Welcome to this week's selection of Picks where the holidays are over, the ornaments are packed away and the new year is upon us. Even though the tinsel has been torn down and there is a chill in the air, we think the spirit of peace and goodwill to all women and men still endures. And how convenient for us. Because in looking over this week's collection of sites, a similar dominant theme emerges and allows us to offer you this old adage: make love, not war. That said, let's get started.
In the beginning, according to Ronald Ecker, there was romance. Love was in the air, suggests Ronald's And Adam Knew Eve: A Dictionary of Sex in the Bible which gathers from biblical texts all sexually related stories, concepts and laws. Not only did Adam know Eve, but Abigail knew David, Judith knew Holofernes, Zipporah knew Moses, all in the biblical sense, we assume, and it is all presented in alphabetical order at this site. Browse through the sometimes tawdry tales. Find out what, "Be fruitful and multiply," might really mean. Love-ly.
From the Garden of Eden to Angelic Heaven, a monthly bible, of sorts, based on the classic television show "Charlie's Angels." We know your hearts long for those fearless crime-fighting damsels, one could go so far as to say (and we will) the Eve's of the late seventies, that once graced your TV screens. Angelic Heaven is your chance to catch up with Cheryl Ladd, Farrah Fawcett, and Kate Jackson or reminisce about episodes aired long ago. Read the Angels' current biographies and find out what they've been up to for the past twenty some years. Heavenly bodies abound.
In the eve-nt that you are trying to calculate the probability of love between you and the apple of your eye, the Love Calculator is your tool. Plug in your full name and that of your little sweet pea and the calculator will predict, to the nearest percentage, the chance that the two of you will end up in the same pod. We couldn't quite figure out Moses' or Zipporah's last names, but they scored a 77%.
What? Your numbers were a little low? No matter. If not love, you can always make conversation. Simon Laven even has a few special someones with whom you can talk: Fred apparently knows a lot about Star Trek, Julia is available and has a passion for cats, Eliza tends to be a bit of a psychoanalyst, Dr. Mystik talks a lot of trash and Shampage gets along with everyone. See, Simon's site is a "one stop shop for chatterbots," computer scripts that simulate conversation, regular raconteurs, ready and waiting to shoot the breeze with you.
What? You'd rather look at cross sections of the human brain? Fine. Go ahead. It doesn't (grey) matter to us. We don't mind.
While they aren't necessarily making a provision for love in Guatemala, it certainly isn't one for war either, or so we gather from the Guatemala Peace Process. We learned that on December 29th, 1996 the country signed a "Firm and Lasting Peace Accord" to settle its civil war. Read the history behind the momentous movement, follow a chronology of the events leading up to the signing of the document and meet the main protagonists in the process. Understanding and reconciliation. Ah, how nice.
This week, from the labor of love department, we offer The Illustrated Elton John Discography by David Bodoh. David has transcribed the lyrics to Elton John's every song and posted them at this site. From "Amy" to "Your Song" and "All the Nasties" in between, the site offers more words than you could ever hope to memorize. Look at the long list of tunes alphabetically or by album title. Comb the classifieds for Elton John memorabilia or piece together album covers at the puzzle. The site is aflame. It ain't no candle in the wind.
Finally, a true tribute to the labors of women artists. The National Museum of Women in the Arts, "is the only museum dedicated exclusively to recognizing the contributions of women artists." The museum brings recognition to the achievements of women artists of all periods and nationalities by exhibiting, preserving, acquiring and researching art by women. Peruse the museum's permanent collection, take a video tour of the entire museum, or read artist's profiles. Take your pick(s).