"My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind."
~ Albert Einstein
Image of the day (Dave O’Callaghan):
BODY
~ Top 5 Nutritional Myths Debunked -- "Regardless of what your training looks like, your nutrition should always be crossing your mind. Whether you’re going to set a resolution to strip away body fat from the Holidays or you’re going to start an intense mass gaining phase in a quest for lean muscle mass, nutrition is going to play a vital role."
~ A New Angle on Cable Training -- "Your teacher always said that ditching math class would come back to bite you on the butt and she was right. Luckily, Nick Tumminello is here to show you how vector mathematics can improve your workouts. (Really.)"
~ Rate Of Metabolic Syndrome Reduced By Moderate Exercise -- "Research from Duke University Medical Center shows that even a modest amount of brisk walking weekly is enough to trim waistlines and cut the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS), an increasingly frequent condition linked to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. It's estimated that about a quarter of all U.S."
~ Fundamental Discovery By Einstein Researchers Reveals How Fat Is Stored In Cells -- "In discovering the genes responsible for storing fat in cells, scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have answered one of biology's most fundamental questions. Their findings, which appear in the December 17 to 21 "Early Edition" online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could lead to new strategies for treating obesity and the diseases associated with it."
~ Controversy in the Bread Aisle -- "Some nutrition experts think partial-whole-grain breads mislead consumers." I agree.
~ Common pill combos can put you at risk -- "If you've ever taken an antibiotic and an antacid — or popped dozens of other combos — you've put yourself in danger. Here's how to get the medications you need without becoming a statistic."
~ Plant Constituent With Selective Effect On Cancer Cells -- "The substance wogonin triggers the death program apoptosis in tumor cells, while it has virtually no effect on healthy cells. Scientists of the German Cancer Research Center have discovered the molecular mechanism underlying this selectivity. Defects in genes that control growth can turn a cell into a threat for the whole organism."
~ Starve a Cold, Feed a Fever? -- "Do you starve a cold and feed a fever? Or is it the other way around? Learn the facts about eating well when you have a cold to speed your recovery."
~ Researchers train the immune system to deliver virus that destroys cancer in lab models -- "An international team of researchers led by Mayo Clinic have designed a technique that uses the body`s own cells and a virus to destroy cancer cells that spread from primary tumors to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system. In addition, their study shows that this technology could be the basis for a new cancer vaccine to prevent cancer recurrence. The study appeared in the Dec. 9 online issue of Nature Medicine."
PSYCHE/SELF
~ Got the Blues? Try a Cold Shower -- "The latest prescription for depression is a regular jolt of cool water."
~ Girls get anorexia 'because their brains are wired differently' -- "Stick-thin models such as Kate Moss do not encourage young women to become anorexic, say scientists. The trend for size-zero models is often blamed for triggering the eating disorder in young women but research suggests it could be due to brain wiring." Probably true, but partial -- other factors also contribute.
~ New Year's Resolutions -- "Instead of setting New Year's Resolutions, resolve to accomplish a goal within the first few days or weeks of the New Year."
~ Mirror Neurons -- Rock Stars or Backup Singers? -- "Mirror neurons are the rock stars of cognitive neuroscience. Discovered in the mid-1990s by Giacomo Rizzolatti and his colleagues at the University of Parma, these brain cells have been claimed to be the neural basis for a host of complex human behaviors including imitation, action understanding, language, empathy, and mind-reading – not psychic mind-reading, but our capacity to "get inside someone else's head" and imagine how they feel or what they might do."
~ The 5 Best Techniques to Control and Calm Your Mind -- "Your mind; your thoughts. When you master your mind, everything else begins to fall into place. But the moment we look at our mind, we begin to see how wild it is. Modern psychology estimates that we have 40 to 60 thousand thoughts a day, and most of them are repetitious, useless – and often, unhappy."
~ The problem of believing in belief -- "Sam Harris is better known as a leading atheist, but he's also completing a PhD in cognitive neuroscience and a forthcoming study by Harris is a flawed but important contribution to how we understand the neuropsychology of belief."
~ Stop Being Treated like Garbage -- "Do you have someone in your life who is not treating you right? Maybe it's your boss, your spouse, your children, or a friend. Want to know why? Here's the hard truth: you have taught that person how to treat you by what you have tolerated thus far in your relationship." This isn't a "blaming the victim" thing -- this is valid, if painful.
~ Sleep or Suffer -- "Get your snooze schedule back on track."
~ 13 Tips to Zap Your Butterflies When Speaking in Public -- "Everyone gets nervous before giving a speech. Unfortunately, the more people in the audience, the more important the speech usually is, making any butterflies in your stomach multiply before you begin. Knowing how to keep yourself calm can make a big difference when giving a speech." And here I thought a couple shots of Jack was the answer.
CULTURE/POLITICS
~ The Top 50 Albums of 2007 -- "M.I.A. went global, Bruce returned to E Street, Lil Wayne and Devendra got smoky, while everyone else from Spoon to Chris Brown kept the party going."
~ The Obama-Clinton Issue -- "Presidents are buffeted by sycophancy, criticism and betrayal. They must improvise amid a thousand fluid crises. They’re isolated and also exposed, puffed up on the outside and hollowed out within. With the presidency, character and self-knowledge matter more than even experience. There are reasons to think that, among Democrats, Obama is better prepared for this madness."
~ Zoloft defense: Lawyers appeal teen's sentence -- "Attorneys have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case of a teen sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing his grandparents when he was 12, arguing that the sentence is cruel."
~ ‘Godless liberal’ is not an oxymoron [Pharyngula] -- "Damon Linker doesn't like the New Atheism because it is "illiberal", and so he writes a screed in the New Republic — one that is poorly thought out and guilty of the crimes he accuses atheists of, while exercising his distaste for the godless, and nothing more."
~ Copts & Brothers -- "A surprising dialogue between the Muslim Brotherhood and Egypt's Coptic Christians suggests a new way of working with Islamist parties."
~ Orwell Abuse -- "Whether Orwell himself would have relished being treated simultaneously as seer, secular saint, yardstick of conscience, and arbiter of political good sense is surely doubtful. He was not without vanity, but he was both too much of a natural contrarian and too skeptical of human motives to have taken such adulation at face value. Like Simone Weil, whom he would have loathed (a dislike Weil would have reciprocated with interest), Orwell had an almost pitch-perfect talent for making things as difficult for himself as possible, and a penitent’s tropism toward physical discomfort and privation even when there were easier and more comfortable roads open to him."
~ Hillary Clinton Joins Joe Lieberman to Resurrect the Culture Wars -- "Hillary wants to censor video game violence -- will she go after the gory Left Behind game series?" Who knew that Hillary and Tipper Gore had the same values -- if you young 'uns don't about Tipper, look it up.
~ Congress to hold hearings on steroid use (AP) -- "Congress announced plans Tuesday to review the use of performance-enhancing drugs, with star-studded hearings scheduled next month and legislation to limit access to steroids and growth hormones." Yeah, because there are no other pressing issues, like maybe a war, declining education, lack of health care for millions, and endless corruption in the White House.
~ The atheist delusion -- "To put it another way, how can an intellectually responsible person of faith justify that faith -- and even belief in a personal God -- after Darwin and Einstein? That's the question John Haught has set out to answer by proposing a "theology of evolution." Haught is a Roman Catholic theologian at Georgetown University and a prolific author. His books include "God After Darwin," "Is Nature Enough?" and the forthcoming "God and the New Atheism." He's steeped in evolutionary theory as well as Christian theology. Haught believes Darwin is "a gift to theology." He says evolutionary biology has forced modern theologians to clarify their thinking by rejecting outdated arguments about God as an intrusive designer."
HABITATS/TECHNOLOGY
~ Laws of Nature, Source Unknown -- "There is in fact a kind of chicken-and-egg problem with the universe and its laws. Which “came” first — the laws or the universe?" Interesting article.
~ Kangaroo farts could fight global warming -- "Thanks to special bacteria in their stomachs, kangaroos' flatulence contains no methane and scientists want to transfer that bacteria to cattle and sheep who emit large quantities of the harmful gas. While the usual image of greenhouse gas pollution is a billowing smokestack pushing out carbon dioxide, livestock passing wind contribute a surprisingly high percentage of total emissions in some countries."
~ Let's have a presidential debate on science -- "Can any of the candidates lead America back to the head of the class in science and technology?"
~ Pownce Goes Mobile, Puts the Twist to Twitter -- "The social network Pownce, which acts as both a microblogging and file sharing platform, quietly released a mobile version Tuesday. While still in alpha, the new site narrows the gap between Pownce and its closest competitor, Twitter."
~ One Galaxy's 'Assault' on Another Caught by Telescopes -- "Telescope images show a "death star" galaxy shooting deadly radiation particles into another galaxy about one-tenth its size."
~ Metal Foam Has a Good Memory -- "In the world of commercial materials, lighter and cheaper is usually better, especially when those attributes are coupled with superior strength and special properties, such as a material's ability to remember its original shape after it's been deformed by a physical or magnetic force."
~ Nanowire battery holds 10 times the charge of existing ones -- "Stanford researchers have found a way to use silicon nanowires to reinvent the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power laptops, iPods, video cameras, cell phones, and countless other devices."
INTEGRAL/BUDDHIST BLOGS
~ Fighting the good fight -- "If we embrace all-encompassing compassion and recognize our fundamental interdependence, whether as Buddhist, Christians, Humanists, or by any other name or tradition, when if ever is it appropriate to take sides in a conflict?"
~ My Introverted Self -- "In understanding personality types, there are simply those people who would like to be a bit more private, more shielded – those people who always choose the booth in a corner when they go into a restaurant. How could I provide for them in my design? What kind of shielding device would not interfere with the overall concept?"
~ Integral Politics Goes Mainstream? -- "I'm glad to see that Steve McIntosh is out on a tour promoting his book, Integral Consciousness and the Future of Evolution. It's also cool to see him blogging. I especially like his interview with Carter Phipps on the Green Issue of WIE."
~ Harris good, Wilber bad -- "I’ve written about this many times before, but it always amazes me when highly intelligent people disagree. What does it say about reason that we can support almost any claim? That’s a whole other discussion, I know. I must have some bias for Sam Harris’s way of thinking, because I always seem to agree with him."
~ Mattering -- "Owen Flanagan’s new book The Really Hard Problem: Meaning in a Material World
is an impressively wide-ranging exploration of the possibilities of meaning within a world conceived naturalistically, which is to say, materialistically."~ Two different Integral initiatives -- "Two very different "Integral" projects." Worth the read.
~ Integral Atheism -- "There’s an interesting discussion unfolding on Julian Walker’s Blog regarding the intersection of Integral Theory and the New Atheist movement."
Filed in: integral atheism projects materialsim Sam Harris Ken Wilber Steve McIntosh introversion conflict Buddhism nanowire battery metal foam Pownce debate science kangaroo farts natural laws atheist delsuion John Haught steroids hearings culture wars George Orwell godless liberal zoloft defense Barack Obama Hillary Clinton top 50 albums 2007 public speaking sleep boundaries belief calm mind new year's resolutions anorexia depression cancer vaccine eating sick wogonin pill combos breads fat storage metabolic syndrome exercise cable training nutrition myths speedlinking
2 comments:
Rolling Stone's list is weak. I prefer Pitchfork's.
PROSECUTION
Is there a God? I will not try to say yes or no to this question. Rather, I will make this place a law court. I will ask you to be the judge, and I will be the prosecutor. The work of a judge is to make decisions, to approve or disapprove the truth of statements; the work of a prosecutor is to present all the evidence and arguments that he can possibly gather. Before we proceed, we have to be clear about one fact: all prosecutors are not eyewitnesses of crimes. They are not policemen. A policeman may personally witness an event, whereas a prosecutor obtains his information only indirectly. He places all the charges, evidence, and arguments collected before the judge. In the same way, I shall present before you everything that I can possibly find. If you ask whether I have seen God or not, I would say "no." I am reading or demonstrating what I have gathered. My job is to search for facts and to call for witnesses. You are to arrive at a conclusion yourself.
THE UNIVERSE
First, looks at nature, the world that is before our eyes and every phenomenon in it. We all know that scientific knowledge is the rational explanation of natural phenomena. For example, there is an observed drop in the temperature of a patient. The drop in temperature is a phenomenon, and the explanation for it is scientific knowledge. When an apple falls from the tree, it is a phenomenon. Why does an apple not fly into the air? The explanation for this phenomenon constitutes knowledge. A man with knowledge is a man who has the proper explanations.
ONLY TWO EXPLANATIONS
The universe displays countless phenomena of diverse forms, colors, shapes, and nature. We cannot fail to notice these phenomena before our eyes. The explanation for all these phenomena is known as knowledge. All thoughtful persons have only two explanations as far as the origin of the universe is concerned; there is no third explanation. You have to take one or the other of them. What are these two explanations? The first says that the universe came into being through natural evolution and self-interaction; the second attributes its origin to a personified being with intellect and purpose. These are the only two explanations presented by all philosophers of the world. There is not a third one. Where did the universe come from? Did it come into existence by itself or through chance? Or was it designed by the One from whom we derive the concept of God?
CHANCE EVENTS
What are the characteristics of things that come about by chance? First, we know that they are unorganized. At the most they can be partially integrated. They can never be totally organized. One can achieve a specified goal by chance once, but he can never achieve a specified goal by chance all the time. Anything that comes together by chance can only be integrated partially, never totally. For example, if I throw this chair to the other side of the room, by chance it may come to rest at a perfect angle. If I do the same with a second chair, it may also lie neatly beside the first one. But this will not keep on happening with the third and the fourth and so on. Chance can only provide partial organization. It does not guarantee total integration. Furthermore, all random interactions are aimless, disorganized, and purposeless. They are without order and structure; they are loose, formless, disorderly, and not directed toward any meaningful purpose. Briefly, we can say that the characteristics of chance events are disharmony, irregularity, inconsistency, purposelessness, and insignificance.
CONSISTENCY AND ORGANIZATION
Now let us compare the things in the universe with these characteristics. Take, for example, the human being. He is carried in his mother's womb for nine months and delivered; he grows up and eventually dies. This cycle is repeated for every single individual. Consistency can be observed. It is not a wild game of chance. Again, look at the sun above your head. It does not exist purposelessly. Rather, it has its purpose and significance. Look at the moon, the stars, and the myriads of galaxies through your telescope. Some stars have their own planets. They all follow definite tracks and patterns. They are all organized. Their manner of motion can be calculated and predicted. The calendar in your hand is derived from them. Even next year's calendar can be printed before this year is past. All these show that the universe is organized, consistent, and purposeful.
MICROORGANISMS
Let us turn to the micro-world or quantum mechanics. Take a thin slice of wood. Put it under a microscope and observe its grain and structure, all meticulously regular and rhythmic. Even a blade of grass and the petal of a flower are finely fashioned. Nothing is unorganized or confused. Everything is disciplined and functional. All these things witness one fact to you: the universe, with its macro (the whole universe and galaxies) and micro aspects (quantum), is purposeful and meaningful. Can you say that all these came into existence by chance? Surely you cannot.
CHANCE OR DESIGN
The universe has to be created by someone with profound wisdom, vast knowledge, and intricate design. If you cannot accept the concept of random formation of the universe, you have to admit that it was created by such a God. There cannot be a third explanation. The choice is left to you. You have to decide if the universe came by chance or whether it was created by God.
A DEMAND AND ITS OBJECT
One witness may not be enough. I will call in another. This time we will consider man's heart. Before doing so, we should also observe one fact: wherever there is a desire, there must first be an object for that desire. For example, an orphan who has never seen his father naturally has a desire for a kind of paternal love. I have asked many people who were orphans, and they all have felt this irrepressible yearning. By this we can see that every desire of the heart arises out of an object in the world. As human beings we have a need for social belonging. We need companionship and mutuality. If you put a boy on a deserted island and he grows up alone, he still has the yearning for companions, for beings like himself, even though he has never seen a human being. This yearning or desire is the very proof that somewhere in the world there is something known as "man." At a certain age, man begins to think about posterity; he starts desiring children and grandchildren. This is not a mere fantasy. This desire stems out of the existence and possibility of offspring. Hence, where there is desire, there is an object for that desire.
THERE IS GOD IN THE HEART
Do we have any desires other than social identity and self-propagation? What other cravings do we have? Deep in everyone there is a craving for God. Whether they are highly civilized races, such as those among the Caucasians, or the ancient civilizations, such as the Chinese civilizations, or the African natives and uncultured aborigines, they all have a common craving --God. As long as they are men, they have a yearning for God, no matter what race or nationality. This is a fact. You cannot argue against it. Everyone is seeking after God. Everywhere man is craving for God. This is very clear. By applying the principle that we just mentioned, we can see that since our heart feels the need for a God, there must necessarily be a God in the universe. Since there is a need for God in the heart, there must be the existence of God in the universe. If no God exists, we would never have such a craving in our heart. We all have an appetite for food. In the same way, we all have an appetite for God. It would be impossible to live if there was only an appetite for food but no food. Likewise, it would be impossible to live if there was a capacity for God but no God.
NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT GOD?
Once, an atheist rudely rebuked me in a loud voice: "You said that a man has the psychological need for a God. But there is no such thing, and I do not believe in it." I said, "Well, do you mean to say that you never think about God? In fact, even while you were talking, you were thinking about Him. This indicates that you do have a capacity for God. There is no one who has never thought about God. He may try not to think much about Him. Since this thought is in you, there must be such an object outside of you.
"THE WORDS AND THE HEART”
A young man once came to me to argue about God. He was vehemently against the existence of God. He gave me one reason after another for saying that there is no God. As he was enumerating the various reasons why God should not exist, I listened to him quietly without saying a word. Then I said, "Although you insist that there is no God and support yourself with so many arguments, you have lost your case already." He said, "What do you mean?" I went on to explain: "Your mouth can say as much as you want about there not being a God, but your heart is on my side." He had to agree with me. Although one can give all sorts of reasons in the head, there is a belief in the heart that no argument can defeat. A stubborn person may give a thousand and one reasons, but you can have the boldness to tell him, "You know better in your heart that there is a God. Why bother to look for evidence outside?"Now what would you say? After looking at nature and the universe, after checking with your inner feeling, it is up to you to decide whether or not there is a God. But you should not be irresponsible; your attitude must be sober because everyone has to meet God soon. One day you will all stand before Him. Everything concerning you will be laid bare. On that day you will know God. But now is the time for you to be prepared. We should all be prepared to meet our God.
Finally is there is a God. Who is he? Who among all the most ancient religions of the world who was the only one who claim to be God’s son?
There must be a written record of God and God’s son. Among all the ancients’ written records is there such a book?
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