9
POPSResearchers: Asteroid Destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah Mark Hempsell, one of the researchers from Bristol University who cracked the tablet's code, said: "It's a wonderful piece of observation, an absolutely perfect piece of science." Dr Hempsall said that at least 20 ancient myths record devastation of the type and on the scale of the asteroid's impact, including the Old Testament tale of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the ancient Greek myth of how Phaeton, son of Helios, fell into the River Eridanus after losing control of his father's sun chariot.
19
POPSDo You Love This Face? Evolutionary biology holds that in any given population, extreme characteristics tend to fall away in favor of average ones. Birds with unusually long or short wings die more often "in storms. Human babies who are born larger or smaller than average are less likely to survive. The ability to form an average-mate template would have conveyed a singular survival advantage."
5
POPSHumanism Grows in Scotland A large growth int he number of humanist weddings in Scotland could be another indicator of people's turning away from superstition and myth and towards a philosophy embrassing life.
12
POPS 15 Fascinating Facts About The Ancient Olympics 5. The only event at the first olympics was the Stadion race - a race of around 190 meters (measured after the feet of Zeus). The race was named after the building in which the race took place (the source of the English word “stadium”. 6. Unlike the modern starting position, racers (of whom 20 would take place) started in a fully erect standing position with their arms stretched in front of them. If there was a tie, the race would be re-run. 7. The winner of the first recorded Olympic Games (the first gold medalist in a sense) was Coroebus of Elis - a baker from Eleia (the region in which Olympia was found). He won in 776 BC. Instead of winning a gold medal - as is now the norm - he received an olive branch - more a symbol than a prize. The town still exists today with around 150 citizens.
4
POPSJim Hightower on Pot -- Sharing His Thoughts on Pot, That Is
Myth: Allowing the medical use of marijuana will send the wrong message to children and lead to more youths using the drug. Reality: In the 10 medical marijuana states that have before-and-after data, studies have unanimously shown that not only has youth use of marijuana not gone up overall, it actually has declined since medical marijuana became legal. Myth: Marijuana is a gateway drug to harder substances, and therefore medical marijuana use will lead to dangerous drug use. Reality: In science, the distinction between cause and correlation is a crucial one. A White House-commissioned study by the Institute of Medicine found that marijuana "does not appear to be a gateway drug to the extent that it is the cause or even that it is the most significant predictor of serious drug abuse; that is, care must be taken not to attribute cause to association." Moreover, claims about marijuana being a gateway make no sense in the context of medical marijuana: Patients often use marijuan
1
POPSMyths about Female Bodybuilding Female bodybuilders look manly, they have no children, heavy training can add volume to the breasts - these and others are myths about female bodybuilding. Let's bust them!
1
POPSEclipse-Watchers Worldwide Gear Up For Friday's Event Before there was a scientific explanation for eclipses, myth and mystery was pervasive. Many cultures thought a demon or dragon was devouring the sun. In ancient China, "any unusual phenomenon involving celestial bodies was noted for potential omens, either good or bad, that might befall the current Emperor," according to Sten Odenwald of the department of physics at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. The ancient Chinese banged pots and drums to shoo the frightful sun-eating character away. In India, people would immerse themselves in water to help the sun fight the dragon. Even nowadays many myths persist. In Egypt, as one example, children are often kept indoors with windows covered or shades drawn during an eclipse. Risk of eye injury Eclipses can indeed be dangerous
1
POPSe-bullion - James Fayed Arrested by FBI agents James Fayed was taken into custody at his home on charges connected to the gold trading company he ran with his wife . A source who asked not be named as he was not authorised to talk about the search, said he had been indicted as a result of an FBI fraud investigation. There is a talkgold forum discussion below about this e-bullion related news
3
POPSl’énergie nucléaire "Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama and Al Gore have both confirmed that they see nuclear power as a necessary part of the nation's future "energy mix"—a view also shared by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a growing number of congressional Democrats, as well as a handful of environmentalists who support the nuclear option as an imperfect but unavoidable alternative to global warming and response to peak oil."
2
POPS'Intellectuals' Pining For Higher Tax Rates Why are the treasuries of Hong Kong and Singapore flush with revenue? Why have the U.S. and Britain shown tremendous growth since Reagan and Thatcher while Continental Europe with their pseudo-socialism putters along with chronic double-digit unemployment? Go around the world these last 25 years and compare nations with high tax rates to countries with low tax rates, you'll find a pattern. Growth produces wealth, which leads to higher tax revenues and a more prosperous nation. Less growth produces less wealth and in turn lowers tax revenues. High tax rates retard economic growth; low tax rates encourage more growth. It really isn't that complicated. Seriously. The Washington Post's Sebastian Mallaby The Return Of Voodoo Economics http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/14/AR2006051400806.html Bush Should End This Tax Cut Myth http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/07/AR2006050700924.html
4
POPSRoll Back The Tax Cuts: An Exercise In Shady Financing Here's their spin: "Well yes, it's true that the Bush cuts are already scheduled to roll back. And it's also true that even in Washington you can't repeal the same cut twice to raise money. But we should assume that Congress will act to restore the cuts once they expire. Then, we can repeal the restored cuts, and that will generate billions in "new" revenue. I don't make up this stuff. They want us to assume that Speaker Pelosi & Co. will pass big tax breaks for wealthy Americans. And we are also to believe that - maybe even on the same day - they'll "roll back the tax cut." Somehow, magically, this now-you-see-it, now-you-don't tax cut will raise billions from the rich. This way, politicians can pay for all their proposed new spending without adding any red ink. Understand?
5
POPSAn Animated Version of the Mahabarata More from the site: "This is not a strictly accurate historical portrayal of events, but a poetic, fantastic interpretation of the original text," says Grant Morrison. "The world of MBX is a place of incredible art and technology. This kingdom of sages, warriors, noble men and women is stronger, faster, fitter and smarter than we are, but still prey to the same emotional foibles that lead us all into disaster."
2
POPSBusting the Surge Myth Cont.... The Shiitization of Baghdad was thus a significant cause of falling casualty rates. But it is another war waiting to happen, when the Sunnis come back to find Shiite militiamen in their living rooms.
5
POPSA Myth That Kills Unless a person chooses to be in those "well-defined risk-behavior groups" your chances of getting AIDS is almost nil. The exceptions are tainted blood transfusions and unknowingly having sex with an infected person...which is easy to prevent.
2
Pops
Newest Clips
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update