5
POPSCreationist Instruction The religious wackos never stop trying. And they come from all strata of society from snake handling loonies to Governors of Alaska.
11
POPS"People have found other ways to be cooperative – without God." The study also points out that in today's world religion has no monopoly on kind and generous behaviour. In many findings, non-believers acted as prosocially as believers. The last several hundred years has seen the rise of non-religious institutional mechanisms that include effective policing, courts and social surveillance. Very interesting read, on the social function of god. maybe we can say that JC, Moses and the like are history social workers :)
12
POPSPray or Go To Jail Can anyone envision a court forcing someone to engage in Hindu worship? How about Bar Mitzva vs prison? Consider a judge ordering someone to join a Coven? Why is this different?
1
POPSAccuracy of radiometric dating an earlier clip got me looking for resources on the internet to explain simply, yet completely, the underpinnings of radiometric dating. www.pbs.org/evolution provides a good starting point for many such references. there is a religious tract on the internet that makes many claims about the inaccuracy of radiometric dating methods and the infallibility of the bible as a historical record. the link in this clip addresses some of its primary claims.
11
POPSAtomic Prose "On the whole, the best writing about physics for a general audience seems to come from physicists, not journalists. This isn't due to the fact that physicists understand the subject matter better—if anything, people who spend all day in the lab are often the worst at explaining the big picture. Rather, they're better at writing about physics because they don't try so hard to make you care. They don't believe their readers must be seduced with colorful wordplay or end-of-the-world melodramas. Journalists writing popular treatments of subatomic physics could take a lesson from the scientists: Tell it straight and have a little faith that the subject matter itself—a major advance in our understanding of the cosmos—can generate its own wonder and excitement".
9
POPSSeven Cardinal & Contrary Virtues Most people are aware of the seven deadly (or cardinal) sins, but few are aware that there are two sets of seven virtues as well, one set standing in direct contrast to the sins. I find it interesting that a page devoted to atheism had a concise and easily found description of these attributes, but the religious sites I visited required wading through reams of theology much too extensive to clip. There is a clip on the Seven Cardinal Sins posted at http://clipmarks.com/clipmark/B17AB9AE-948C-4C29-8867-F0FC3434B26B/ by Sheroug.
1
POPSPublic Participation GIS This approach to development of the city and surrounding areas is exactly what we need. The people must be empowered with the information that is typically held by the government, development organizations, and those with developed computer skills and high-speed internet access. PPGIS will facilitate the participation of marginalized members of society in the creation of the ecocity. It can be integrated with accessibility software and accessed from libraries, computing centers, and other designated points in the neighborhood, and should be integrated with a user-friendly interface —such as google maps, rather than the more technologically and geographically -oriented interface employed in typical online GIS sites.
2
POPSIfill Under Scrutiny I found it interesting that World News Daily is mentioned as the source that broke this "story". Anyone not familiar with this particular web site will not be surprised that they have concerns about Ifill. The clip mentions that WND is a "right-leaning" Web site. That's like calling the Pope slightly religious. Admittedly, my only exposure to this site has been through articles by DeSousa (far right religious nut), I'd take anything they wrote with a pound of salt.
4
POPSFierce fight over Arizona anti-gay amendment Arizona failed to ban same-sex marriage in 2006, so now they are trying again. The religious right is out full-time trying to rev up the hatred of gays and lesbians in order to make sure we do not acquire the same civil rights every other citizen possesses. There is good reason to believe this vote will fail again, but just for the record, Senator McCain is fully in favour of this ban on gays having equal rights. Any gays out there planning to vote for McCain, puhleeze think again.
3
POPSMisusing religion in the presidential campaign Apparently, this false vision of America sells. According to the State of the First Amendment survey released by the First Amendment Center last week, an astounding 55% of the American people agree that the U.S. Constitution establishes a Christian nation. Of course, the text of the Constitution does no such thing: It nowhere mentions God or Christ; it bars any religious test for public office; and it prohibits any law “respecting an establishment of religion.”
2
POPS"Should a belief in witchcraft exclude someone from holding high office?"
article continues: Despite whatever you may feel about the moderate adherent of christianity, surely you can agree that witches and general witchery do not exist. Human beings have made some progress over the years, and a portion of that progress is our disbelief in notions like witchcraft and demon possession. In my view, an earnest belief in something so outrageous indicates a defect in one's mental faculties. Accusations of witchery have largely been a political construct. That is not to deny that many people over history have chosen to describe themselves as such, but allegations of congress with the devil and the ability to cast spells on others was merely maneuver of the church accomplish political gains. Most of the victims of this happened to be women of insignificant standing in their community; often they were old and barely lucid, or outcasts due to appearance or behavior. Factoring in primitive attitudes and easily incited citizens looking to blame someone for what were
3
POPSIran: The threat of a nuclear war Interesting analysis on the possible upcoming war on Iran. Is this guy right or is he wrong ? I'd like your thoughts on this. Please comment only if you think it useful.
6
POPSGames and reality, Which affects which? on the other hand, "some biologists think the game could have educational value just by making users think about science, like an entertaining hook into evolutionary biology." "Ultimately, games are made to engage the people who play them. Provoking wonderment or debate is a good thing. Wright abstracts grandiose topics, and he does it well. Not enough game designers have the stones or the vision to try the same, which is why we get battered with endless versions of Madden NFL (also put out by Electronic Arts). In the end, that's also why Spore leaves such an impression. It's more than just fun. It's worth arguing about."
3
Pops
Newest Clips
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update