Searching for a symbol for truth
This site walks, and most of the time crosses, a line between being introspective and interesting or being self important and asinine. It doesn't really matter too much because 99% of the visits to this site are by me, as I'd intended. When I first started this site, I was looking for a way to practice standards based web development, and happened to be in an arrogant mood, so decided to make the site about truth. I'm no artist, so I did a little Googl'ing to find an idea for a graphic that would take attention away from the otherwise dry and boring (but W3C compliant) web site. I turned up several symbols for truth from around the world and throughout history that weren't cataloged in one place, so i thought I'd deposit them here.
Greece:
The origins of the torch as a symbol of truth most likely are derived from the sun. It's light shed clarity and lack of fear on the land, and so the torch was thought to be a small piece of the sun. Several Greek and Roman gods carried torches and were associated with truth and justice. There were many parallels between fire and life for the ancients, and the torch became a symbol of life. The torch became a religious symbol and is seen in Christianity, often inverted, to symbolize death.
Africa:
In Nsibidi, the language of the Ejagham people of Nigeria, this structure indicates a situation where two witnesses contradict each other, and one is telling the truth (the straight line).
America:
In an unknown Native American language (still looking), the upper line represents the celestial (heaven) and the bottom line represents the terrestrial (Earth). The connection between Heaven and Earth represents the creation of innocence, which has no good or bad, and this is reflected by the center line.
I'll make my usual plea: If you've happened across this site (who knows what Google turns up) and know of another symbol for truth that has ever been used by anyone, let me know and I'll include it here.
Verac.is: L.; of the truth, truthful
In Feast of Data on BPA Plastic, No Final Answer:
Everyone is exposed to BPA, but after hundreds of studies, there is no consensus about its safety.
Desert Roads Lead to Discovery in Egypt:
Archaeologists uncovered the remains of a settlement that flourished more than 3,500 years ago.
Basics: Surviving by Disguising: Nature’s Game of Charades:
There are many cases of mimicry in nature, which can be the sincerest form of flattery, the severest form of battery, or the weirdest survival strategy.
Researchers Create Nanostructures, and Whip Up a Recipe, Too:
The potential applications of nanostructures include storing hydrogen in future fuel-cell cars and delivering drugs inside the body. But they have also inspired the imagination of a Manhattan chef.
Mind: Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits:
Psychologists have discovered that some of the most hallowed advice on study habits is flat wrong.
Learning to Talk the Talk in a Hospital:
Communicating a patient's story is a matter of getting right and saying it fast.
Topical Gel Catches Up With Pills for Relief:
Controlled trials suggest that a topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug in a cream is as effective as their oral counterparts for treating osteoarthritis, soreness and tendinitis.
Global Update: Tuberculosis: Automated Test for Drug-Resistant TB Gives Results in Hours, Not Weeks:
Research indicates the test is 98 percent accurate when compared with positive results from the old method — examination of sputum by a trained microscopist.
Vital Signs: Risks: Asleep, and Helping to Keep the Weight Off:
Children under 5 who do not get at least 10 hours of sleep at night are almost twice as likely to be overweight or obese later in childhood, a new study reports.
Vital Signs: Prevention: Surgery Sharply Reduces Risk of 2 Cancers:
For women who carry a genetic mutation that puts them in danger of developing ovarian and breast cancer, prophylactic mastectomy and oophorectomy offer protection.
Vital Signs: Nostrums: A Bit of Marijuana Is Found to Ease Pain:
Patients with persistent nerve damage inhaled, and felt better, but did not get high, a Canadian study reports.
Smarter Than You Think: The Boss Is Robotic, and Rolling Up Behind You:
The next frontiers for mobile robots are the office, hospital and home.
Germany Extends Nuclear Plants’ Life:
Germany will extend the life spans of 17 plants while alternative energy sources are developed, which is likely to make money for power companies and the government.
Observatory: In a Fight for a Tree, Ants Thwart Elephants:
Ants live in the bulbous swellings of a tree known as the Acacia drepanolobium and feed on a sugary solution it produces, and in return they attack any creature that approaches it.
Observatory: Clues to Human Thought Found in Worm’s Brain:
Researchers report that something resembling a human cerebral cortex exists in the marine ragworm, a small creature that has not changed in hundreds of millions of years.
Observatory: On Birds of Many Colors, Lice Dress the Part:
Researchers have found that light-colored lice live on light-colored birds, whereas dark-colored lice live on dark-colored birds.
Q & A: The Hair of My Chin:
If I tweeze out the single hair that grows from a facial mole, will it cause cancer, as my friend insists?
Tasty Vegan Food? Cupcakes Show It Can Be Done:
Vegan eating has had a growth spurt in recent years, but a victory on a Food Network baking show this summer has showered attention on vegan food's fine taste.
Personal Health: Weight Problems May Begin in the Womb:
Excessive weight gain in pregnancy can result in bigger-than-average babies who are prenatally programmed to become overweight children.
Really?: The Claim: The Day’s Events are Incorporated Into That Night’s Dreams.:
Scientists have discerned a peculiar but predictable pattern in which dreams tend to occur.
Words Cannot Express:
Guy Deutscher’s argument about the basis of language is informed by the way we perceive and name colors.
Computers as Invisible as the Air:
Computers may simply melt away like the Cheshire Cat, and become imbedded in all the objects that make up daily life.
Taming the Wild Tuna:
A domesticated version of the giant Atlantic bluefin means what, exactly, for the species?
Questions on Deep-Sea Biology:
Jeffrey Marlow answers questions about deep-sea vents at Hydrate Ridge.
Interviews on Water Use Are Thirsty Work:
Learning which water sources villagers use and how far they carry heavy jerrycans of water is itself thirsty work in the Rwandan heat.
When It Comes to Car Batteries, Moore's Law Does Not Compute:
A team at the Almaden Research Center of I.B.M. in California is trying to develop a new battery technology called lithium air that could allow a car to go 500 miles on a single charge. But a top researcher says that it will take many years, if it ever happens at all, to make the technology useful.
Turkey Joins Europe, Electrically Speaking:
Turkey may be frustrated in its bid to become part of the European Union, but by the end of September, it will join Europe's electric grid.
Voice From the Next Offshore Oil Frontier:
The energy industry centered in Prudhoe Bay is the economic engine of the North Slope, helping preserve the Inupiat culture, but it also presents a potential threat to that culture. Mayor Edward Itta of the North Slope Borough e-mailed answers to our questions about these conflicts.
Labor (Less) Day?:
Is working less the only way to get more people working?
Letters: Headaches and Bedtime (1 Letter):
Letters to the editor.
Letters: Not for Men Only (1 Letter):
Letters to the editor.
Letters: Identical Values (1 Letter):
Letters to the editor.
Letters: Putting Babies at Risk (1 Letter):
Letters to the editor.
Letters: The Bedbug Files (2 Letters):
Letters to the editor.