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Saturday, September 7, 2013
10 Amazing Pieces Of Financial Advice Stuffed Into 1 Cheat Sheet
Who ever said managing your finances was complicated? Apparently, everything you need to know can fit onto one index card. Thanks to University of Ch... Read more
The New American Dream: It's Not What You Think
A great number of Americans are redefining the American Dream. That was the takeaway from a recent Credit.com poll, which showed that nearly one in fo... Read more
Forget About The Halls Of Congress — The Fight For Abortion Rights Is Coming To Your Backyard
Anti-choice activists have more success restricting reproductive rights on a local level than they do passing sweeping national ... Read more
Friday, September 6, 2013
"A Universe From Nothing" Lawrence Krauss on Atheists Talk #157, Sunday, March 4th, 2012
Interview:
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/ZVRMpyATtQ4/atheists_talk-157-20120304.mp3
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/ZVRMpyATtQ4/atheists_talk-157-20120304.mp3
Dr. Lawrence Krauss is a
leader in the fields of theoretical physics, science advocacy in public
policy and education, and scientific skepticism. We are honored to have
Dr. Krauss join Atheists Talk this Sunday to discuss his recently
published book, A Universe From Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather
Than Nothing.
"Believing Bullshit" Stephen Law on Atheists Talk #143, November 27, 2011
Interview:
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/xTDuRhU4_IQ/Atheists_Talk-0143-20111127.mp3
Stephen Law (Oxford, England) is a senior lecturer in philosophy at
Heythrop College, University of London; provost for the Centre for
Inquiry UK; and the editor of Think: Philosophy for Everyone (a journal
of the Royal Institute of Philosophy). He is the author of numerous
books for adults as well as children, including The Greatest
Philosophers, Companion Guide to Philosophy, The War for Children's
Minds, and Really, Really Big Questions, among other works. His latest
book, for adults, is Believing Bullshit: How Not to Get Sucked into an
Intellectual Black Hole.
"Wacky and ridiculous belief systems abound. Members of the Heaven's
Gate suicide cult believed they were taking a ride to heaven on board a
UFO. Muslim suicide bombers expect to be greeted after death by 72
heavenly virgins. And many fundamentalist Christians insist the entire
universe is just 6,000 years old.
"Of course it's not only cults and religions that promote bizarre
beliefs. Significant numbers of people believe that aliens built the
pyramids, that the Holocaust never happened, and that the World Trade
Center was brought down by the US government.
"How do such ridiculous views succeed in entrenching themselves in the minds of sane, intelligent, college-educated people and turn them into the willing slaves of claptrap? How, in particular, do the true believers manage to convince themselves that they are the rational, reasonable ones and that everyone else is deluded? "Believing Bullshit identifies eight key mechanisms that can transform a set of ideas into a psychological flytrap. Philosopher Stephen Law suggests that, like the black holes of outer space, from which nothing, not even light, can escape, our contemporary cultural landscape contains numerous intellectual black-holes—belief systems constructed in such a way that unwary passers-by can similarly find themselves drawn in.
While such self-sealing bubbles of belief will most easily trap the gullible or poorly educated, even the most intelligent and educated of us are potentially vulnerable. Some of the world's greatest thinkers have fallen in, never to escape."
See also "A field guide to bullshit," interview in New Scientist http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21028160.200-a-field-guide-to-bullshit.html
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/xTDuRhU4_IQ/Atheists_Talk-0143-20111127.mp3
Stephen Law (Oxford, England) is a senior lecturer in philosophy at
Heythrop College, University of London; provost for the Centre for
Inquiry UK; and the editor of Think: Philosophy for Everyone (a journal
of the Royal Institute of Philosophy). He is the author of numerous
books for adults as well as children, including The Greatest
Philosophers, Companion Guide to Philosophy, The War for Children's
Minds, and Really, Really Big Questions, among other works. His latest
book, for adults, is Believing Bullshit: How Not to Get Sucked into an
Intellectual Black Hole.
"Wacky and ridiculous belief systems abound. Members of the Heaven's
Gate suicide cult believed they were taking a ride to heaven on board a
UFO. Muslim suicide bombers expect to be greeted after death by 72
heavenly virgins. And many fundamentalist Christians insist the entire
universe is just 6,000 years old.
"Of course it's not only cults and religions that promote bizarre
beliefs. Significant numbers of people believe that aliens built the
pyramids, that the Holocaust never happened, and that the World Trade
Center was brought down by the US government."How do such ridiculous views succeed in entrenching themselves in the minds of sane, intelligent, college-educated people and turn them into the willing slaves of claptrap? How, in particular, do the true believers manage to convince themselves that they are the rational, reasonable ones and that everyone else is deluded? "Believing Bullshit identifies eight key mechanisms that can transform a set of ideas into a psychological flytrap. Philosopher Stephen Law suggests that, like the black holes of outer space, from which nothing, not even light, can escape, our contemporary cultural landscape contains numerous intellectual black-holes—belief systems constructed in such a way that unwary passers-by can similarly find themselves drawn in.
While such self-sealing bubbles of belief will most easily trap the gullible or poorly educated, even the most intelligent and educated of us are potentially vulnerable. Some of the world's greatest thinkers have fallen in, never to escape."
See also "A field guide to bullshit," interview in New Scientist http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21028160.200-a-field-guide-to-bullshit.html
Attack of the Theocrats, Sean Faircloth on Atheists Talk #151, Sunday, January 22nd, 2012
How our crumbling wall of separation between church and state harms you.
Interview:Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/k9OqjrinNj8/atheists_talk-0151-012212.mp3
Sean Faircloth is the
Director of Strategy and Policy for the Richard Dawkins Foundation for
Science and Reason. In this role he is designing and leading innovative
strategies to improve the secular movement. He is a passionate,
outspoken advocate for the separation of church and state. In Attack of
the Theocrats he urges Secular Americans to recognize and address the
harm done to us all by religious privilege that has been written into
our state and federal laws.
"God and the Folly of Faith" Victor Stenger on Atheists Talk #169 Sunday, May 27th, 2012
Interview:
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/RR40WOMl7hg/atheists_talk-0169-20120527.mp3
Many religious people claim that religion and science are compatible. This raises the question, what do we mean by compatible? A person may hold both science and religion in high regard, but this tells us nothing about their values as ideas. People can and do hold plenty of contradictory beliefs. Where some people turn solely to philosophy to tell us whether religion and science are compatible, physicist and author Victor Stenger took a broader view in his new book, God and the Folly of Faith: The
Incompatibility of Science and Religion. As you can imagine from the
title, things do not go well for the compatibility argument.
In a sweeping historical survey that begins with ancient Greek
science and proceeds through the Renaissance and Enlightenment to
contemporary advances in physics and cosmology, Stenger makes a
convincing case that Christianity held back the progress of science for
one thousand years. It is significant, he notes, that the scientific
revolution of the seventeenth century occurred only after the revolts
against established ecclesiastic authorities in the Renaissance and
Reformation opened up new avenues of thought.
The author goes on to detail how religion and science are fundamentally incompatible in several areas: the origin of the universe and its physical parameters, the origin of complexity, holism versus reductionism, the nature of mind and consciousness, and the source of morality. In the end, Stenger is most troubled by the negative influence that organized religion often exerts on politics and society. He points out antiscientific attitudes embedded in popular religion that are being used to suppress scientific results on issues of global importance, such as overpopulation and environmental degradation. When religion fosters disrespect for science, it threatens the generations of humanity that will follow ours.
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/RR40WOMl7hg/atheists_talk-0169-20120527.mp3
Many religious people claim that religion and science are compatible. This raises the question, what do we mean by compatible? A person may hold both science and religion in high regard, but this tells us nothing about their values as ideas. People can and do hold plenty of contradictory beliefs. Where some people turn solely to philosophy to tell us whether religion and science are compatible, physicist and author Victor Stenger took a broader view in his new book, God and the Folly of Faith: The
The author goes on to detail how religion and science are fundamentally incompatible in several areas: the origin of the universe and its physical parameters, the origin of complexity, holism versus reductionism, the nature of mind and consciousness, and the source of morality. In the end, Stenger is most troubled by the negative influence that organized religion often exerts on politics and society. He points out antiscientific attitudes embedded in popular religion that are being used to suppress scientific results on issues of global importance, such as overpopulation and environmental degradation. When religion fosters disrespect for science, it threatens the generations of humanity that will follow ours.
"Space Chronicles" Neil DeGrasse Tyson on Atheists Talk #170 Sunday, June 3rd, 2012
Interview:
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/c0utBY0g9Uw/atheists_talk-0170-20120603.mp3
The space shuttles have been retired. Nothing is immediately in the
pipeline at NASA to replace them. We, as a country, look up into space
and know that we are not going there in person any time soon. To
commemorate this change, astrophysicist and beloved science communicator
Neil DeGrasse Tyson collected his commentaries on space, from magazine
articles to interviews to speeches--even tweets--and consolidated them
into Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier.
Now that NASA has put human space flight effectively on hold—with a
five- or possibly ten-year delay until the next launch of astronauts
from U.S. soil—Tyson’s views on the future of space travel and America’s
role in that future are especially timely and urgent.
This book represents the best of Tyson’s commentary, including a candid new introductory essay on NASA and partisan politics, giving us an eye-opening manifesto on the importance of space exploration for America’s economy, security, and morale. Thanks to Tyson’s fresh voice and trademark humor, his insights are as delightful as they are provocative, on topics that range from the missteps that shaped our recent history of space travel to how aliens, if they existed, might go about finding us. On April 30, Stephanie Zvan and Brianne Bilyeu chatted with Neil about the book, bad depictions of aliens in science fiction, and his favorite poem.
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/c0utBY0g9Uw/atheists_talk-0170-20120603.mp3
The space shuttles have been retired. Nothing is immediately in the
pipeline at NASA to replace them. We, as a country, look up into space
and know that we are not going there in person any time soon. To
commemorate this change, astrophysicist and beloved science communicator
Neil DeGrasse Tyson collected his commentaries on space, from magazine
articles to interviews to speeches--even tweets--and consolidated them
into Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier.
Now that NASA has put human space flight effectively on hold—with a
five- or possibly ten-year delay until the next launch of astronauts
from U.S. soil—Tyson’s views on the future of space travel and America’s
role in that future are especially timely and urgent.This book represents the best of Tyson’s commentary, including a candid new introductory essay on NASA and partisan politics, giving us an eye-opening manifesto on the importance of space exploration for America’s economy, security, and morale. Thanks to Tyson’s fresh voice and trademark humor, his insights are as delightful as they are provocative, on topics that range from the missteps that shaped our recent history of space travel to how aliens, if they existed, might go about finding us. On April 30, Stephanie Zvan and Brianne Bilyeu chatted with Neil about the book, bad depictions of aliens in science fiction, and his favorite poem.
"The Christ-Myth Theory and Its Problems" Robert Price on Atheists Talk #171 Sunday, June 10th, 2012
Interview:
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/C7m53c-IPbQ/atheists_talk-0171-20120610.mp3
Even among those who don't believe that Jesus was divine, disagreement remains over whether he existed at all. On one side, there are the historicists, who believe that Jesus was a fully human preacher who founded a small cult. On the other side, there are the mythicists, who believe that the cult was formed later and Jesus was hallucinated and/or invented to support the cult. The academic fight between the historicists and the mythicists is heating up at the moment. A number of leading scholars have released or are about to release books making their cases to the public. In his recent book The Christ-Myth Theory and Its Problems, Robert Price makes a case for the mythicists.
The Christ-Myth theory ... "Worse Than Atheism"? New Testament
scholar Robert M. Price, one of America's leading authorities on the
Bible, has assembled in his book evidence that shows that almost the
entire "biography of Jesus" is a conscious reworking of earlier
literature.It is one thing to say "There are no gods" or "Jesus was not a
god, just a man." It is quite another thing to say "Jesus of Nazareth
never existed at all" or that "Christ is a myth." But scholars have been
saying exactly that since at least 1793 when the Enlightenment scholar
Charles Dupuis began to publish his 13-volume Origine de Tous les
Cultes, ou Religion Universelle, which elucidated the astral origins not
only of Christianity but of other ancient religions as well.
New Testament scholar Robert M. Price, one of America's leading
authorities on the Bible, here summarizes much of the scholarship that
has led him and a growing number of modern scholars to conclude that
Christ -- a partial synonym for Jesus of Nazareth -- is mythical.
Most usefully, Price has assembled evidence that shows that almost the entire "biography of Jesus" has been created from Greek Old Testament stories and themes and even incorporates motifs from Homer, Euripides, and perhaps Aesop. Because readers will have a hard time "taking it on faith" that the Jesus biography is merely a reworking of previous material, broad swaths of "Old Testament" context are quoted in association with each New Testament equivalent, so readers can judge for themselves whether or not Dr. Price's claim be true: the "Live of Christ" was not fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies; it was, rather, a conscious reworking of earlier literature.
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/C7m53c-IPbQ/atheists_talk-0171-20120610.mp3
Even among those who don't believe that Jesus was divine, disagreement remains over whether he existed at all. On one side, there are the historicists, who believe that Jesus was a fully human preacher who founded a small cult. On the other side, there are the mythicists, who believe that the cult was formed later and Jesus was hallucinated and/or invented to support the cult. The academic fight between the historicists and the mythicists is heating up at the moment. A number of leading scholars have released or are about to release books making their cases to the public. In his recent book The Christ-Myth Theory and Its Problems, Robert Price makes a case for the mythicists.
Most usefully, Price has assembled evidence that shows that almost the entire "biography of Jesus" has been created from Greek Old Testament stories and themes and even incorporates motifs from Homer, Euripides, and perhaps Aesop. Because readers will have a hard time "taking it on faith" that the Jesus biography is merely a reworking of previous material, broad swaths of "Old Testament" context are quoted in association with each New Testament equivalent, so readers can judge for themselves whether or not Dr. Price's claim be true: the "Live of Christ" was not fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies; it was, rather, a conscious reworking of earlier literature.
Week In The News: Syria And Congress, G20, Fukushima (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)
Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/09/06/week-syria-g20-fukushima
A real, deep quandary over Syria this week in Congress and a gut-wrenching debate beyond. Hearings and passion for military strikes, intervention. A chorus of passion against military strikes in town halls around the country. An unresolved tension over what intervention would be – a smack or a game-changer. In Russia, the President says it’s the world’s red line. We’ll see.
Beyond Syria, Japan builds a nuclear ice wall, jobs numbers come in soft, Diana Nyad makes her big swim. Robert Frost is dead. Up next On Point: our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/09/06/week-syria-g20-fukushima
A real, deep quandary over Syria this week in Congress and a gut-wrenching debate beyond. Hearings and passion for military strikes, intervention. A chorus of passion against military strikes in town halls around the country. An unresolved tension over what intervention would be – a smack or a game-changer. In Russia, the President says it’s the world’s red line. We’ll see.
Beyond Syria, Japan builds a nuclear ice wall, jobs numbers come in soft, Diana Nyad makes her big swim. Robert Frost is dead. Up next On Point: our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.
- Tom Ashbrook
Friday News Roundup - Domestic (Diane Rehm Show)
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-09-06/friday-news-roundup-domestic
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-09-06/friday-news-roundup-domestic
President Barack Obama said
he is confident Congress will agree to a military strike against Syria
despite divisions. But a top aide said on NPR this morning that it’s
unlikely the president will act without congressional approval. The New
York Times and other news media reported the National Security Agency
has succeeded in breaking encryption that keeps people’s personal data
safe online. The Labor Department reported mixed news on summer
unemployment numbers as the jobless rate dips to 7.3 percent. Prospects
for an immigration overhaul have dimmed over the summer congressional
recess. And the White House steps up its public relations campaign for
health care enrollment. A panel of journalists joins guest host Susan
Page for analysis of the week's top national news stories.
Friday News Roundup - International (Diane Rehm Show)
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-09-06/friday-news-roundup-international
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-09-06/friday-news-roundup-international
Debate over Syria dominates
the G-20 summit in Russia. Egypt’s interior minister survives a car
bombing. And Brazil and Mexico demand an explanation of alleged U.S.
spying. A panel of journalists joins guest host Susan Page for analysis
of the week's top international news stories.
'Nursery school dropouts': Poverty as a health crisis for many of America's kids
By Barbara Raab, Senior Producer, NBC News America's pediatricians are sounding an alarm about what they call "the most important problem facing chil... Read more
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Iran Is More Progressive Than The GOP On Birth Control [UPDATED]
Iran's Ayatollah believes family planning services should be free for whoever wants them.The post Iran Is More Progressive Than ... Read more
NOAA: Warming-Driven Sea Level Rise To Make Sandy-Type Storm Surges The Norm On East Coast
Atlantic City could be suffering Hurricane Sandy level storm surges every year as early as 2050, thanks to human-caused sea ... Read more
Colorado Proves Housing The Homeless Is Cheaper Than Leaving Them On The Streets
Win-Win: How a prison-turned-homeless-shelter is helping support needy Coloradans.The post Colorado Proves Housing The Homeless ... Read more
Just One Degree Of Warming Could Cut One-Fifth Of Kansas’ Wheat Production
New research shows how the state could be a microcosm of the threat climate change poses to human food production.The post Just ... Read more
Major New Study On Obamacare Premiums Should End The ‘Rate Shock’ Hysteria Once And For All
The most detailed study on Obamacare insurance premiums to date finds that Americans will be paying even less than expected for ... Read more
Plenty of options under health care law, studies show
Coverage under President Barack Obama's health care law won't be cheap, but cost-conscious consumers hunting for lower premiums will have plenty of op... Read more
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
How The Catholic Bishops Plan To Fight Marriage Equality And Why It Won’t Work
The United State Conference of Catholic Bishops has published a series of tips to help Catholics fight marriage equality, but ... Read more
Pastor Wasn't Prepared For Lawmaker's Gay Marriage Stance
What do you do when you're a politician live on television and a pastor who is against marriage equality asks you why you ... Read more
America's poorest diocese set to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy amid sex abuse claims
> The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico, plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this month to cope with mounting costs of litigat... Read more
Just Seven Percent Of Republican Voters Actually Want To Defund Obamacare
Some far-right GOP lawmakers have been pushing to block funds for the health reform law, but those efforts are extremely ... Read more
Why Obama Just Named Sweden As A Model For Energy Policy
In the 70s, Sweden got more than three-quarters of its energy from fossil fuels, but gets more power from renewable sources ... Read more
Georgia’s Governor Took Money From The Insurance Lobby While Denying Health Coverage To The Poor
A Super PAC linked to Gov. Nathan Deal (R) has taken over half a million dollars in political contributions from the health ... Read more
Armed Protesters Might Be Coming To Your Neighborhood To Pass Out Candy To Children
The group Gun Rights Across America has issued a nationwide call for gun owners to stand outside their homes with firearms in ... Read more
Less Popular Than Cockroaches
Republicans have finally found something less popular than Congress: their demands to defund or delay ... Read more
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
CHARTS: How The Increase Of 401(k)s Has Created Lots Of Inequality
The shift to saving for retirement in 401(k)s instead of pensions hurts low-income and minority workers. Read more
Federal Judge: Ohio Must Recognize Widower’s Same-Sex Spouse On Death Certificate
A new couple has joined the Ohio lawsuit, and a federal judge has already ruled that the widower must be recognized as his late ... Read more
As Chicago Kids Head Back To School, Conservatives Freak Out About ‘Kindergarten Sex Ed’
This year, Chicago will become the largest urban school district to mandate comprehensive sex ed requirements at every grade ... Read more
CDC Predicts Obamacare May Help Reduce The Number Of Americans Dying From Heart Disease
The CDC estimates that about 200,000 deaths each year could be prevented with better access to health ... Read more
The Stubborn States Refusing To Expand Medicaid Are Going To End Up Exacerbating Rural Poverty
Health experts warn that Medicaid is actually a rural issue -- and thanks to some stubborn Republican lawmakers, most of the ... Read more
Republicans’ Devious Plan To Slow Down Obamacare Enrollment
Lawmakers who had criticized the IRS for improperly targeting conservative nonprofits are demanding that organizations tasked ... Read more
UN Chief Scientist Urges Action On Climate Change: ‘We Have Five Minutes Before Midnight’
Rajendra Pachuari, head of the United Nation's group of climate scientists, said on Monday that time to act on climate change ... Read more
Prominent Wedding Column Helps Dispel Stigma By Openly Discussing Abortion
The New York Times takes a small step forward by acknowledging that abortion often plays a role in women's reproductive lives ... Read more
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