Friday, November 8, 2013
Leonard Mlodinow: Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior
Interview:
From the Description on Youtube:
From the Description on Youtube:
Point of Inquiry, the flagship podcast of the Center for Inquiry, relaunches with a special episode recorded before a live audience at the 2013 CFI Summit in Tacoma, Washington, with new co-host Josh Zepps of HuffPost Live.Youtube
Our unconscious minds offer us something of a paradox. On the one hand, we'd be lost without it, as it processes information without us ever being aware of it — it's how we deal with the real world in real time. But on the other hand, we don't always have a complete picture, so the unconscious mind can often draw mistaken conclusions, even though they may feel right at a "gut level."
This is the subject of the work of Leonard Mlodinow in his most recent book Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior, for which he won the 2013 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award for a book of literary nonfiction on the subject of the physical or biological sciences. In this interview, Mlodinow explains how we have trouble poking holes in our own suppositions.
Leonard Mlondinow is a physicist, author, and screenwriter best known for coauthoring (with Stephen Hawking) the New York Times number-one best seller The Grand Design and the international best seller A Briefer History of Time, as well as The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives, a New York Times notable book of the year.
"Atheism Advanced: David Eller on Atheists Talk #65, Sunday April 12th, 2009
Interview:
"Dr.David Eller, anthropologist, is an atheist. He has
written text books on violence and culture, religion and culture and
culture and culture, He has also written very well received pop press
books on atheism. He will be our guest on Sunday to talk to Dr. Grant
Steves about his studies in cultural anthropology and his new book Atheism Advanced: Further Thoughts of A Freethinker.
"Atheism Advanced answers many questions, including:
Why must Atheists stop 'speaking Christian?' -- not only to prevent
religionists from setting the terms of debate but also to prevent them
from determining the very thoughts we think? Are there any religions
without gods? How are gods created, and are they being manufactured
today? Why is science necessarily atheistic? Why must Atheists advance
from being simply 'without gods' to being 'Discredists,' thinkers who
reject belief-based reasoning altogether? Includes an anthropology of
comparative religion. " From the back cover..."
"Deliverance at Hand", James Zimmerman on Atheists Talk #242, October 27, 2013
Interview:
"When a Jehovah's Witness has doubts about the faith or how the
doctrine of their faith fits in with a fact that they have learned about
the natural world, a fact that seems to contradict the doctrine of
their society, they are encouraged to do "research." For them, research
is a matter of poring over the literature of the Watchtower Bible and
Tract Society in order to find a way to reconcile the natural world with
the teachings of the Society. When a Circuit Overseer suggested that
James and Jennifer Zimmerman carry out research on a subject in order to
help rebuild their enthusiasm for Jehovah and The Truth, they agreed
that digging into the “facts” of Noah's Ark and the Flood would be a
good project for both of them to work on together.
"This turned out to be a mistake by the church, because James and Jennifer carried out their research a bit too enthusiastically. They discovered that the flood could not have been global, but more importantly, their research led to an agnosticism and a realization that the people who have "The Truth" did not, in fact, have the truth.
"Deliverance at Hand!: The Redemption of a Devout Jehovah's Witness is James Zimmerman's new book on his experiences in the Jehovah's Witnesses and leaving them behind. This book is just out and available for purchase through Amazon and Barnes and Noble as either e-book or in paperback. However, if you purchase the book in hardcopy through Minnesota Atheists a portion of the sale will benefit our organization."
More info
Download / Listen
"When a Jehovah's Witness has doubts about the faith or how the
doctrine of their faith fits in with a fact that they have learned about
the natural world, a fact that seems to contradict the doctrine of
their society, they are encouraged to do "research." For them, research
is a matter of poring over the literature of the Watchtower Bible and
Tract Society in order to find a way to reconcile the natural world with
the teachings of the Society. When a Circuit Overseer suggested that
James and Jennifer Zimmerman carry out research on a subject in order to
help rebuild their enthusiasm for Jehovah and The Truth, they agreed
that digging into the “facts” of Noah's Ark and the Flood would be a
good project for both of them to work on together."This turned out to be a mistake by the church, because James and Jennifer carried out their research a bit too enthusiastically. They discovered that the flood could not have been global, but more importantly, their research led to an agnosticism and a realization that the people who have "The Truth" did not, in fact, have the truth.
"Deliverance at Hand!: The Redemption of a Devout Jehovah's Witness is James Zimmerman's new book on his experiences in the Jehovah's Witnesses and leaving them behind. This book is just out and available for purchase through Amazon and Barnes and Noble as either e-book or in paperback. However, if you purchase the book in hardcopy through Minnesota Atheists a portion of the sale will benefit our organization."
More info
Download / Listen
"Perv: The Sexual Deviant In All of Us" Jesse Bering on Atheists Talk #243, November 3rd, 2013
Interview:
"Writer. Psychologist. Promiscuous Mind."
"The tagline on his website summarizes this week’s guest, Jesse Bering, in a more succinct manner than we could ever hope to do, but we can certainly build on it: PhD, notable contributor to Scientific American, Slate, The New York Times, The Guardian and Discover Magazine, and author of the books Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That? and The Belief Instinct. We are pleased to welcome Jesse Bering back to Atheists Talk to discuss his newest book Perv: The Sexual Deviant In All of Us. From his website:
More info
Download / Listen
"Writer. Psychologist. Promiscuous Mind."
"The tagline on his website summarizes this week’s guest, Jesse Bering, in a more succinct manner than we could ever hope to do, but we can certainly build on it: PhD, notable contributor to Scientific American, Slate, The New York Times, The Guardian and Discover Magazine, and author of the books Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That? and The Belief Instinct. We are pleased to welcome Jesse Bering back to Atheists Talk to discuss his newest book Perv: The Sexual Deviant In All of Us. From his website:
"You are a sexual deviant. A pervert, through and through.” We may not want to admit it, but as the award-winning columnist and psychologist Jesse Bering reveals in Perv, there is a spectrum of perversion along which we all sit. Whether it’s voyeurism, exhibitionism, or your run-of-the-mill foot fetish, we all possess a suite of sexual tastes as unique as our fingerprints—and as secret as the rest of the skeletons we’ve hidden in our closets.
More info
Download / Listen
Week In The News: Election 2013, Twitter IPO And Toronto’s Messy Mayor (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)
Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/11/08/twitter-ipo-rob-ford-obamacare
A crack smoking mayor across the border this week, and early signals in the US on 2016 politics ahead. Chris Christie wins big as a fighting GOP moderate. The tea party man loses in Virginia. New York elects a mayor who’s vowed to take on inequality. Stay tuned. In Washington, the president says he’s sorry for Americans who are losing health policies. They’ll have better policies says the White House. The Senate votes gay rights in the workplace. Twitter has a big-time IPO. New jobs numbers and the GDP, up pretty strong.
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/11/08/twitter-ipo-rob-ford-obamacare
A crack smoking mayor across the border this week, and early signals in the US on 2016 politics ahead. Chris Christie wins big as a fighting GOP moderate. The tea party man loses in Virginia. New York elects a mayor who’s vowed to take on inequality. Stay tuned. In Washington, the president says he’s sorry for Americans who are losing health policies. They’ll have better policies says the White House. The Senate votes gay rights in the workplace. Twitter has a big-time IPO. New jobs numbers and the GDP, up pretty strong.
– Tom Ashbrook
Friday News Roundup - Domestic (Diane Rehm Show)
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-11-08/friday-news-roundup-domestic
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-11-08/friday-news-roundup-domestic
The U.S. economy adds
204,000 jobs in October. President Barack Obama apologizes to Americans
for not doing enough to protect people from having their insurance
policies cancelled under the Affordable Care Act. The Senate passes
legislation that would ban workplace discrimination against gay and
transgender employees. Republican Chris Christie is reelected governor
of New Jersey, and speculation heats up over his prospects for a
presidential run. And Twitter makes its Wall Street debut. Guest host
Katty Kay and a panel of journalists discuss the week in news.
Friday News Roundup - International (Diane Rehm Show)
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-11-08/friday-news-roundup-international
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-11-08/friday-news-roundup-international
Geneva talks on Syria stall
as negotiators fail to agree on conditions. Deposed Egyptian President
Mohamed Morsi goes on trial. And the European Central Bank cuts its
benchmark interest rate to a record low. Guest host Katty Kay and a
panel of journalists discuss the week's top international stories.
Grotesque Inequality
Sen. Bernie Sanders discusses America's "grotesque" economic inequality with MSNBC's Ed Schultz.
Pryor Warned In Right-Wing Ad Not To Let Obama Fill Key Judicial Vacancies (VID)
A conservative group is attacking Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR), who is up for re-election in 2014, with a TV ad buy demanding he refuse to let Pr... Read more
GOP Senate Candidate Wants Gun Safety, Religion Taught In Schools (VIDEO)
Schools are failing students with a lack of gun and Bible education, according to a U.S. Senate candidate in South Dakota. In a 17-second video poste... Read more
Tea Party Wins Virginia Despite Losing Every Election
... if you listen to Republicans talk, that is...
Media Matters To Publisher: Move Discredited Benghazi Book To Fiction Shelf
Its author discredited, a new book on the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya should be treated as a work of fiction, the liberal Media Matters for America... Read more
'60 Minutes' correspondent apologizes for disputed Benghazi report
A CBS correspondent apologized on Friday and said venerable TV news magazine "60 Minutes" would issue a correction to a report it aired about the Beng... Read more
Texas Homeowner Battles $3 Million Defamation Lawsuit For Exposing Fracking Company’s Pollution
Steve Lipsky, a Texas conservative homeowner, has found himself at the center of a $3 million lawsuit for defamation from an ... Read more
Fed Official: Wall Street Still Thinks It Is Above The Law
Without a "cultural shift," the financial industry is likely to bring about another disaster.The post Fed Official: Wall Street ... Read more
Oversight Chairman Accused Of Leaking Misleading Information About Obamacare Implementation
This isn't the first time Issa's leaks proved to be false. The post Oversight Chairman Accused Of Leaking Misleading ... Read more
The Obamacare Sign-Ups No One Is Talking About
Obamacare's first month was a mess. After nearly 40 days, HealthCare.gov still doesn't work right, derailing health insurance sign-ups for those in th... Read more
Israel 'utterly rejects' potential Iran nuclear deal; Kerry heads to talks in Geneva
> GENEVA - Israel rejected out of hand on Friday a mooted deal between world powers and Iran, just as Secretary of State John Kerry prepared ... Read more
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Obama Makes Big Move On Minimum Wage
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is throwing his support behind congressional Democrats' proposal to raise the minimum ... Read more
Billionaires Collect Millions In Taxpayer Dollars Through Farm Subsidies
Government farm programs sent more than $11.3 million to billionaires since 1995.The post Billionaires Collect Millions In ... Read more
Priest demands Nienstedt explain handling of clergy sexual abuse
"ST. PAUL, Minn. —
A popular St. Paul priest on Sunday
accused Archbishop John Nienstedt of arrogance and demanded an
explanation for the clergy sexual abuse scandal..."
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/10/29/priest-demands-nienstedt-explain-handling-of-clergy-abuse
More on the current sex abuse scandal in Twin Cities, MN
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/10/29/priest-demands-nienstedt-explain-handling-of-clergy-abuse
More on the current sex abuse scandal in Twin Cities, MN
MICHIGAN ATHEISTS 27th ANNUAL STATE CONVENTION
Celebrating Michigan’s Secular Community
WHEN: Saturday, December 7, 2013 TIME: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
WHERE: Clarion Hotel & Conference Center
2900 Jackson Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 (734) 665-4444
More info
WHEN: Saturday, December 7, 2013 TIME: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
WHERE: Clarion Hotel & Conference Center
2900 Jackson Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 (734) 665-4444
More info
George W. Bush To Keynote Fundraiser For Messianic Judaism Group
Former President George W. Bush will speak at a Texas fundraiser in November for a group that tries to convert Jews into accepting Jesus Christ as the... Read more
The Climate Impact Of Canada’s Tar Sands Is Growing
"Canada doesn't seem to fully grasp the risk that climate change poses to it and its people in its approach to climate change," ... Read more
Bipartisan Group Of National Security Experts Praise Obama’s Diplomacy With Iran
As the U.S. restarts negotiations with Iran in Geneva this week, 79 national security experts praise the Obama administration's ... Read more
GOP Congressman Still Thinks Saddam Hussein Bought Uranium From Niger
Even a decade after the Bush administration admit it was duped, there are still those out there who want to believe.The post ... Read more
Abstinence-Only Course In Texas Tells Kids That Having Sex Makes Them Like A Chewed-Up Piece Of Gum
It's a message that's not sitting well with some of the parents in the community.The post Abstinence-Only Course In Texas Tells ... Read more
These Colorado Parents Think Their Daughters’ Transgender Classmate Is A ‘Confused Boy’
When you strip away the scary music, these families attacking a Colorado transgender teenager just sound transphobic.The post ... Read more
Why Secularists Should Support Freedom of Belief for All - Venn Institute | Venn Institute
"It has become common place for politicians to toss around the term
“religious freedom” as of late. But its meaning has become severely
distorted..."
http://www.venninstitute.org/freedom-for-all-series/why-secularists-should-support-freedom-of-belief-for-all
http://www.venninstitute.org/freedom-for-all-series/why-secularists-should-support-freedom-of-belief-for-all
Shameful Shunning in a Thousand Words (Jehovah's Witness)
"This is a picture of my dad eating. He had just made lunch for me,
but he couldn’t eat it with me. I had to eat it at another table with my
four-year-old son while he sat there away from me.
"Why? Because that’s what the Watch Tower Society tells him to do..."
http://aawa.co/blog/shameful-shunning-in-a-thousand-words/
"Why? Because that’s what the Watch Tower Society tells him to do..."
http://aawa.co/blog/shameful-shunning-in-a-thousand-words/
US report card: Scores up, but not all news good
Today's fourth and eighth graders are doing better than their predecessors in math and reading, but even with record scores, it's too early to celebra... Read more
Radio Campaign Tells Atheists "Where to Go"
(Washington, DC, November 5, 2013) "We'd like to tell atheists where to go!"
These words begin a 60-second radio ad encouraging atheists, agnostics and others of similar outlook to discover one or more of nearly 2,000 local groups and national organizations in North America that exist to serve them. The ads are airing 340 times this month on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, specifically targeted to audiences of CNN, INDIE Radio, MSNBC, OUTQ, and SiriusXM Progress... (More info)
Listen to the ad.
Flavored E-Cigarettes Forging New Pathways To Destruction
Cotton Candy and Atomic Fireball flavored electronic cigarettes are forging a new pathway to addiction, death and disease.
www.lincolntrailpublishing.com/articles/17889/flavored-e-cigarettes-forging-destructive-pathways
www.lincolntrailpublishing.com/articles/17889/flavored-e-cigarettes-forging-destructive-pathways
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Dem Senator Says Working With Cruz And Lee Was 'Astonishing'
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) has a couple of words to describe working with tea party stalwarts Sens. Mike Lee ... Read more
A draft bill from the Republican-led House Committee on Science would force the US National Science Foundation to document how its basic science grants benefit the country. Many scientists object that this is tantamount to asking them to predict the future.
Proposed bill would require the National Science Foundation to
justify awards using criteria including economic competitiveness and
national defense...
Read more
This Is What Progress Looks Like
Yesterday was a big day for progressives. Here's a look at the important victories we racked up at the ballot box and ... Read more
Why Obamacare Isn’t Losing Popularity Even After A Month Of Really Bad Press
After weeks of headlines declaring Obamacare's rollout to be a total disaster, how is it possible that it's not tanking in the ... Read more
Federal Housing Agency Moves To Block Banks From Swindling Homeowners For Their Own Gain
Homeowner advocates aren't impressed with a government regulator's attempt to curb an insurance scheme that hurts ... Read more
Ten States Have Banned Cities And Counties From Passing Paid Sick Days
As momentum grows for paid sick days, so too does the big business opposition.The post Ten States Have Banned Cities And ... Read more
Nation's poor at 49.7M, 1 out of 6 US residents
The number of poor people in America is 3 million higher than the official count, encompassing 1 in 6 residents due to out-of-pocket medical costs and... Read more
Top Texas Republican Thinks Abortion Caused Global Warming
David Barton: "A door has been opened and we have said, you know, we embrace a wicked policy. Okay, then I'll take my hand of ... Read more
Nasty new malware locks your files forever, unless you pay ransom
CryptoLocker, a new and nasty piece of malicious software is infecting computers around the world – encrypting important files and demanding a ransom ... Read more
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Sean Faircloth in Napier, NZ
Religion in schools... organizing for reason and tolerance and human rights...
1st Amendment Says Nothing About "State" Religion!
New Day Sunday, CNN, 11-3-2013, Amanda Knief, Managing Director and In-House Counsel of American Atheists, Inc..
About the word "thereof":
An overlooked aspect of the free exercise clause is that it looks back to the establishment clause for its definition of "religion". The establishment clause says that Congress may make no law respecting the establishment of religion, while the free exercise clause says that Congress cannot prohibit the free exercise "thereof". Logically, the word "thereof" must have the same content as the object to which it refers. Accordingly, what counts as religion for one clause MUST count as religion for the other. The free exercise clause makes no sense unless the word "religion" is read to encompass more than a church, denomination, or sect. As the free exercise clause pertains to religion generically, the word 'thereof', being placed where it is, clearly signifies that the establishment clause does likewise.
About the word "thereof":
An overlooked aspect of the free exercise clause is that it looks back to the establishment clause for its definition of "religion". The establishment clause says that Congress may make no law respecting the establishment of religion, while the free exercise clause says that Congress cannot prohibit the free exercise "thereof". Logically, the word "thereof" must have the same content as the object to which it refers. Accordingly, what counts as religion for one clause MUST count as religion for the other. The free exercise clause makes no sense unless the word "religion" is read to encompass more than a church, denomination, or sect. As the free exercise clause pertains to religion generically, the word 'thereof', being placed where it is, clearly signifies that the establishment clause does likewise.
STUDY: Obamacare Could Help Cut The Dreaded ‘Doctor Shortage’ In Half
The U.S. is expected to have a shortage of 45,000 primary care doctors by 2025. But some of Obamacare's reforms could help cut ... Read more
Senator Obliterates GOP Talking Point On Obamacare’s Maternity Coverage In 60 Seconds
"It is to our benefit, my wife and I, to support our local schools because that is our next generation, we want them well ... Read more
Republican Senators Propose Linking LGBT Rights To Union Busting
Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul want to trade LGBT worker protections for a nationwide anti-union "right-to-work" law.The post ... Read more
Food Stamp Cuts Will Bring Hardship For The Holidays
The automatic reduction in food stamps is hitting vulnerable families at one of the toughest times of the year.The post Food ... Read more
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