Notes: June 2012

TOP: A list: Possible research subjects

Monday, June 11, 2012

1. Charles Darwin
2. Is Dan Millman a Christian? Add this common search phrase to similar article you posted re: Wayne Dyer’s teaching as blasphemy
3. A helpful perspective in pursuit of religious truth: Many Christians avoid all media that purports non-Christian views… even though the subject of a documentary film or article may be interesting, if words such as “here’s why I don’t believe in God…” appear, it will be dropped like a hot potato. There are several reasons for this avoidance, most of which are based on various types and levels of fear.

Consider these films

A Perfect Getaway
Gamer
Chronicle
Safe House (D. Washington)
The Next Three Days (R. Crowe) – Saw it; amazing
Convicted (C. Nielsen)
Enter Nowhere (Scott Eastwood)
I am Number Four

Climate shift sensationalism, fear-mongering

Thursday, June 21, 2012
Doomsday Environmental Fearmongers Will Not Go Away
These “scientists” and the United Nations make a living from instilling fear in people, coercing them to pay higher taxes giving them more control. The late, lamented Michael Crichton was “spot on” with his book “State of Fear”. Nature will pretty much take its course, no matter what us “insignificant” humans do. Giving money to these self-serving “scientists” and the United Nations is a total waste… Do a search for Michael Crichton on this blog for much more information on his expose’ of environmental fear tactics.

Environmental collapse now a serious threat: scientists

http://petesplace-peter.blogspot.com/2012/06/doomsday-environmental-fearmongers-will.html

Climate change, population growth and environmental destruction could cause a collapse of the ecosystem just a few generations from now, scientists warned on Wednesday in the journal Nature… The paper by 22 top researchers said a “tipping point” by which the biosphere goes into swift and irreversible change, with potentially cataclysmic impacts for humans, could occur as early as this century… The warning contrasts with a mainstream view among scientists that environmental collapse would be gradual and take centuries.

The study appears ahead of the June 20-22 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, the 20-year followup to the Earth Summit that set down priorities for protecting the environment.
The Nature paper, written by biologists, ecologists, geologists and palaeontologists from three continents, compared the biological impact of past episodes of global change with what is happening today.

Critical thinking, education, teaching

Friday, June 15, 2012
What on earth is Design Thinking? – Scoop It
Universal Sustainability: A Framework for Thinking about Educational Innovation – Sustain Ext
What Do Today’s Students Think About the Future of Higher Ed? You Might Be Surprised – Huff Post
2012 Business weapon of choice: Design thinking – D. Studio
Visual Meetings – Review – Divergent MBA
The World Peace Game
The Critical Analysis Process
Infographic on social media in education – Tech Comm Design
Sarah’s Chalkboard: Critical Thinking for the 21st Century
Storing Lesson Plans on Google Calendar

Eye candy, interesting images

Sunday, June 17, 2012
Things to Look at High High Candy

http://thingstolookathigh.com/

Found while searching for interesting versions of peace symbols
Others
High Eye Candy: The Milky Way From El Teide

http://www.geekologie.com/2011/04/high-eye-candy-the-milky-way-f.php

Visual Eye Candy – The Next Big Thing

http://www.tofurious.com/marketing-tips/visual-eye-candy-the-next-big-thing/

Web Urbanist

http://weburbanist.com/category/global/7-wonders/

Oddorama

http://oddorama.com/2007/12/

Forums to join & participate

Monday, June 11, 2012
Democratic Underground (joined Monday, June 11, 2012)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/

Interesting groups to join at Democratic Underground

Religion & Spirituality » Atheists and Agnostics
Although anyone is welcome to participate, the DU Atheists and Agnostics Group is a place where atheists and agnostics can engage in frank discussions about the effects of religion on politics, free of debate about the existence of a deity or deities. In this forum it is inappropriate to belittle those with religious beliefs or to engage in demeaning or hateful speech toward members of DU who may hold such beliefs. Those who do believe in a deity should be aware that the underlying assumption for discussions in this Group is that either “god” does not exist or that the existence of “god” is in doubt. If you are offended by such notions, you probably should not participate in this Group.
Source: http://www.democraticunderground.com/12301040

Religion & Spirituality » Seekers on Unique Paths
Source: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1226

Places » U.S. » Tennessee

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1077

Nashville Scene subjects

Nashville churches are embracing LGBT congregants, and the spiritual questions and challenges they raise – Those Culture Wars Aren’t Ours

http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/nashville-churches-are-embracing-lgbt-congregants-and-the-spiritual-questions-and-challenges-they-raise/Content?oid=2896966

Old-fashioned state governments, including the state government in Nashville, Tennessee, continue to push for laws protecting against non-existent “threats.” Perhaps the best examples are laws against the gay community.

Tennessee Teef
GOP Embarrasses Tennessee Again: ‘License to Bully’ Bill Goes Viral – Nashville Scene

http://www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2012/01/05/gop-embarrasses-tennessee-again-license-to-bully-bill-goes-viral-on-internet

That’s Right, It’s Not Africa. It’s Tennessee.
It is a national embarrassment that people in our country have to camp out to see a doctor they can afford. I mean, if this video doesn’t make you think there’s something very fucked up in our country, I can’t imagine what will. These are people in our state who depend on a guy in a truck to show up and get them glasses, who don’t even know that they have spots on their lungs from smoking because they can’t get an X-ray, unless it’s from this program. And the workable response we have to their health care needs is to treat it like a regularly occurring natural disaster, complete with people camping out in sports stadiums waiting for volunteer help to arrive. (Source: http://www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2012/06/21/thats-right-its-not-africa-its-tennessee )

Politics

Thursday, June 21, 2012
Mitt to Florida: Hush Up on Jobs
Things are bad, no matter how good they look. That’s the message the Romney campaign sent down to Florida, sources told Bloomberg News, where Governor Rick Scott has been tooting his own job-creation horn a little too much for the Romney camp’s liking. The governor’s office released materials this week heralding a drop in the state’s unemployment rate from 8.7 percent to 8.6 percent. Joblessness in Florida is down from 11.1 percent in December 2010, when Scott was sworn in. But sort of good news is bad news for the Romney campaign, which wants to ride a wave of dissatisfaction with the economy straight to the White House, sources say. So hush up, Guv.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2012/06/21/mitt-to-florida-hush-up-on-jobs.html

Rise and fall of Solyndra, the solar panel company

http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2011/nov/15/americans-prosperity/solyndra-ad-president-barack-obama-taxpayer-money/

Poll: Most Blame Bush for Economy
This certainly isn’t W.’s day. According to a Gallup poll released Thursday, 68 percent of Americans blame former president George W. Bush for the country’s economic woes. A full 90 percent of Democrats who responded said Bush is to blame for the weak economy, and only 19 percent said Obama should carry much of the blame. As for Republicans, they were more split: 49 percent said Bush had a moderate amount or a great deal of the blame while 51 percent said Bush deserved not much of the blame or none at all. The poll had 1,000 respondents and was conducted by telephone from June 7 to June 10.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2012/06/14/poll-most-blame-bush-for-economy.html

The message of the American Stonehenge also foreshadowed the current drive for Sustainable Development. Any time you hear the phrase “Sustainable Development” used, you should substitute the term “socialism” to be able to understand what is intended. Later in this syllabus you will read the full text of the Earth Charter which was compiled under the direction of Mikhail Gorbachev and Maurice Strong. In that document you will find an emphasis on the same basic issues: control of reproduction, world governance, the importance of nature and the environment, and a new spirituality. The similarity between the ideas engraved on the Georgia Guidestones and those espoused in the Earth Charter reflect the common origins of both.

Religion: Objective viewpoint

Friday, June 15, 2012
Faith ceases to be a virtue when it has little connection with facts of reality – Irish Times ()ct. 2011)

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2011/1025/1224306445809.html

Thinking-Christian blogspot

http://thinking-christian.blogspot.com/

Book Review: A Shot of Faith {to the head}

http://thinking-christian.blogspot.com/2012/05/book-review-shot-of-faith-to-head.html

Movie & Book Review: “An Improbable Feast” & “The Way”

http://thinking-christian.blogspot.com/2012/04/movie-book-review-improbable-feast-way.html

Monday, June 11, 2012
First Things
First Things is published by The Institute on Religion and Public Life, an interreligious, nonpartisan research and education institute whose purpose is to advance a religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society.

http://www.firstthings.com/

Recent articles of possible interest – First Things
The Offensiveness of Evangelism – First Things (Jun 2012)

http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2012/06/the-offensiveness-of-evangelism

Modern but Not Liberal: A confident Christian faith can absorb and sustain the achievements of modernity

http://www.firstthings.com/article/2012/05/modern-but-not-liberal

Related subjects – Wikipedia
Demographics of religion — Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_religion

Religion: Formerly religious leaders see the light
Search for truth leads to rejection of religion – RichardDawkins.net

http://richarddawkins.net/articles/646192-search-for-truth-leads-to-rejection-of-religion

I am an ordained, fundamentalist evangelical Christian minister — and an atheist. It might seem counterintuitive to read such a sentence, but a surprising number of ministers are rejecting religious belief.

None of us became ministers expecting to leave religion behind; we were authentic, strong, sincere, faithful clergy and practitioners of our faiths. Changing our minds about religion does not make us inherently bad or immoral people, uncharitable, dishonest, hostile, lacking in knowledge or common sense, deviants, or any of the other epithets frequently used to malign nonbelievers.

The Clergy Project
The Clergy Project is a confidential online community for active and former clergy who do not hold supernatural beliefs. The Clergy Project launched on March 21st, 2011.

Currently, the community’s 280 plus members use it to network and discuss what it’s like being an unbelieving leader in a religious community. The Clergy Project’s goal is to support members as they move beyond faith. Members freely discuss issues related to their transition from believer to unbeliever including:

• Wrestling with intellectual, ethical, philosophical and theological issues
• Coping with cognitive dissonance
• Addressing feelings of being stuck and fearing the future
• Looking for new careers
• Telling their families
• Sharing useful resources
• Living as a nonbeliever with religious spouses and family
• Using humor to soften the pain
• Finding a way out of the ministry
• Adjusting to life after the ministry

Religion: Hard Right, fundamentalism, etc.

Begin
Begin is an eye-opening journey through Scriptures that are especially key for new believers and those interested in learning about Christianity. Discover the promises of Jesus and the expectations that come in your relationship with Him. You’ll enjoy a quick and concise presentation of core concepts that help cement your faith’s foundation. With insights from Genesis 1–11 (the foundation), Exodus 20:1–17 (the Ten Commandments), John (the Gospel), Romans (a letter from Paul to Christians), and Revelation 21–22 (the fulfillment in heaven), Ken Ham and Bodie Hodge present a foundational overview that you can build your Bible study upon!

http://www.answersingenesis.org/PublicStore/product/Begin,6925,186.aspx

Religious attempts at logical argument
Ultimate Proof of Creation (The)
There is a defense for creation that is powerful, conclusive, and has no true rebuttal. As such, it is an irrefutable argument—an “ultimate proof” of the Christian worldview. Master the extremely logical method outlined in this book and you will be able to defend Christianity against all opposition.
Discerning Truth
Discerning Truth is a new, practical and extremely engaging book on the use of logic in the quest for truth regarding man’s origin.
Already Gone – Book
The next generation is calling it quits on the traditional church. And it’s not just happening on the nominal fringe; it’s happening at the core of the faith! This powerful book reveals shocking trends and offers wisdom on how to win back our families, our churches, and our world!
Ultimate Apologetics Boxed Set (4 DVDs)
4-DVD boxed set. With clear teaching and easy-to-understand illustrations, astrophysicist Dr. Jason Lisle reveals how to defend Genesis against all criticism. ($51.96 value.)

Already Gone
The next generation is calling it quits on the traditional church. And it’s not just happening on the nominal fringe; it’s happening at the core of the faith! This powerful book reveals shocking trends and offers wisdom on how to win back our families, our churches, and our world!

http://alreadygonebook.wordpress.com/

Tea Party & religion
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The Tea Party and Religion – Pew Forum

http://www.pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/Tea-Party-and-Religion.aspx

Tea Party Closely Linked to Religious Right, Poll Finds – ABC News

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2010/10/tea-party-closely-linked-to-religious-right-poll-finds/

Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Hatred in Christian fundamentalism
Why Evangelicals Hate Jesus – Huff Post
The results from a recent poll published by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (http://www.pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/Tea-Party-and-Religion.aspx) reveal what social scientists have known for a long time: White Evangelical Christians are the group least likely to support politicians or policies that reflect the actual teachings of Jesus. It is perhaps one of the strangest, most dumb-founding ironies in contemporary American culture. Evangelical Christians, who most fiercely proclaim to have a personal relationship with Christ, who most confidently declare their belief that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, who go to church on a regular basis, pray daily, listen to Christian music, and place God and His Only Begotten Son at the center of their lives, are simultaneously the very people most likely to reject his teachings and despise his radical message.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phil-zuckerman/why-evangelicals-hate-jes_b_830237.html

‘God Prefers Kind Atheists Over Hateful Christians,’ Says Ore. Church

http://www.christianpost.com/news/god-prefers-kind-atheists-over-hateful-christians-says-ore-church-72597/

ACLU, NRA
Monday, June 11, 2012
Steve D. recently listed two hated organizations: the ACLU and the NRA.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
I was thinking about looking into these organizations for a quick review, just to see if I agree with Steve on this. I think I already disagree about the ACLU; despite so many shocking headlines and defenses, they are doing it for a solid reason. The ACLU would be far less effective if it only accepted cases that didn’t sound odd, negative, or otherwise shocking. Interesting that he chose one mostly right-wing group and one left.

Terminology: Hard Right, etc.
Jingoistic

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/jingoistic

Jingoism
Jingoism is extreme patriotism in the form of aggressive foreign policy.[1] In practice, it is a country’s advocation of the use of threats or actual force against other countries in order to safeguard what it perceives as its national interests. Colloquially, it refers to excessive bias in judging one’s own country as superior to others – an extreme type of nationalism. The term originated in Britain, expressing a pugnacious attitude towards Russia in the 1870s. “Jingoism” did not enter the American vernacular until near the end of the 19th century. This nationalistic belligerence was intensified by the sinking of the battleship USS Maine in Havana harbour that led to the Spanish-American War of 1898

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jingoism

Christian Gallery: Heavy pro-life

http://www.christiangallery.com/

June 1, 2012
Christian view of New Thought teachings
Wayne Dyer: The Wisdom of the New Spirituality, by Marcia Montenegro, Written 2008 (page 1 of 2) – Christian Answers for the New Age

http://christiananswersforthenewage.org/Articles_WayneDyerEssay.html

Conspiracy theory
InfoWars

http://www.infowars.com/resources.html

Religion: Skepticism

Metro State Atheists – George Carlin video clip

http://metrostateatheists.wordpress.com/2009/03/

http://irrev-black.com/

Science: Astronomy

Wednesday, June 13, 2012
NASA to Launch Telescope
A powerful new X-ray telescope will soon be on the prowl for supermassive black holes, the invisible remnants left when stars die. Called the NuStar by NASA, the telescope will be strapped to the back of a Pegasus XL rocket and launched into space from an island halfway between Hawaii and Australia on Wednesday. While black holes can’t be seen, the telescope will penetrate clouds of gas and dust for

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2012/06/13/nasa-to-launch-telescope.html

Natural sciences: Climate, nature, etc.

Monday, June 11, 2012
Record-breaking spring in 2012
Human-Induced Ocean Warming Study Addresses The ‘Dominant Role’ Of People – Huff Post
Despite the onslaught of politicians attempting to project an air of question around man-made climate change, studies continue to emerge proving the connection between human actions and our changing environment. The most recent study, published in Nature Climate Change, finds an “anthropogenic fingerprint” (human influence) on our warming oceans.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/11/human-induced-ocean-warming-study-climate-change_n_1586532.html

Technology: Web

Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Wikipedia is editorial warzone, says study – Technolog

http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/technology/technolog/wikipedia-editorial-warzone-says-study-838793

If you’re interested in the methodology and math behind these interesting points, you can read the entire paper online at PLoS One, but you’ll need a solid foundation of statistics to understand it. On the other hand, you can investigate the topic yourself by going to any Wikipedia page and clicking the “Talk” or “View history” buttons at the top. The discussion of the entry can at times be as worthwhile to read as the entry itself.

It’s well-known that information on Wikipedia is essentially peer-reviewed opinion, and this study shows just how lively those peers — and that review process — can be. But while the details are constantly under heated debate, the result is often a compromise that cleaves very closely to fact, despite being the middle ground between several ideas of the truth.

Monday, June 11, 2012
Top Wiki Engines

http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?TopTenWikiEngines