíó og Nýja Bíó sem yfirleitt var kallað Bjössabíó. Í Félagsbíó voru oftast sýndar "skrípó" eða teiknimyndir og þangað neyddist maður stundum til að fara, einkum ef maður var búinn að sjá myndina í hinu bíóinu oftar en 20 sinnum eða var skipað að draga eitt af yngri systkinunum með. Úff

Í Bjössabíó réðu Roy og Trigger, The Lone Ranger og Tonto, Jungle Jim og Tarzan,lögum og lofum. Ég var löngu orðin fullorðin þegar ég gerði mér grein fyrir því að Tarzan myndirnar og "Tarzan í fötum" (Jungle Jim) voru orðnar áratuga gamlar þegar ég sá þær fyrst. Tarzan í fötum var t.d. ekki í svart/hvítu, heldur brún/hvítu. Þess vegna var liturinn á hattinum hans og kakí fötunum nokkuð eðlilegur.

Þegar allt í einu nýr Tarzan birtist á tjaldinu (Lex Barker) í staðinn fyrir hinna eina sanna Tarzan Johnny Weissmuller brutust út miklar þrætur um hvort þetta væri raunverulega Tarzan eða einhver sem þóttist bara vera hann. Til dæmis var augljóst að þessi Lex gat ekki rekið upp hið eina og sanna Tarzan stríðsöskur, sem allir strákarnir voru búnir að eyða ótöldum stundum í að æfa. Það þurfti nefnilega sérstaka tækni til að láta barkakýlið dansa svona upp og niður, eins og Johnny gerði, til að fá út rétta hljóðið. Nokkrum árum seinna þegar við gengum í mútur,  urðum við afar undrandi að heyra það koma út sjálfkrafa þegar okkur var mikið niðri fyrir. 

Flestir voru á því að í næstu mynd mundi raunverulegi Tarzan koma og slá þennan Lex í rot og taka aftur sinn konunglega sess, meðal frumskógardýranna og villimannanna í strákofunum. Við vissum ekki að a.m.k. tveir aðrir leikar höfðu í millitíðinni spreytt sig á hlutverki Tarzans með dræmum árangri þó. Því síður var okkur kunnugt um að Johnny var sjöundi leikarinn sem tekið hafði að sér hlutverk konungs apanna í kvikmyndum frá Hollywood. 

Johnny Weissmullerer og verður hinn eini sanni Tarzan fyrir mér og að ég hygg öllum, í nokkrum árgöngum drengja fyrir bæði ofan og neðan mig í aldri. Fæstir okkar vissu, þegar við horfðum með poppkorns-fulla munna á Tarzan skutla sér út í fljótin í Afríku til að berjast við krókódíla,  að Johnny hafði verið einn fremsti sundkappi heimsins. Hann var fimmfaldur Ólympíumeistari, frá leikunum árin 1924 og 1928. Hann átti  52 landsmet í USA og setti hvorki meira né minna en 67 heimsmet á ferli sínum.

Johnny var fæddur í Austurríki eins Swarzenegger fylkisstjóri í Kaliforníu og Tortímandi. Foreldrar Johnnys komu með drenginn til Bandaríkjanna þegar hann var nokkra mánaða gamall árið 1905.

Eftir frækilegan feril sem sundkappi, ferðaðist hann um Bandaríkin og hélt "sundsýningar" og kom fram í spjallþáttum í útvarpi. Honum  bauðst að koma til Hollywood 1929 til að leika grískan guð í kvikmyndinni Glorifying the American Girl. Johny tók hlutverkið og vakti mikla athygli því hann kom fram í myndinn með trjálauf eitt saman til að hylja nekt sína.

Fyrsta Tarzan myndin hans "Tarzan the Ape man" var gerð 1932. Þrátt fyrir að minningar mínar stangist á við það, lék Johnny aðeins í sex Tarzan myndum. En þegar hann var orðin of þungur til að koma fram á lendarskýlu einni saman, skelti hann sér bara í kakí-safarí-skyrtu og buxur, setti upp safari hatt eins og Indíana Jones á líka og kallaði sig Jungle Jim. Jungle Jim var alveg eins og Tarzan nema fyrir fötin. Öskrið, hnífurinn og apinn var allt á sínum stað og söguþræðirnir voru alveg eins.  Johnny gerði 13 Jungle Jim myndir á árunum 1948-1954 og kom fram í þremur í viðbót sem gerðar voru fyrir sjónvarp.

Þrátt fyrir að Tarzan væri einfær um að halda uppi fjörinu frá þrjú til hálf fimm á sunnudögum var fjölskylda hans; Jane leikin af Maureen Paula O’Sullivan og sonur hans "strákurinn" sem leikin var af Johnny Sheffield og aldrei var kallaður annað en "Boy",  góð viðbót við  frumskógarsögurnar. En simpansinn Cheeta, ljónið og fíllinn sem voru einkaeign Tarzans þóttu alveg ómissandi. Ég man enn eftir fagnaðarlátunum sem brutust alltaf út í salnum í enda hverrar myndar þegar Tarzan standandi uppi einn gegn öllum og búinn að tína hnífnum,  kallar með öskrinu fræga á allan dýragarðinn sinn og dýrin koma hlaupandi og stökkva öllum vondu köllunum með rifflana, á flótta.

Á ferli sínum sem leikari kom Johnny fram í fjórum hlutverkum, sem gríski Guðinn Adonis, sem Tarzan, sem Jungle Jim og sem hann sjálfur. Þegar hann hætti að leika (fyrir utan fáeinar gestaframkomur) snéri hann sér að viðskiptum og farnaðist við þau frekar illa.

Til eru margar sögur af hetjunni, þar á meðal sagan af honum að spila gólf í stjörnumóti á Kúbu um það leiti sem uppreisnarmenn með Kastró í fararbroddi tóku eyjuna á sitt vald. Þegar að Johnny, þá staddur út á miðjum gólfvelli,  sá hvar vopnaðir menn þyrptust út á völlinn, mat hann stöðuna og rak sína upp sitt fræga Tarzan öskur. Áður en varði voru uppreisnarmenn farnir að stökkva fram og aftur og hrópa Tarzan, Tarzan er hér, velkominn til Kúbu Tarzan. Segir sagan að stjörnunum í fylgd Johnny hafi ekki aðeins verið leyft að klára mótið undir sérstakri vernd skæruliðanna heldur hafi verið fylgt af heiðursverði til Havana þegar þeir fóru úr landi.

Á gamalsaldri var Johhny greindur með hjartaveilu og einhver gróf það upp að þegar hann var að undirbúa sig undir Ólympíuleikanna 1924 hafði hann einnig verið greindur með hjartasjúkdóm og aldrei ætlaður neinn ferill í sundi.

Þann 20. Janúar 1984 lést Johnny Weissmuller að heimili sínu í Acapulco í Mexíkó. En Tarzan lifir auðvitað áfram, ekki hvað síst í hausunum á forföllnum bíósjúklingum eins og ég var, enda er Tarzan ekki að ósekju; konungur apana.

Breyttasti maður heims

Tilgangurinn er ekki að vekja með ykkur viðbjóð þótt það sé e.t.v. óumflýjanlegt hjá sumum. Þegar ég var að kanna hverjir hefðu gengist undir flestar "fegrunar-lýtaaðgerðir" fann ég umfjöllun um þennan mann. Raunverulegar öfgar okkar tíma eru svo ótrúlegar að þær taka öllum skáldskap fram

Hann er sagður vera "breyttasti" maður heims. Saga hans er eiginlega óskiljanleg, sérstaklega þegar þú íhugar ábyrgð tannlæknanna og skurðlæknanna sem hljóta að hafa samþykkt að gera þessa breytingar á honum. Hér til vinstri er mynd af Dennis áður en breytingarnar hófust.

Hann heitir Dennis Avner og er rúmlega 50 ára gamall. Hann á heima í Nevada, USA og er komin af Indíánum. Indíánanafn sitt segir hann vera "Veiðiköttur". Fyrir utan eiginnafn sitt er hann þekktur undir nöfnunum; Kattarmaðurinn, Kötturinn, Tígur og  Tígurmaðurinn.

"Ég er Hjúrani og Lakkóta Indíáni og ég fylgi gamalli Hjúrana hefð með að umbreyta sjálfum mér í verndardýr þeirra, tígurinn."

Denis hóf umfangsmiklar breytingar á líkama sínum þegar hann var 23 ára, eftir að hafa verið sagt af indíánahöfðingja einum; "Fylgdu vegi tígursins".

Dennis hefur greitt miklar fúlgur og gengið í gegnum mikinn sársauka til að breyta líkama sínum í þeim tilgangi að líkjast tígursdýri. Þeir sem hafa áhuga á að sjá fleir myndir af þessum furðulega Indjána geta skoðað þær á  heimasíðu hans hér .

Falsað silfurmen og ráðagóðir munkar

Fyrir all-nokkrum árum fannst lítið silfurmen í grafreit nokkrum,  þegar tekið var fyrir húsgrunni nálægt fornrómversku þorpi sem heitir Shepton Mallet og er hér í Somerset á Bretlandi.

Menið þótti minna um margt á annað men sem grafið var upp í Sussex fyrir meira en 100 árum og er geymt á þjóðminjasafninu í London. Menið frá Shepton Mallet er með áletruninni ´ChiRho' sem er forn kristið tákn fyrir nafn Krists og er samsett úr fyrstu tveimur stöfum nafnsins hans á grísku sem eru svipaðir X og P í okkar stafrófi.

Eftir nokkrar rannsóknir Breska Safnsins (The Bristish Museum) á meninu var það lýst elsti "kristni" munurinn sem fundist hefur á Bretlandseyjum og gröfin elsta kristna gröfin sem fundist hefur í Evrópu. Erkibiskupinn af Canterbury; Lord Carey lét smíða eftirlíkingu af meninu (nema að hún var tvöfalt stærri) og skartaði því við öll tækifæri í skrúða sínum. Hann gerði síðan menið að tákni embættis síns.  

Þorpsbúar létu ekki á sér standa og auglýstu þennan fund hvað þeir gátu og brátt fóru að streyma pílagrímar til staðarins.

Nú hefur komið í ljós eftir nákvæmari rannsóknir á meninu að silfrið, sem það er gert úr, er frá 19. öld.

Menið er sem sagt falsað.

Ekkert er vitað um hver falsarinn er eða hvað fyrir honum vakti en ágiskanir hafa heyrst um að hann hafi e.t.v. viljað koma í veg fyrir að verksmiðjuhúsnæði það sem nú stendur á staðnum, yrði byggt.

Auðvitað er Biskupinn miður sín yfir þessum tíðindum og íbúar Shepton Mallet segja að "töfrar staðarins hafi horfið".

Satt að segja minnir þetta atvik um margt á fund munkanna í Glastonbury árið 1190. Svo illa vildi til að klaustur þeirra brann til kaldra kola árið 1184 ásamt öllum helgimunum og safni líkamahluta af dýrlingum sem þar voru varðveittir.  Tekjur klaustursins komu að stórum hluta frá pílagrímum sem greiddu vel fyrir blessun þeirra og fyrir að fá að berja herlegheit þeirra augum. Þegar að munkarnir tóku grunninn að nýju klaustri vildi svo vel til að þeir fundu gröf Arthúrs konungs og drottningu hans Guinevere. Þetta vissu þeir af því að undir hellunni sem lá á gröfinni fundu þeir silfurkross með áletrunni Hic iacet supultus inclitus rex Arturius in insula Avallonis sem merkir "Hér liggur grafinn hinn frægi Atrhúr konungur, grafin á Avalon eyju."

Kross þessi var samt fljótur að hverfa og eftir stóð þessi teikning sem gerð var af honum.

Það er auðvitað óþarfi að taka það fram að Glastonbury varð strax og er enn, vinsælasti ákvörðunarstaður pílagríma í Bretlandi.

 

 

Hvenær deyrð þú?

Viltu vita hvenær þú munt deyja? Ef ekki,  þá skaltu ekki fara á þennan link og svara nokkrum laufléttum spurningum, því ef þú svarar þeim eftir bestu vitund mun "lífreiknirinn" segja þér nákvæmt dánardægur þitt.

Samkvæmt honum mun ég deyja í júlí 2031 og á því um 8300 daga eftir ólifaða svo fremi sem ég verði ekki fyrir slysi. Ef þið hugrökku sálir, viljið vita, og láta svo aðra vita hvenær klukkan glymur ykkur, gjörið svo vel. 

Spurningin sem brennur á mér er hvort tryggingarfélögin hafi aðgang að svona reiknum :) og e.t.v. það sem mikilvægara er; hvort þau taki mark á þeim

 

 

Eru fegrunaraðgerðir orðnar lýtaaðgerðir?

Þegar ég var strákur las ég sögu frægs læknis sem var einn af þeim fyrstu lagði fyrir sig lýtalækningar. Ég hreyfst af göfugri hugsjón hans. Fólk sem hafði fengið alvarleg áverka á andliti  í slysum eða hafði fæðst með áberandi lýti eignaðist von. En lýtalækningar eru eitt og svokallaðar fegrunaraðgerðir annað. Eða þannig er það skýrt á fróðlegri síðu Ólafs Einarssonar lýtalæknis þar sem segir m.a.  

"Lýtaaðgerðir eru framkvæmdar til að lagfæra ástand vegna sára, sýkinga eða lýta sem eru afleiðingar slysa og áverka af ýmsu tagi, t.d. til að græða bruna-, legu- eða leggjarsár og til að laga afleiðingar eftir slík sár. Þá eru lýtaaðgerðir framkvæmdar til að lagfæra meðfædda vansköpun af ýmsu tagi. Lýtaaðgerðir eru einnig framkvæmdar við uppbyggingu brjósta hjá konum sem hafa misst brjóst vegna krabbameins. Sjúkratryggingar koma að lýtaaðgerðum af þessu tagi, sbr. reglugerð nr. 471 um greiðslur sjúkratrygginga fyrir lýtalækningar og fegrunaraðgerðir. Sjá síðu um gjaldskrá. Fegrunaraðgerðir eru hins vegar framkvæmdar í því augnamiði að fegra eða bæta útlit eða endurheimta yngra útlit. Einstaklingar sem leita slíkra aðgerða teljast ekki sjúkir eða bera menjar áverka eða slysa. Almannatryggingar taka engan þátt í kostnaði við slíkar aðgerðir. Dæmi um fegrunaraðgerðir eru andlitslyfting, augnlokaaðgerðir, brjóstastækkun o.fl. "

Miðað við útkomuna á mörgum þeim sem á síðustu árum hafa undirgengist skurðaðgerðir er eins og þessum hugtökum hafi verið snúið við. Fegrunaraðgerðir eru orðnar lýtaaðgerðir. Alla vega finnst mér árangurinn ekki til bóta. Dæmið sjálf af þessum myndum.

Mickey Rourke, vinsæll leikari og sjarmör á miðjum níunda áratugnum. Hann stundaði mikla eiturlyfja og vínneyslu og lenti í miklum erfiðleikum með sjálfsmyndina. Hann hefur undirgengist fjölda aðgerða til að breyta og bæta útlit sitt. Útkoman er vægast sagt á hina leiðina.  Nýjasta kvikmyndin hans "Glímumaðurinn" hefur hlotið mikið lof gagnrýnenda.

 

Michael Jackson þarf ekki að kynna. Stjörnufréttir síðustu ára hafa gert lífshaupi hans góð skil. Afleiðingar "æskuþráa" hans eru sársaukafullar þeim sem álíta.

 

Þessi kona er móðir Sylvester Stallone. Hún heitir Jackie Stallone og hefur gert sitt besta til að halda sér í dofnandi ljósinu af syni sínum og í því tilefni gengist undir hnífinn, að mínu viti nokkrum sinnum of oft.  

 

 

Að lokum kemur hér myndasyrpa af drottningu "fegrunaraðgerðanna"kattarkonunni Jocelyn Wildenstein. Hún hefur lifað afar skrautlegu lífi eftir að hún skildi við mann sinn Alec í framhaldi af framhjáhaldi hans með rússneskri ljósku. Hún virðist staðráðin í því að halda elli kerlingu til hlés (hún er rétt sextug) og þetta er árangurinn, öllum æskuelexírleitendum til varnaðar.

Talibanar eru að breytast

"Hin nýja kynslóð stríðsmanna Talibana, drekkur wiskey, dansar og berst fyrir peninga frekar en að vera trúarlegir uppreisnarmenn."

Alex Thomson heitir maður einn og er fréttaritari fyrir ITN Channel 4 fréttastofuna. Í Blaðinu Daily Telegraph sem gefið er út á Bretlandi er grein eftir hann í dag, þar sem hann fjallar um þróun stríðsins í Afganistan. Alex hefur dvalist með Talibana í Afganistan og Pakistan síðasta misserið og mun afrakstur dvalarinnar verða sýndur á Cannel 4 í kvöld. Margt í greininni kemur talvert á óvart og ég tek mér það bessaleyfi að endursegja sumt af því hér.

Í stað þess að vera miðstýrður her uppreisnarmanna eru Talibanarnir lauslega tengdir hópar sem einungis eru sameinaðir af barátunni við útlent setulið í landi þeirra.

Hamidullah Khan, reyndur stríðsmaður á fimmtugsaldri er einn af viðmælendum Alexar. "Tölur fallina Talibana sem Afganska stjórnin lætur frá sér fara, eru merkingarlausar. Talibanr berjast eins og hákarlatennur. Þetta er heimili Mullah Dabullah sem var drepinn af hermönnum Nato á síðasta ári. Hann lét lífið fyrir vilja Guðs.  Í stað hans hafa risð upp 20.000 í hans nafni. Þetta er Tailbans aðferðin. Þegar einn er drepinn, kemur annar í hans stað, svo annar og svo annar. Jörðin er aldrei skilin eftir mannlaus."

Talibanarnir tala ekki lengur um Mullah Omar stofnanda Talibananna eða Osama Bin Laden og al-Qaeda. Þeir berjast í staðin bæði á hefðbundinn og nýjan hátt. - Þeir sjá landið sitt morandi í spillingu. Þeir vita að það er einhverskonar stjórn í Kabúl en hún hefur ekkert gildi fyrir þá.

Haji Hyatullah er rúmlega tvítugur stríðsmaður. Hann segist berjast fyrir Talibana einfaldlega vegna þess að honum var boðið hærra kaup við það en önnur störf í boði. "Fólk er orðið þreytt á lygum stjórnarinnar" segir hann. "Hér er enga vinnu fyrir fólk að fá. Það berst til að fá brauð að borða." "Við sjáum enga þörf til þess að ræða við þessa stjórn. Þetta er engin stjórn hvort eð er. Málið hér eru erlendu ríkin og við eigum við þau með að berjast við þau. Baráttan er eina leiðin fyrir okkur."

Ef þú talar við Talibana um baráttu þeirra við Breta, eru þeir líklegir til að taka þig í nærliggjandi grafreit. "Hér liggja líkamar Afgana sem börðust við breska herinn fyrir meira en öld."

Það er engin skortur á utanaðkomandi stuðningi. Hamidullah Khan útskýrir hvernig vopn og skotfæri flæða yfir landamærin frá bæði Pakistan og Íran. "Peningarnir koma frá öllum Íslömskum löndunum. En við fáum sérstaklega mikil framlög frá Pakistan, Íran og Saudi Arabíu".

Á kvöldin dreypa þessir stríðsmenn gjarnan á Wiskey. Á daginn hvetja þeir bændur til að veðja á hrúta-atið sem þeir standa fyrir. Talibanarnir sem réðu Afganistan í fimm ár eftir 1996 mundu fyllast hryllingi við líferni þessara Talibana. Þessir nýju Talibanar syngja sín Pashtun lög og dansa í brúðkaupum sem var algjörlega bannað meðal hinna gömlu.

Þessir sveitastríðsmenn í Afganistan virðast njóta hylli almennings. Þeir eru að breytast í hefðbundna Mujahidín stríðsmenn líka þeim sem börðust gegn sovétríkjunum níunda áratugnum. Flestir Afgana segja Nato herina eins óvinsæla nú og sovét herinn var þá.