Brad Washburn
Author's posts
Jul 09
Two Biblical Creation Accounts
Most religious traditions contain some form of cosmogony, or creation myth, and Abrahamic religions are no different. The Book of Genesis opens with a tale of creation which provides an interesting look at the origin of the world. Genesis says that God created the heaven and the earth in the beginning. When the earth was …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/two-biblical-creation-accounts/
Jul 02
Isis and Demeter
While reading the Egyptian myth of the death of Osiris, I was struck by the similarities in Isis’s search for Osiris’s body and the Greek myth of Demeter’s (Ceres) search for Persephone (Proserpina). In the Egyptian myth, Isis searched the world for Osiris’s body, locked inside a casket. She discovered that the casket had been …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/isis-and-demeter/
Jun 25
The Death of Osiris
When Ra ascended to heaven, Osiris and and his consort Isis took the throne and ruled over Egypt. Osiris tamed the people of Egypt, putting in place good laws and judging in wisdom. Isis and Osiris taught the people to grow and harvest crops. They also taught the people to build temples and live in …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/the-death-of-osiris/
Jun 21
Into Darkness: A Life-Long Trekkie’s Review
A couple of nights ago, I finally got around to watching Star Trek Into Darkness. As you may be able to tell from the lateness of my viewing experience, I was not much of a fan of Star Trek (2009) so I had mixed feelings about seeing Into Darkness. WARNING: The rest of this review …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/into-darkness-a-life-long-trekkies-review/
Jun 18
The Talkative Tortoise
While reading Indian Fairy Tales, I came across an interesting story from the Jataka. The story tells of a tortoise who lived in a pond in the Himalayas. The tortoise loved to talk, and he eventually became good friends with two young wild geese. One day, the two geese invited the tortoise to come with …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/the-talkative-tortoise/
Jun 13
Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp, Part III
The Magician Seeks Revenge One day, the city was attacked by the Sultan’s enemies. The Sultan appointed Aladdin as commander of his armies. He fearlessly engaged the enemy, and after a violent battle he put them all to flight. The Sultan declared a festival to celebrate the triumph and the love of the people for …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/aladdin-and-the-enchanted-lamp-part-iii/
Jun 12
Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp, Part II
Aladdin’s Marriage to the Sultan’s Daughter One day, the Sultan’s daughter, Lady Badr al-Budur, desired to visit the public baths. The merchants all closed shop so that she would have her privacy, but Aladdin hid behind the door of the bathhouse in order to catch a glimpse of her beauty. Upon seeing her face, Aladdin …
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Jun 11
Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp, Part I
The Finding of the Lamp In the city of Al-Kal’as in China, there lived Mustapha, a poor tailor, with his wife and young son, Aladdin. When Aladdin reached his tenth year, the tailor decided to teach him his trade. Aladdin was lazy, and whenever Mustapha left his shop Aladdin would sneak out and play with …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/aladdin-and-the-enchanted-lamp-part-i/
Jun 06
Book Review: The Tolkien Reader
The Tolkien Reader By J.R.R. Tolkien Published in 1966, The Tolkien Reader is a collection of shorter works by the father of modern fantasy, The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien. I was about ten years old when I bought my copy at a local used book store, the same store where I bought …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/book-review-the-tolkien-reader/
Jun 01
5 Tips for Reshingling a Roof
When my wife and I bought our house, we were told by our insurance company we would need to replace the roof shingles within the next year. That was almost a year ago, so over Memorial Day weekend we reshingled our house. Many hours and several mistakes later, I consider myself qualified to offer a …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/5-tips-for-reshingling-a-roof/