My top five postings

No 1:   Swedish pedestrian crossing signs   2001 hits
No 2:  "Necrophiliac" woman                     1540 hits
No 3:  Saint Joseph Stalin                           1116 hits
No 4:  Stoning in Iran                                   919 hits
No 5:  Joaquin Malats: Serenata Española    702 hits

The first two refer to Swedish things. (For those who ask me why I, sometimes, blog about Sweden, the answers are: (i) because I live in Sweden and (ii) I don't only blog about Sweden.)

The third refers to a Russian, and--to a certain extent--global phenomenon. Of all WWII criminals, Stalin is still considered a benevolent one. So much so that (some) Russians think of him as a saint.

The fourth refers to a phenomenon which takes place in many Islamic countries, Iran being an example: the stoning of women. Although stoning appears in the Torah (roughly the Old Testament), Jews and Christians have gotten rid of it. (Criminals excepted.)

The last one refers to one of the most beautiful classical guitar pieces, a transcription of Malats' Serenata Española.

Most visited postings of this blog

According to the Stats page of blogger.com, the following postings have been the most frequented ones (listed in decreasing frequency):

1. Saint Joseph Stalin
2. Joaquin Malats: Serenata Española
3. Ryuichi Sakamoto - Chinsagu No Hana
4. Mathematicians earn top pick as the best job
5. Happy Newtonmas cards
6. The shroud of Turin and the blood of St Gennaro
7. Irish atheists challenge blasphemy law
8. Happy Newtonmas cards (reposting)
9. Greek signs
10. Can you believe that?

I'm happy to see that my (very few) postings on music have been considered as interesting. I do find the Serenata Española and the Chinsagu No Hana very beautiful.

I'm rather surprised to see that my posting on Stalin is by far the most visited one. The cult of personality is as strong as religion. A few years ago (ca. 2004), at the University of Patras, Greece, a group of students had a Stalin day, promoting his "ideas", "work", etc., by propagandist leaflets, posters, etc. I made the mistake of trying to understand. It was, of course, futile. These people were, simply, believing in Stalin, in the same way an Iranian person I know believes in Ahura Mazda. (Actually, believing in Stalin is worse than believing in Ahura Mazda. The latter did not hurt anyone [hint: consider his existence issue].)

As for my miracles/beliefs postings (#6, #7, #10), I do hope that those who have visited them find them as funny as I do. The problem is that for many people this is serious business.

Last but not least, thanks to those downloading and sharing my Newtonmas cards.

Friday Links

Not much time for blogging these days--I'm preparing for my move to Sweden--but I feel like reposting the Friday Links from http://anadder.com/:

• “The federal government has censored approximately 90 per cent of a secret document outlining its controversial plans to snoop on Australians’ web surfing, obtained under freedom of information (FoI) laws, out of fear the document could cause ‘premature unnecessary debate’.” Not the Onion but a real story, and no comment necessary. 
• Q: If you find so much that is unworthy of reverence in the United States, then why do you live here? A: Why do men go to zoos? [Source]
• Great comic on the moon hoax by the same guy who did the comic on vaccine misinformation.
• Check out an ant drinking from a water droplet, a world where surface tension reigns supreme.
• Two great classics combined: Jane Austen’s Fight Club
• Girl/World – the most overused songwriting rhyme
• Bill O’Reilly is now to the left of President Obama on DADT. Again, not the Onion.
• Chewbacca fights Nazis while riding a squirrel

Successful blogging

I guess this is why my blog is not too successful.

"a Nadder!"'s Friday Links

The Friday Links from the blog of a Nadder are not to be missed, He does a great job and I'd like to encourage him by reposting here:

http://anadder.com/friday-links-9-oct-09
http://anadder.com/friday-links-4-dec-09
http://anadder.com/friday-links-12-feb-10
http://anadder.com/friday-links-26-feb-10
http://anadder.com/friday-links-9-apr-10
http://anadder.com/friday-links-23-apr-10
http://anadder.com/friday-links-7-may-10
http://anadder.com/friday-links-18-jun-10
http://anadder.com/friday-links-21-may-10
http://anadder.com/friday-links-4-jun-10
http://anadder.com/friday-links-16-jul-10