Woman with the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail

Woman with the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail[rating:4/5]

Overall, this was a rather interesting book. While I remain concerned that much of it is based upon pure speculation (and therefore did little to persuade me that author was correct in her presumptions), it did raise many interesting questions. As with Holy Blood, Holy Grail, which inspired the writing of this book, the reliance upon the veracity of the Priory of Sion remains a very significant flaw – to date, there is nothing I’ve read that indicates, or at least persuades me to believe, that the Priory of Sion is not a complete hoax that was fabricated by a charlatan during the 1950’s. Furthermore, the second half of the book seems to have fallen into the trap of feminist garbage and, as a result, also distracts from the author’s claims.

Even so, the book does raise many interesting issues and causes one to want more information, although with a greater focus upon historical facts and less speculation.

White Polypropylene Toilet Bowl Brush Holder

Bowl Brush Holder[rating:5/5]

Okay, okay! In case you’re wondering (gosh, why would you do that?) I did NOT “read” this item. In fact, I’ve never seen it. The truth be told, I did order one – for Antonio Villaraigosa, major of Los Angeles, as part of a protest against his bigoted remarks against Americans. Specifically, he stated:

“We clean your toilets, we clean your hotels, we build your houses, we take care of your children.”

Yes, I find that offensive – he was referring to “his people” (illegal aliens) and not American citizens. So, if you’re as offended by his bigotry as I am, you can place your own order today!

His contact information is:

Antonio R. Villaraigosa
200 North Spring Street, Room 303
Los Angeles, CA 90012
mayor@lacity.org

Hacking Movable Type (ExtremeTech)

Hacking Movable Type[rating:.5/5]

To be honest, I’m VERY disgusted with this book – I just purchased it this afternoon, started to read it and went to the web site that was supposed to contain plugins and other materials from the book, only to find that it is essentially an EMPTY site! The site is located at:

http://www.hackingmt.com/

There is no reason that this book has been out for such a long time and yet there is still no real site! On top of that, one of the authors even touts that this bogus site is “coming soon.” That’s right, Jay Allen announces on his own blog that: “Hacking Movable Type (which has a ‘coming-soon’ companion website, hackingmt.com) is finally out and it’s even more fantastic than I remember.” That post is located at:

http://jayallen.org/journey/2005/08/hacking_movable_type_is_out

He made that post on August 18, 2005 and it’s now the middle of April 2006. Frankly, I’m disgusted and can not recommend this book if the authors and publisher (Wiley) are so dishonest.