Williamstown, Ky. — A life-sized replica of Noah’s Ark opened its doors today to visitors, but alsoΒ to controversy. Although the elaborate museum depicts dinosaurs and unicorns as passengers on the ark, biblical scholars are pointing out that it fails to include any mention of the more obscure unipiggy.
87 thoughts on “Mind if I Horn In?”
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Well, that would be a shocking oversight – gotta have the Unipiggy!
Love the dainty trotters and the smile. What a sweetie.
Most beautiful piglet I have ever seen!
I was just reading a blog post about the Ark Park. I probably shouldn’t say more.
Definitely did not see a unipiggy in the pictures there, though.
Based on your comment I did some research on the Ark theme park, and there are MANY things I’d like to say…but out of politeness, I can’t say them here.?
I’m surprised they didn’t include griffins and dragons–I think unipig would fit right in!?
This is the post. Pictures and video included. Not exactly overrun with throngs of visitors.
The animals on the door frame are pretty cute…that’s the best I can say for the place.
This ark ‘attraction’ is soooooooo uuuummmm, unique? *cough, bonkers* I had mentioned I was curious to see it and well, now that I have seen the ‘exhibit’ I can happily strike that off my ‘pressing, must do’ bucket list. Problem solved! Thanks Allein! π
Just doing my part to reduce their attendance levels. π
I finally had time to watch the videos, religious propaganda aside, it just seems boring.. And I love how she got noticed by the employees because she was alone, like that’s so unusual in their world they spot it right away., creepy!
I know! It’s just dull! Looks like a lot of empty space, too.
I give them a point for reminding people to not leave pets in cars and providing a list of local boarding options on their info page, though. That and “cute elephants” was about all the positivity I could muster.
Yes, I feel the same. The “science” of this place is, shall we say”questionable” but the adorableness of this piggy is not! Most definitely adorable!
I can’t comment because I know I would offend people on this site and I don’t want to do that. Not that I think people on this site endorse creationism, it’s just that I’m probably the least religious person here.
Iβm probably the least religious person here.
I might have to challenge you on that… π
Gadies and Lentlemen! We have ourselves a Least Religious Person Throwndown!
Okay, I searched for a “fight” emoji and it gave me a helicopter ? …
Then I tried “punch” and I got this fist, which looks more like a fist-bump than a punching fist, but it’s the best I got. So there.
? ? ?
Add me to the cage match, people!
Are there different denominations of non-religious?
Obligatory:
FABULOUS!!!! I see Emo’s name in crossword puzzles but had never seen him perform – he’s brilliant. Thanks, Allein.
I love that bit. I was going to just post the transcript but it’s not the same without all his little quirks and mannerisms in the performance. So I had to switch to my tablet and find the video…then of course watch it again to make sure it was the right one… ?
Totally on point! Funny, yet not, cos too many are looking for that one difference they can hate someone for.?
Totally a-religious.
I’m right in there! We have lovely neighbors who are Evengelical and I know they worry about me ( I get patted on the head as someone says to me “Murray believes we come from apes”) but we can tease about it and I always refer to myself as their heathen next door.
No, no, NO! Evolution is NOT a belief, it is scientifically proven theory. You can say you don’t “believe” in the theory of gravity, but you are still going to return to earth when you jump! You can’t have an opinion on a fact, and denying a fact will not make it go away. People are sooooooo not understanding science–it’s an epidemic!
When I’ve asked my neighbors if they “believe in” evolution they say “to a point” which sorta makes my head spin. That “point” is when people come on the scene and I guess are issued their souls, I dunno.?
That’s why I don’t like “believe” in that context. I would ask if they “accept” evolution, because I’ve seen too many creationists trying to conflate “believe” in the sense of “I believe there’s some ineffable entity out there somewhere that has some bearing on my life even though I can’t see it and can’t show it to you” with “believe” in the sense of “accept as factually true.”
*I spend a lot of time at the Friendly Atheist site that I linked yesterday. These conversations can get quite…heated. And repetitive. ?
Yes, I have a problem with the word “Believe” and its various configurations. I always think, you can believe all you want but it doesn’t make it so. If only people realized that belief was a choice they make, for good or ill, and then let everyone else choose their own we might all be better off.
“Theory” is another one of those words where certain people like to conflate meanings (see my comment on “belief” below). In everyday casual English, it means something like a guess, and anti-evolution types love to insist that those using it in its rigid scientific sense are simply tossing out casual assumptions, and no matter how many times you explain it, they will come back the next time the topic comes up with the same arguments, as if they’ve never heard that definition before in their lives. It’s very frustrating.
Anyway, since we’re talking evolution, here’s a monkey. ?
I believe in science. And Quantum Physics which, for me, is a spiritual experience. β??
Wow! I can’t believe people have been discussing religion, expressing their opinion and nobody has gotten mad, called someone names or said they were totally wrong!
You guys certainly are a special bunch of people!
Ditto. I think it’s an effect of our respect for NTMTOM’s brand of the cute and warm welcoming influence here.
Bravo!
I know, right? That’s what I have Friendly Atheist for. π
(I usually stay out of the more heated discussions. But they can be entertaining sometimes. Then sometimes I have to go do other things.)
I’ve been wondering if there was a real-life event that eventually turned into the story of Noah’s Ark. Say, a farmer and his family and flock escaped a really bad flood on a reed raft. Then after generations of re-telling, it became a gigantic ship, all the animals on earth, and the direct guidance of God.
Same thing with the Plagues of Egypt, Jonah & the Whale, etc. – it’s interesting to think how they might have originated.
That makes sense. Humans are storytellers by nature, and the grander our stories get, the more interesting audiences find them, which encourages embellishment.
Absolutely, there’s usually a kernel of fact in these stories. I remember watching my father after a really successful fishing trip. I’d be in the car waiting for him and I’d see him talking to a friend he’d met in the town. I knew he was talking about his fishing success because he had his hands apart to indicate the size of the fish, and with every subsequent telling his hands were further apart. That’s how it all begins.?
Sounds like evolution!
Yes, and also – this occurred to me overnight – most folks couldn’t read, and this was centuries before the printing press, so the stories had to be vivid and memorable for people to pass them on orally. Aesop’s fables and Jesus’ parables were a way of conveying moral lessons in a relatable way.
I see these story’s as allegories… colourful, wonderful, dramatic, riveting allegories that express the need to have ‘faith’ even when all else seemingly is failing. I am not religious either but I do find all religions offer really beautiful, exciting, loving, horrifying– you get the idea- stories that express what people have done, experienced to find ‘God’.
Consider that many civilizations grew up near large bodies of water (for reasons that should be easy to figure out); there’s bound to have been some massive flood events through the ages. Not hard to see how some stories would grow out of them.
Two possibilities:
1. There is historical evidence for a flood in the Middle East in ancient human history, around 5600 BC. There is a Great Flood story in Sumerian mythology which predates the Bible. This would have been the Black Sea – conveniently close to Mt Ararat.
http://www.livius.org/fa-fn/flood/flood2.html
2. A tsunami triggered by the eruption of Mt Etna slammed the Mediterranean coast 8000 years ago.
http://www.livescience.com/1170-towering-ancient-tsunami-devastated-mediterranean.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistoric_tsunamis
Thanks, Transentence! Those first 2 links have excellent info!??
Mesopotamia has a “great flood” story (Gilgamesh) and so did the Sumarians, both written long before The Bible. There are a number of other cultures with a “flood myth” in their writings. It’s been a while since I’ve read about this, but I’m pretty sure the consensus from the scientific community was that there was no evidence for a world-wide flood, but there was the possibility of a devastating, localized flood being the origin of the myth.?
Vulnerability to floods seems like another part of this story’s recurrence in various cultures: for instance, Mesopotamia is between the Tigris and the Euphrates, and the marshy area where these rivers empty into the sea in the south was an early center for trade and power. The potential for lifegiving water to turn into a destructive force could be a perennial concern. Which is maybe ironic, since the rivers have changed course/ had their courses changed to the point where many of the oldest cities in Mesopotamia were abandoned because they were left high and dry and unfarmable.
When I taught world history at the college level, I would tell the students about all the flood myths in different cultures. Everybody except desert cultures has them. One of my faves: the Han dynasty in China edited Chinese stories so that floods happened to punish disobedient subjects or a bad emperor, then a good (Han) emperor would save the day.
As I see it, one of the main problems with people taking any text literally (religious, historical, political, etc.) is that if you make one tiny hole in it, the whole thing can come crashing down. Much safer to read these stories as allegories.
Yeah, I remember a show on the History channel, back when they didn’t feature people digging through trash, of Gilgamesh as a Sumerian King who left on a raft down the Tigris because the flood wiped out his fortunes and lands.
My favorite theory is the Black Sea Deluge. Where the floods originated when the Medit Ocean broke over the Straits of Bosphorus (end of ice age, rising ocean levels) supposedly at the force of 200 Niagaras and flooded out what became the Black Sea.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/blacksea/ax/frame.html
Yeah…I miss the good ol’ days, back when the History Channel was about, duh, HISTORY!
The History channel had an interesting series called Ancient weather that detailed how climate change impacted history and ancient civilizations.
I’m gonna have to look for that!
Not exactly history, but I liked Life After People on the History Channel (from 2008-ish). (And if you like that, I recommend the book The World Without Us by Alan Weisman, which came out around the same time LWP started and has the same premise, but is not associated with the show as far as I can tell. In another conversation about the topic recently, someone mentioned a series called Population Zero, which I found on Youtube but haven’t had time to watch yet.)
Yes I lovΓ©d that series when it aired, I’ll look for the book thanks.
I met Alan Weisman at Book Expo America a couple years ago. Got a signed advance-copy of his then-new book (Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth). He was really nice.
And oops on the italicalization, there. I guess I didn’t close the tag after The World Without Us.
Also, LWP should be LAP, of course. I’m batting 1000 this morning. Thank god it’s Friday!
Loved LAP and will look for Weisman’s book and Population Zero! Love that this group recommends things!
I didn’t comment much on CO, but I really love the gang that’s assembled here. It’s a nice contrast to my other primary blog obsession, which can get quite contentious sometimes.
I like what E.O. Wilson said about ants (speaking of Life After People) which was, to paraphrase, that if all the people on earth were to disappear the world would start to heal; if all the ants were to disappear the world would be unlivable.
I love that this thread is turning into a history lesson. π
I LOVE history!?
I am abashed. This is a great thread, and all I came up with below was snark. Noah snark.
It’s OK the Ark deserves some snark, there’s an expression in French Vaut mieux en rire qu’en pleurer , that translate to : it’s better to make fun of it than to cry about it.
?
Snark is TOTALLY acceptable here!?
Yes, I’m boggled at the amount of great history and insight being contributed here. Thank you guys!
The world was much smaller in those days, too – at least the known world.
I have to mention this omission of the Uni- family.
Hmmmmmm…..”What the Hell IS that?” (weren’t we just here recently?????
Do they put LSD in the water in Japan?????
A. I don’t think this video is Japanese. Seems to be an American spoof show of some kind.
B. No, but I’m tempted to say they do in Williamstown, KY.
OK you’re right s’t from the U.S.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgeous_Tiny_Chicken_Machine_Show
But then I’ve seen on the news that water in the States is not always pure ?
Dear heavens, are they still shipping water to Flint?
And by the way people, DON’T DUMP YOUR OLD PILLS/MEDICINE DOWN THE DRAINS AND TOILETS!!! THEY GET INTO THE WATER TABLE!!!!
– this psa brought to you by your local health department. you can always turn in old pills to the police or fire station
If only there was a way to keep pharmaceuticals out of our pee! One theory for frogs becoming more and more scarce as well as developing extra legs and dual sexual organs is because of all the hormones women take for menopause. (Wonder what Viagra does to frogs???)
Frog: Man I’m feeling kind of stiff today?
Just as long as it doesn’t let over 4 hours.
I know! My dead father did not get to hear an announcer on tv say to seek help if you have an erection lasting four hours. Besides wanting one it would have totally cracked him up to hear that on tv.
Pretty progressive sort of fellow. My father would’ve eased himself out of the room in embarrassment.
this pig is such a tiny little dancer! so uni-sweet!
Best happy piggy pic ever. Lucky pig lucky people.
You know what they say,
NICE!
I seen some pic’s of them building the ark .. but I don’t think Noah had DuPont Tyvek House Wrap .. Not built to the standards he used. And electric lights. Come on .. FAKERS !!
Now that said .. why aren’t there more uni-piggies around anymore ? This is a rare little guy for sure.
Pretty sure the ark didn’t have emergency exits and public restrooms, either.
Actually, there was an emergency exit on the real Ark, and because it was carelessly left unlocked, we lost three species, including the Spotted Yellow-Crested Ocarina Toad. Oh, you’ve never heard of the Spotted Yellow-Crested Ocarina Toad? I rest my case.
???
π π π
? ? ?
And the Crumple-Horned Snorkack.
You guys crack me up.
BTW, Ken Ham implied at some point that we don’t know what kind of technology Noah might have had at his disposal, because it was all (conveniently enough) completely obliterated in the flood!!! So using scores of construction workers with cranes and backhoes and other heavy equipment its totes okay! (But he totally takes the Bible literally, don’cha know!)
Omigosh, I think I love all of you. What a great group of people visit this website! Very smart, very funny, very informational comments. Cheers to all of you!
Absolutely – a great crew.
Yup! I love it here.