Observations From Hadleyville: UNDER THE TEMPLE MOUNT

Thursday, January 31, 2008

UNDER THE TEMPLE MOUNT

Monday evening History Channel ran it's season premiere of "Cities of the Underworld." Among other sites in the Near East, Don Wildman was granted a pretty much exclusive tour of the "Well of Souls" under the Dome of the Rock Mosque in Jerusalem. This, remember, is in the huge foundation under which Herod's temple once sat.

I fervently hope there are other "secret" passages under temple mount. Because what we were allowed to see was NOT impressive. The "Well of Souls" was a big disappointment. Steven Spielberg did a much more impressive job with his fictional "Well of Souls" in the Egyptian ruins of Tanis.

The Dome of the Rock's Well was, well... silly. Obviously it was made by leaching out the softer dirt and rock, following the limits of the more permeable limestone. The excavation is deep, wide and short. But that is not its most disappointing aspect. The cheesy wall-to-wall, indoor-outdoor carpet takes that award. All they need is a big-screen television and some La-Z-Boys to have a real Man Cave.

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WORDS OF WISDOM FOR WRITERS

The secret of becoming a writer is that you have to write. You have to write a lot. You also have to finish what you write, even though no one wants it yet. If you don't learn to finish your work, no one will ever want to see it. The biggest mistake new writers make is carrying around copies of unfinished work to inflict on their friends.

I am sure it has been done with less, but you should be prepared to write and throw away a million words of finished material. By finished, I mean completed, done, ready to submit, and written as well as you know how at the time you wrote it.
-Jerry Pournelle

WHAT'S THIS HADLEYVILLE THING?

Those of you familiar with Mark Twain’s works might recognize my blog title. As Samuel Clemons grew older, he became increasingly disillusioned with humanity. Towards the end he began referring to the Damned Human Race; employing the secular and religious epithet at one stroke.

I find I’ve not reached that level of despair myself. I still believe in redemption and I still see signs of nobility even among we fallen, damned creatures. So, I could not bring myself to call this blog “On the Damned Human Race.” I do however, resonate with another of Clemmons stories; “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg.” And viola, there you have it. “Observations From Hadleyville.”