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POPS15 Quotes by Famous Atheists Bertrand Russell: “You find as you look around the world that every single bit of progress in humane feeling, every improvement in the criminal law, every step toward the diminution of war, every step toward better treatment of the colored races, or every mitigation of slavery, every moral progress that there has been in the world, has been consistently opposed by the organized churches of the world. I say quite deliberately that the Christian religion, as organized in its churches, has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world.”
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POPSFor the first time, everyone can see the whole world "Google Earth has introduced 21 layers of data from various organizations that provide information about specific ocean sites." I find this collaborative work inspiring, in relation to how humanity can unite in creating a win win situation for all.
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POPSSchizophrenia: The Curse That's Almost a Blessing
A recent study may have found what kind of process goes awry in schizophrenic brains. Researchers found that DISC1 regulates the migration of new neurons in the adult brain. When the levels of DISC1 were reduced in mice during adult neurogenesis, the newborn neurons sped up and overshot their intended targets within the hippocampus, When the neurons finally reached their destinations, they forged an unusual number of connections with neighboring cells, a series of events that might give rise to the abnormal—and quite crippling—brain functions associated with schizophrenia, according to Hongjun Song, a Johns Hopkins neurologist who also worked on the study. It is possible, Song says, that further research will lead to a drug that treats schizophrenia by restoring normal neurogenesis. So what evolutionary advantage could schizophrenia-related genes bring to people who have some of the genes but not the disease? For now, this remains one of the many open questions.
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POPSThe Assasination of Benazir Bhutto When in power, corruption hemmed in around her, and her visions were stalemated by the reality of bureaucratic government. She was at her best when she was disenfranchised, chiding those in control. In power she was a bureaucrat, but in opposition she was an icon. Now she has died as icons die, as opposition leaders die, in an explosive annihilation of waves of humanity. ...at the back gate of a park after a speech, on the eve of her comeback.
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POPSThe Clay Model - The Illusion of Life A funny and insightful look into the reality of life, from the spiritual point of view. With deep humanity and humor, Belzebuub talks about the illusory nature of life and the spiritual reality behind it using the analogy of a clay model. At the same time, the video is deeply serious and pressing for each person. Does it resonate with you? Have you ever felt like you were living in a clay model?
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POPSEarth's Magnetic Field Reversal is Approaching Here is another reason why humanity seems to lose direction.... :-) "Right now, historic records show that the strength of the magnetic field is declining very rapidly. From a quick back-of-the-envelope prediction, in 1,500 years the field will be as weak as it's ever been and we could go into a state of polarity reversal," says Singer. "One broad goal of our research is to provide some predictive capability for what could happen and what could be the signs of the next reversal."
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POPS35 Powerful Photos That Each Tell A Story "We express sincere appreciation of the hard work of all photojournalists who are working for humanity, sometimes risking their life for the sake of their duties and responsibilities. This article is a tribute to all of them and their accomplishments and works."
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POPSPostcards from Auschwitz These photos teach us an important historical lesson: that there is no line separating humans from monsters, a single being can be both, simultaneously. Contrary to the common presumption, you do not lose your humanity simply because you dehumanize others. Even our worst enemies and the most hideous criminals are startlingly normal people. If there is a difference between the good and the bad, it must be that truly good people do not think themselves above being capable of true evil. When we lose sight of that, when we begin to presume our own righteousness, declare those who differ with us irredeemably mad or evil, and excuse our own transgressions on account of our own faultlessness, who is to say that we are any different from these people?
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POPSHow Homophobia Hurts Us All It hurts me that my own Mother wouldn't love me if she knew I was bisexual, but it also helps me to know that through it all some people can love me for who I am. My husband, my youngest daughter, my very best friends, and the support at CM.
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POPS26 Ways We Decieve Ourselves Pretty good list with links defining each of the different ways we deceive ourselves. We are all probably guilty of quite a few of these. Interesting read.
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POPSHow to Brood Tom Chiarella might be my favorite author to clip, not only because of the originality of his topics but because of his pithy, honest terseness and his wry approach to modern life. Now pardon me while I mull over what all this implies about me, Clipmarks, and the entire history of humanity alone in a corner somewhere.... Some people are smart. They stay away. You might call this respect. Others are pathological in their worry. "Why so glum?" they ask. Or "How you doing, big guy?" And just because they won't honor my need to be alone in public, to stretch around inside the muscle of my worry, or respect the fact that a smile is sometimes just a tiresome, mawkish mask, I flat-out lie. I tell them I'm doing fine. Jim Dandy. Then I smile and wait for a good moment to turn back to my troubles -- which now include the fact that some jackass thinks it's okay to call me "big guy."
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POPSSingularity by 2045 - incredible life in a tamed world Other possible advancements from 2050 to 2100 could include colonies on Moon, Mars and beyond, finding and harnessing wormholes that break “light speed” barriers in extraterrestrial travel, and whisking information through time to meet ourselves at an earlier age, or go forward and see what the future has in store for us. It may even become possible to gather scanned minds from lost loved ones before their death enabling them to continue living in our time. How wild would that be?
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POPSEmotional Problems of Gifted Children And they are so often shunned by the 'Normals' as weird etc so they have problems with relationships. They grow into adults who may be the great shapers of humanity, or succumb to the tragedy of their isolation. Education really should pay more than lip service to the 'gifted child'.
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POPSHow bad is giving it up for good?
Considering its duration and tenacity, some have suggested that such a belief structure must be an essential part of the human condition or psyche. Others have even suggested that perhaps there is some kind of ‘god gene’ operating or ‘spiritual’ aspect of DNA that makes us adhere to these convictions. Whatever the reason though, it’s also generally supposed that the majority of human beings will continue to maintain their faith in a higher power either ruling over their lives or, at least, being responsible for original creation. In particular, how much of humanity can humans retain once they begin melding with machines? Or the other way around, when the very nature of prosthetics, synthetic organs and implants determine how much in us is actually organic and what parts non-natural? When the contents of consciousnesses can be downloaded to memory devices or uploaded from them into brains, it’s going to be difficult to preserve the same self-image of our human wholeness.
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POPSHumanity May Hold Key For Next Earth Evolution If we recognize humanity is an integral part of the planet and begin working for a healthy Earth, then planetary evolution could move forward to some unknown future. On the other hand, Langmuir said, if we continue to view the Earth as something that is separate, that we merely use, then the resulting practices could damage the environment enough to stall planetary evolution, even causing it to fall back to a level where it supports just microscopic life. “The story of the Earth is our story. We are intimately connected in every fiber of our being, in every breath we take. We’re inseparable from the Earth,” Langmuir said.