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Day 486: Harry Potter « Randomosity

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Rachel, Day by Day

Color Challenge: Blue Day 3

1329963319 88 Day 486: Harry Potter « Randomosity

Here is a blue Harry Potter book for you! I really liked this book, except for a certain person dying at the end. I won’t say the name. But, if you haven’t read this or seen the movie, I’m upset at you. Ok, not really. I am now going to tell you who died in this book, so stop reading if you don’t want to know. it was Sirius Black. I remember reading that part and getting really upset. I might have been at work and on a break with my brother. I started shouting, “no!” I kept looking at my brother, too, hoping for some sort of reaction from him, but he had no idea why I was upset. he probably thought I was crazy. Good times. anyway, I like the blue color of this book, especially the Harry Potter lettering at the top. Good job, cover designers!

I did well today for the first day of Lent. I didn’t ask anyone that certain question (Are you mad at me?). Is it ok that I just typed it, though? well, it’s probably ok since I didn’t just ask anyone. right? I’m confused now. I did almost ask this question twice today, but I stopped myself. I hope I can do this for 40 days. I only ate one meal today since that’s what Catholics do on Ash Wednesday. let me tell you, it was difficult. I was dumb and had three cups of coffee without any food in me, so my hands started shaking. I finally just had dinner (sushi and salad) and I am extremely full right now. Ugggg. I’m might go in a food coma after this.

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Day 486: Harry Potter « Randomosity

UCR Today: Improving Earthquake Forecasting

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1329959719 34 UCR Today: Improving Earthquake Forecasting

UC Riverside’s James Dieterich will share research findings in free lecture on campus, March 2

By on February 22, 2012

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — An increasing fraction of the world’s population lives in regions where great earthquakes occur and is exposed to high seismic risk as a result.  While preparedness is crucial to dealing with earthquakes, better forecasting of these natural disasters can save more lives.

James Dieterich, a distinguished professor of geophysics at the University of California, Riverside, will give a free public lecture on campus at noon, March 2, at the Alumni and Visitors Center, in which he will explain how earthquake forecasting capabilities can be improved.

The lecture is sponsored by the UCR Office of Gift Planning.  Reservations, which are required by Feb. 24 to attend the hour-long talk, can be made by calling (951) 827-1922 or emailing giftplanning@ucr.edu. Parking costs $6.

In the talk, titled “Forecasting Earthquakes,” Dieterich will discuss how his team is developing and using large-scale computer simulations to investigate earthquake fault systems.  these systems occur where the world’s tectonic plates meet, and control the occurrence and characteristics of the earthquakes they generate.

“One of the project goals is to improve our short- and long-term earthquake forecasting capabilities,” said Dieterich, a member of the National Academy of Sciences. “More accurate forecasting has practical advantages – earthquake insurance, for example, relies heavily on forecasts.”

A $4.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation is supporting the research by Dieterich and his colleagues at UCR, Brown University, Columbia University, the University of Southern California, San Diego State University, UC San Diego and the US Geological Survey.  Dieterich is the principal investigator of the five-year grant.

Dieterich is an internationally renowned authority in rock mechanics, seismology and volcanology. His research has led to a new understanding of the Earth’s crust. He is the recipient on numerous awards including the Bucher Medal from the American Geophysical Union; and the Distinguished Service Award from the US Department of Interior. He is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union.

Dieterich’s talk is the first item in a meeting of the UCR Gift planning Advisory Board.  His talk will be followed by a presentation on international philanthropy.

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UCR Today: Improving Earthquake Forecasting

The Bible in a Year: Day 51 (Deuteronomy 5-8)

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1329956118 57 The Bible in a Year: Day 51 (Deuteronomy 5 8)

Deuteronomy 5 repeats Exodus 20 but 5:1 sets up a link between the ten Commandments and the Shema (Deut. 6:4) with the same introduction: שמע ישראל. It has been suggested by many scholars/commentators that the two “great” commandments (Deut. 6:4-5; Lev. 19:18) encapsulate all of the ten Commandments. I’d have to agree since the first 4 (depending on how one divides the commandments) are God-ward while the final 6 are man-ward.

Deuteronomy 5:23-27 — The problem is that they heard God’s voice but didn’t want to listen. even when they say that they’ll listen to God when he speaks to Moses they didn’t really mean it. We see that again and again throughout their wilderness wandering. Eventually it corrupted Moses, because even when he heard what God said to do with the rock, he didn’t listen and actually do it.

Deuteronomy 6-7 — Obedience has its rewards, namely long life and prosperity. The Shema (6:4-9) is all about exclusive devotion. The LORD alone (אחד) is Israel’s God. It is the LORD alone that Israel is to love with all their heart, soul, and strength. They’re to teach their children about the LORD alone. They’re to constantly remember the LORD alone when they pray with the tefillin and enter their homes and pass by the mezuza. And this is the point of the Shema: exclusive devotion; the LORD alone. Yes, אחד can be translated as “one,” and it is in most translations (the NRSV and NLT are two popular translations that render is “alone”), but armed with modern concepts of monotheism that actually serves to detract from the point. The point isn’t that there’s only one God that exists; it’s that the LORD alone is Israel’s God; the LORD alone is the true God who is worthy of absolute love.

This exclusiveness continues as we finish up the chapter and carries on into the next. Israel is to serve only the LORD and to take oaths in his name (6:13). They are not to follow the gods of the nations (6:14) because the LORD is jealous and will destroy them (6:15; 7:4; 8-19-20). his uniqueness is also emphasized in his being Israel’s Deliverer (6:20-23), Elector (7:7), and Redeemer (7:8). It’s the LORD’s uniqueness and his character that makes obedience to his commands worth it. He’ll keep covenant and bless his people so long as his people keep covenant and serve him only (7:12-16).

Deuteronomy 8 — This chapter continues as a reminder of who the LORD is and what he’s done and is doing. Remembering the LORD leads to life and blessings in abundance while forgetting him results in ruin.

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The Bible in a Year: Day 51 (Deuteronomy 5-8)

Most Conservative Senators — PICTURES

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1329952522 49 Most Conservative Senators PICTURES

Key Conservative Stance: Tom Coburn, R-Okla., is a strong opponent of abortion rights; he sponsored bills requiring AIDS counseling for pregnant women and labels on condoms disclosing that they don’t prevent infections that lead to cervical cancer. he became known around the Capitol for conducting graphic slide shows for lawmakers and staff about the effects of sexually transmitted diseases.

PHOTO: SUE OGROCKI/AP

Key Conservative Stance: Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said that his political views have been influenced by Ayn Rand’s 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged , which argues that civilization cannot exist where men are slaves to society and government. Johnson said that his motivation to run against Feingold was the senator’s support of the Democrats’ 2010 health care overhaul, which he called “the single greatest assault to our freedom in my lifetime.”

PHOTO: MANUEL BALCE CENETA/AP

Key Conservative Stance: Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, during the 2009 health care debate sought to amend the bill in the committee to seek to prevent individuals making $200,000 annually and families earning $250,000 a year or less from being taxed to pay for the policy changes in the bill; it was defeated after Baucus called it a “killer amendment” that would deprive the legislation of needed revenue.

PHOTO: MATT CILLEY/AP

Key Conservative Stance: Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., has been a reliable stalwart for the Right—his lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union through 2010 was above 93 percent, one of the highest among senators. he and Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, pleased tea party activists in May 2011, when they introduced the “Repeal Amendment,” a measure enabling states to repeal any federal law.

PHOTO: HARAZ N. GHANBARI/AP

Key Conservative Stance: John Barrasso, R-Wyo., has been a particularly vehement critic of the Environmental Protection Agency and introduced a bill in February 2011 to bar EPA from regulating greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. “This is not your parents’ EPA,” he said in a May 2011 speech. “Your parents’ EPA focused on rebuilding the environment. This EPA is focused on remaking society.”

PHOTO: J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/AP

Key Conservative Stance: David Vitter, R-La., cast one of the two votes against confirming New York Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of State, although her qualifications for the job were not an issue. Vitter has opposed much of the Obama administration’s agenda.

PHOTO: ALEX BRANDON/AP

Key Conservative Stance: Richard Burr, R-N.C., voted against the Senate immigration overhaul bill because he said it would lead to “blanket amnesty” for illegal immigrants. during negotiations on the compromise bill the following year, Burr supported the “touchback” amendment that would have forced illegal immigrants to return to their home countries before applying for visas. When the amendment was voted down, he voted against allowing the compromise bill to advance.

PHOTO: GERRY BROOME/AP

Key Conservative Stance: James Risch, R-Idaho, opposed most of Obama’s spending initiatives, including a Senate-passed $35 billion jobs bill in February 2010 that he complained cost too much. “I ran for this office as a deficit hawk, and now that I am here I have moved even further in that direction,” he told The Idaho Statesman.

PHOTO: HARRY HAMBURG/AP

Key Conservative Stance: James Inhofe, R-Okla., in February 2011 cosponsored a bill to stop EPA from regulating carbon-dioxide emissions and also limiting states’ authority to do so. after the April 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, he opposed a Democratic initiative to remove the $75 million cap on damages for offshore-drilling accidents and argued that there should be some limit.

PHOTO: SUSAN WALSH/AP

Key Conservative Stance: Jim DeMint, R-S.C., aggressively went on the attack against the new Democratic president. he tried to substitute President Obama’s 2009 economic-stimulus bill with one containing only tax cuts, and he tried to stop the advance of Obama’s health care initiative, famously telling Republicans in July 2009, “If we’re able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. it will break him.”

PHOTO: J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/AP

Most Conservative Senators — PICTURES

Werewolf is Back! And so is State Capitalism …

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Werewolf is Back! And so is State Capitalism ...

For many people, Kiwirail’s decision to buy 500 flat top wagons from manufacturers in China instead of building them at Hillside workshops in Dunedin was a classic case of New Zealand chasing short term cost savings from overseas providers at the expense of many local jobs, the development of manufacturing expertise in this country and the related flow-on economic benefits to the wider community.

In recent weeks, the issue of the $49 million rail wagon contract has risen again – this time over news that the Chinese-built wagons are already requiring repairs at a rate significantly higher than normal. More>>

Werewolf is Back! And so is State Capitalism …

Girl Scouts Wings

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1329941720 23 Girl Scouts Wings

Have you seen the different wings that are used by the girls scout? it has different shapes, colors, and meanings. The girls scout members commonly use many of these wings. having a girl scouts wings badge is an honor that you are part of these organization. Scout Wings are worn if they have a ceremony or awarding. this is a traditions that goes back to when the Girl Scout leader were being called.

One example of a girl scouts wings is the brownie wings. this shows that the girl scout had completed her years as a Brownie. she is now ready to go to the next level. this tradition can be traced back during the times of the Brownie Girl Scout Leaders who were called the Brown Owls. Brownie Girls receive Wings at the end of the Brownie Girl Scout year. The girls can also earn the Junior Girl Scouts rainbow patch. The junior sash or vest should wear the wings horizontally centered directly to the junior aide award, or if the Girl Scout does not have wings, she was directly under the Bridge to Junior Awards. The girls should wear the wings on the junior sash or vest, directly under the membership stars and the personalized ID pin. Every end of the year the brownie girl is often given during awarding ceremonies. this would men that the scout is ready to fly up to Junior Girl Scouting.

The basis of honoring girl scouts is their performance. Aside from earning badges like the girl scout wings, there are also other awards in scouting. The highest award in Girl Scouting is the Golden Eagle of Merit. The Silver award symbolizes accomplishments in Girl Scouting and community activities as well as good deeds to others. While the Bronze award recognizes that a junior scout had gained the leadership and planning skills that follow the project to make it positive in community. Most of the girl scouts join in a local troop or group for fun and friendship. The core quality of the Girl Scout is to find out about building character, self-esteem and serving communities. this program is based on the needs and interests of the girls. those members should be sharing the Girl Scout Promise and Law.

The Girl Scout leadership experience is girl driven, reflecting the changing needs and interest of the girls. this program encourages to increased skill building and responsibility and to promote the development of leaderships and decision-making skills. All of the activities are grade appropriate and based on the Leadership Experience. Every Girl who has Girl Scouts Wing can enjoy the activities organized by the local Girl Scout Council. Each council offers activities that meet the needs and interest of girls within jurisdiction. Girls learn the value and sharing experiences in an all girl environment with caring, served as mentors and models. All activities are designed with girls mind, address their concerns, build their skills and explore around the world.

Girl Scouts Wings

Magnitude 7.4 – KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION

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1329938142 94 Magnitude 7.4 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGIONEarthquake Summary

Earthquake Summary Poster

Tectonic Summary

The October 21, 2011 Kermadec Islands region earthquake occurred near the Kermadec Trench where the Pacific Plate begins its descent into the mantle beneath the eastern edge of the Australian Plate. At the latitude of this earthquake, the Pacific Plate is converging with Australia in a westward direction at a velocity of approximately 61 mm/yr. the preliminary mechanism and depth of the event suggest it ruptured a reverse fault within the oceanic lithosphere of the Pacific Plate; the initial location indicate a source slightly to the east of the trench, outboard (seaward) of the subduction zone itself, and thus not on the thrust interface between the Pacific and Australian plates.

the October 21 earthquake struck in an oceanic region with few nearby populations, approximately 500 km south of Tonga and 700 km north of New Zealand. This region of the Tonga-Kermadec subduction zone experiences reasonably high levels of seismic activity, with nearly 50 events of M 6.5 and above over the past 38 years, and 5 greater than M 7.5. Two of these, M 7.8 and M8.2 earthquakes on the same day in 1976, occurred just over 100 km west-northwest of todays event; an M7.8 event in 1978 struck nearly 250 km to the southwest, and an M 8.3 event occurred in October 1986, about 80 km to the north. none of these events have recorded damage or casualties.

In July of this year, a M 7.6 event occurred approximately 45 km to the south-southwest of the October 21 earthquake, breaking a normal fault within the subducting Pacific plate also very close to the Kermadec Trench. This event was notable because it triggered a large number of thrust-faulting aftershocks to the west of the plate boundary, on or close to the interface between the Pacific and Australian plates. the October 21 earthquake may be related to that aftershock sequence.

Magnitude 7.4 – KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION

cm punk

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1329934514 87 cm punk

Explore: Reference Debates Corporate Art Autos Business Education Events Film Actors & Actresses Movies Games Government Literature Music Pets Places Sports Television Products Home > Film > Movies > Syriana Syriana Syriana is a 2005 geopolitical thriller film written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, and executive produced by George Clooney, who also stars in the film with an ensemble cast. Gaghan’s screenplay is loosely adapted from Robert Baer’s memoir see no Evil. The film focuses on petroleum politics, and the global influence of the oil industry, whose political, economic, legal, and social effects are experienced by a Central Intelligence Agency operative , an energy analyst , a Washington attorney , and a young unemployed Pakistani migrant worker in an Arab country in the Persian Gulf. The film … also features an extensive supporting cast including Amanda Peet, Tim Blake Nelson, and Christopher Plummer, as well as Academy Award winners Chris Cooper, William hurt with Alexander Siddig and Amr Waked. As with Gaghan’s screenplay for Traffic, Syriana uses multiple, parallel storylines, jumping from locations in Iran, Texas, Washington D.C., Switzerland, Spain, and Lebanon. more quick facts Release date: November 23, 2005 Directed by: Stephen Gaghan Rated: Runtime: 128 Minutes Producer: Georgia Kacandes , Michael Nozik , Jennifer Fox Editor: Tim Squyres Music by: Alexandre Desplat Cinematography: Robert Elswit Screenplay by: Stephen Gaghan Estimated budget: $50,000,000 Adapted from: see no Evil: The true Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA’s War on Terrorism Genre: Thriller Award-winners from Syriana George Clooney Character: Bob Barnes Born: may 6, 1961 Cast of Syriana Christopher Plummer Dean Whiting Born: December 13, 1929 Age: 82 Christopher McDonald Born: February 15, 1955 Age: 56 William hurt Stan Goff Born: March 20, 1950 Age: 61 Matt Damon Bryan Woodman Born: October 8, 1970 Age: 41 Gina Gershon Born: June 10, 1962 Age: 49 Amanda Peet Julie Woodman Born: January 11, 1972 Age: 40 Honors and Awards Year Award Won 2005 Academy Award for Actor in a Supporting Role , George Clooney 1995 Academy Award for Actor in a Leading Role 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Film , George Clooney Prev next Year Award Nomination 2005 Academy Award for Actor in a Supporting Role , George Clooney 2005 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay , Stephen Gaghan 2005 BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role , George Clooney 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Film , George Clooney 2005 BFCA Critics’ Choice Award for Best Acting Ensemble 2006 Costume Designers Guild Award for Best Costume Design – Contemporary Film , Louise Frogley 2005 BFCA Critics’ Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor , George Clooney 2006 Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture , George Clooney 2005 ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards – Contemporary Film , Dan Weil 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score , Alexandre Desplat Prev next Film director of Syriana Stephen Gaghan Born: may 6, 1965 Age: 46 Education: Babson College Stephen Gaghan is an American screenwriter and director. He is noted for writing the screenplay for Steven Soderbergh’s film Traffic, based on a Channel 4 series, for which he won the Academy Award, as well as Syriana which he wrote and directed. Born in either Louisville, Kentucky, the son of the … former Elizabeth Jane Whorton and her first husband, Stephen Gaghan , and a stepson of Tom Haag, Gaghan attended Kentucky Country Day School, a college preparatory school in Louisville. He was an All-State soccer player where he held the assist record at the school for nearly three decades. He is a grandson of Jerry Gaghan, a newspaper columnist and drama critic for Variety and the Philadelphia Daily cm punks, whose career inspired Gaghan’s own professional pursuits. As he wrote in a 2001 article in cm punksweek, “I also wanted to be a writer, like my grandfather, who carried a card in his wallet that read, “If you find me, call my son [my father] at this number” in his final days of high school before graduation, Gaghan was expelled for driving a go-cart through the halls of the school. more Title Released Rated Genre Syriana 2005 Thriller Abandon 2002 Thriller Prev next Music contributors for Syriana Alexandre Desplat Alexandre Michel Grard Desplat is a French film composer. He has received four Academy Award nominations, five BAFTA nominations, five Golden … Globe nominations, winning a Golden Globe for his work on The Painted Veil in 2006, and two Grammy nominations. in 2011, Desplat won his first British Academy Film Award for his score for The King’s Speech. Among various projects, Desplat has worked on a variety of Hollywood films including The Queen, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Golden Compass, cm punk Moon, fantastic mr. Fox and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 and part 2. Desplat was born in Paris to a French father and a Greek mother who met at the University of California, Berkeley. after their marriage, they moved back to France, where Alexandre was born. Alexandre is the younger brother of Vic Desplat. at the age of five, he began playing piano. He also became proficient on trumpet and flute. He studied with Claude Ballif, Iannis Xenakis in France and Jack Hayes in the U.S. Desplat’s musical interests were wide, and he was also influenced by South American and African artists and teachers, among whom were Carlinhos Brown and Ray Lema. more Filming locations for Syriana Marbella Marbella is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Mlaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. it is part of the region of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the same; it is also the head of the judicial … district that bears its name. Marbella is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, between Mlaga and the Gibraltar Strait, in the foothills of the Sierra Blanca. The municipality covers an area of 117 km crossed by highways on the coast, these are its main entrances. in 2011 the population of the city was 138,662 inhabitants, making it the second most populous municipality in the province of Mlaga and the eighth in Andalusia. it is one of the most important tourist cities of the Costa del Sol and throughout most of the year is an international tourist attraction, due mainly to its climate and touristic infrastructure. The city also has a significant archaeological heritage, many museums and performance spaces, and a cultural calendar with events ranging from reggae concerts to opera performances. more cm punk York City cm punk York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the cm punk York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. cm punk York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and … entertainment. The home of the United Nations Headquarters, cm punk York is an important center for international affairs and is widely deemed the cultural capital of the world. The city is also referred to as cm punk York City or the City of cm punk York to distinguish it from the state of cm punk York, of which it is a part. Located on one of the world’s largest natural harbors, cm punk York City consists of five boroughs which were consolidated in 1898: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. with a 2010 United States Census population of 8,175,133 distributed over a land area of just 305 square miles , cm punk York is the most densely populated major city in the United States. As many as 800 languages could be spoken in cm punk York, making it one of most linguistically diverse city in the World. more Frequently asked Questions Q: Which celebrities starred in the movie “Syriana”? A: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, Chris Cooper, Amanda Peet and William hurt starred in the film. Q: who was the distributor of the motion picture, “Syriana”? A: Warner Bros. Entertainment was the film’s distributor. Q: what locations were used for scenes in the movie Syriana ? A: The motion picture’s featured locations include Marbella and cm punk York. Q: who played a role in the production of the film, “Syriana”? A: Jennifer Fox, Michael Nozik, Georgia Kacandes, Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney produced the film. Q: what is the runtime of the film “Syriana”? A: The runtime for the movie is 128 minutes. Q: what is the rating of the movie, “Syriana”? A: The movie is rated R (USA). Q: how much was the approximate cost to “Syriana”? A: $50 million was the cost to make this movie. Q: who directed the movie “Syriana”? A: Stephen Gaghan was the director of the motion picture. Q: Which awards did the film “Syriana” win? A: The film won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture and Academy Award for Best Actor. Q: who wrote the music for the film Syriana ? A: Alexandre Desplat composed the musical score for the soundtrack. Lists Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast Year: 2005 Exploring Overview Award-Winning Cast Cast Honors and Awards Director Music Contributors Filming Locations FAQs Syriana Top of Page 2012 Juggle, LLC all Rights Reserved Find Blog Feedback Site Map Encyclopedia & Reference Resource Some of the content on this page was provided by other sites, including ( Syriana ) or others licensed under Creative Commons

cm punk

Redskins

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1329923723 68 Redskins

WR Justin Blackmon » he has the physical skills teams want in a receiver. however, he's only around 6-foot tall (though he plays bigger) and is not a blazer. if he runs the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds he'll most likely solidify himself as a top-six pick. if not, it could get interesting for the top wideout in the draft.

QB Robert Griffin III » He's going to run but won't throw at the combine. anyone who wants to see his arm, put on the tape. It's good. and everyone says he'll ace the interview portion. So what's left for him? his height. He's listed as being 6-foot-2 and if that checks out then he's good to go. but if he somehow measures smaller than that, is it possible he'll drop? That's doubtful, but it may preclude some teams from trading up for him.

WR Alshon Jeffery » He's not entering the combine with a lot of momentum. In fact, it's the opposite. he needs to run a fast time in the 40-yard dash, but even if he does it might not matter to some. One scout said what worried him is that he did not look fast on film. That matters. So if he runs a fast time at the combine, teams must ask themselves: where was that guy on film?

CB Janoris Jenkins » There's a lot of talent but a lot of concern over his character. Florida kicked him out of school after his second drug arrest. Jenkins has a high first-round talent, but teams could be scared by his background, unless he starts wowing them in interviews.

OT Andrew Datko » Scouts say he has excellent ability — possibly a second-round pick — but the biggest test for him is how his shoulder checks out physically. It shortened both his 2010 and '11 seasons and has required multiple surgeries.

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Redskins

A bit more on demons

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1329920109 95 A bit more on demons

After my piece on the development of the understanding of demons ran on Monday, a number of people had some interesting questions in the comboxes:

Baruch and Tobit are the only OT books that mention demons, and they are part of the Deuterocanon and are very late in OT history hi mark, I realize this is sort of off-topic, but I wanted to ask you a question about Tobit. As you probably recall, I’m a Protestant, but I’m starting to take interest in the Deuterocanonicals as I’ve become aware of their history, and of how the Church Fathers accepted them as inspired. In the case of Tobit in particular, I read on Catholic Answers that the question the Sadducees asked Jesus about a “hypothetical” woman who was widowed by seven brothers was likely a reference to Tobit. I was just wondering if you could give me some information on Tobit in current Catholic thinking. You mention here that it’s “very late,” but what time period do Catholics believe it to have been written in, and are the events in it believed to have really happened?

As is typically the case, the Church leaves matters such as the dating of Tobit to biblical scholars.  And, as is also typical, biblical scholars vary in their assessment.  The Jerome Commentary puts the date of composition around 200 BC.  As to whether the events recounted in Tobit really happened, the general concensus is that Tobit is a work of inspired fiction.  So, for instance, the author tells us that Tobit is the uncle of Ahikar, a clever character in a tale popular in the ancient near East.  It’s the sort of literary cue which signals that we are reading a tale, not a chronicle, sort of like if I began a story by announcing I am the uncle of Jack the Giant Killer.  This does not mean that every detail of the tale is therefore without grounding in history or reality.  The book mentions the angel Raphael, whom Jews (and Christians) honor.  Similarly, I might write a fictional work which involves JFK.  The fact that the work is fiction does not mean JFK did not exist.  I’ve not heard of the connection between the NT story about the woman widowed seven times, but I can certainly see where the Sadducees might have mined the idea from Tobit.

I’ve read that demons start to appear in the Old Testament roughly the time of the Babylonian captivity, as the Babylonians had a firmer concept of them (if more erroneous). Much of the Old Testament is written or edited to rebut Babylonian religion, which in no way detracts from the OT’s inspiration.

In line w/Mark’s discussion, the OT has the stories of the giants of old (Nephilim) who were fathered by the Sons of God, the deceiver who challenges God regarding Job, the serpent in the garden, and a notion of evil spirits coming over a man (King Saul? don’t recall exactly).

yes, it’s quite possible the Jews picked up the idea of demons from Babylonians.  They were human beings and influence by ideas from other human beings.  So, for instance, both the idea of a king and a temple (not to mention sacred arks) were all notions the Jews got from the peoples around them.  They also shared a flood story with ancient near eastern culture.  But, of course, as the the Jews were the Chosen People, so their mythology and sacred liturgical practices become the Chosen mythology and liturgical practices, and hone and purify ideas that pagans intuit.  I would be cautious about trying to put much weight on the murky reference to the Nephilim.  It might just be a reference to intermarriage between children of Seth and other branches of the human family.  Ancient Israel has a great concern for ethnic purity because in antiquity the mission of the Chosen people is to prepare for the coming of the Messiah.  since marrying outside the People means marrying the family—and the family gods—of the Gentiles, this is regarded with great fear.  But once Messiah comes and the Gentiles themselves become part of the covenant people, the concern for ethnic purity is no longer necessary and, in fact, becomes a hindrance to acceptance of the gospel.

Um… correct me if Im wrong, but even though he wasn’t refered to by name in scripture, don’t we believe that the serpent in the garden was the devil? And the one who challanged God to the bet that Job would crumble?

I would also be cautious about reading too much too soon into the story of Job.  with the light of the Spirit, we can now see that the serpent in Genesis is “that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan” (as Revelation tells us).  But that is something only fully understand after the establishment of the New Covenant.  His identity is veiled in the Old Testament.  In the same way, the “satan” in Job, while certainly patient of a Christian interpretation as the Devil, is not called a devil or a demon in the text of Job.  Rather, the name refers to something like a prosecuting attorney.  he is part of the heavenly court and is bringing charges against Job, but there is no suggestion in the text that he is a fallen angel.  Later Christian revelation will make this clearer (and so revelation will call Satan “the accuser of the brethren”).  But that’s not clear in the text of the Old Testament itself.  It only becomes clear when Jesus and the apostles use “Satan” and “the devil” as synonyms.

In Moses we have a “spirit of jealousy”, the NT tells us to “test the spirits”, and in the case of king Saul, “the spirit of God” at one time “an evil spirit”  another. If we consider demons to be the disembodied offspring of the preflood “sons of God” and “daughters of men”, then even though the Bible doesn’t say it directly, the founding of Babylon by Nimrod, and the obsession with “making a name” there, and the 1st world kingdom, that isn’t destroyed until Revelation, would be my best guess.

This illustrates the point I was making in my piece, that the ancient Jews are, rather like the ancient pagans, fairly fuzzy in how they understand the spiritual world.  Sometimes evil spirits are evil spirits.  Sometimes they are spirits sent by God.  Similarly, we are sometimes told that God “creates good and evil” (a notion the later tradition will clarify to mean that God “creates all that is good and permits evil”).  likewise, Exodus will speak sometimes of Pharaoh hardening his heart and sometimes of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart.  The Old Testament is, never forget, a gradual revelation and so things are not fully clear there.  So Ecclesiastes (and Psalmists” will talk as though death is the end and there is no afterlife (or perhaps just a shadowy underworld rather like the Greek Hades called “Sheol”).  One of the things the Christian revelation does is illuminate with terrifying power the stakes we are playing for (nothing less then eternal bliss or everlasting horror) and the Enemy we are up against—a host of mighty fallen angels—versus a God who has actually taken on human flesh, died, and risen to save, not merely us, but the entire universe in a New heaven and earth.  It’s precisely because this was far beyond what the inspired authors of the OT imagined as they were guided by the Spirit that Peter says, “The prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired about this salvation; they inquired what person or time was indicated by the Spirit of Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory” (1 Peter 1:10-11).  In short, precisely because they were writing under inspiration and not from their merely human power, they didn’t quite know what they were talking about.  They themselves wondered about the meaning of their own prophecies.  Nor, by the way, do we.  As Peter continues, “It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things which have now been announced to you by those who preached the good news to you through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look” (1 Peter 1:12).  This is why Catholic teaching continues to develop.  there is too much packed into it for the Church to comprehend all at once.

A bit more on demons