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POPSDouglas Adams: The Atheist interview People will then often say “But surely it’s better to remain an Agnostic just in case?” This, to me, suggests such a level of silliness and muddle that I usually edge out of the conversation rather than get sucked into it. (If it turns out that I’ve been wrong all along, and there is in fact a god, and if it further turned out that this kind of legalistic, cross-your-fingers-behind-your-back, Clintonian hair-splitting impressed him, then I think I would chose not to worship him anyway.)
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POPSMutiny among USA Generals? Revolt over Iran? "KOLKO: Many in the US military think Bush and Cheney are out of control. They are rebelling against Bush and Cheney. Washington Post reporter Dana Priest recently said in an interview that she believed the US military would revolt and refuse to fly missions against Iran if the White House issued such orders. "CENTCOM commander Admiral Fallon reportedly thwarted Cheney's wish to sent a third additional aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf. One paper wrote that he "vowed privately there would be no war against Iran as long as he was chief of CENTCOM." "Lt. Gen. Wright, in charge of US forces in Japan, told AP last week that the Iraq war had weakened American forces in the face of any potential conflict with China. He was quoted as saying, "Are we in trouble? It depends on the scenario. But you have to be concerned about the small number of our forces and the age of our forces." ...Spiegel Mutiny in the ranks - at the top!!!
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POPSAre Aliens from other worlds here? Some part of this are interesting. In particular listen to Ronald Regan's speech to UN and what he says. It is somewhere around 22 minutes. Makes one think and also wish that an Alien race would land here and maybe help bring a stop to all the fighting on earth!
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POPSForbes interviews EricG on Clipmarks Since nobody clipped this yet ... here's the interview with EricG @ Forbes. Eric gave the link away in arifsali's clip Welcome to ClipCast . The video itself is unclippable (!), so go to source to watch it.
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POPSSimply the best way to learn languages. I just listened to an interview with the founder of this site/software on the radio. and was quite impressed. To me it sounded like a superior way to learn other languages, something I've always wished to do. I am able to semi-converse in a limited number of languages, especially after a couple of glasses of backbone.
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POPSYou Have No Rights An executive order was issued by the president, on the 17th of July, and it said, basically, that if you protest or threaten what he calls “stabilization efforts in Iraq,” your property can be seized and you can be detained. Hmm... long live King George!!
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POPSGirls and Women Women of Iraq have gradually let go of most of their 20th century gains and privileges in the last 4 years of occupation. Iraq turned from a modern country of educated and working women into a divided land of Islamic and ethnic warlords who compete in canceling women from the social realm........Read more Islamic Sharia law: a constant threat against the rights and freedom of women in the Middle East
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POPSDrug tries to offset 10,000 years of evolution Gene therapies, expected some time between 2015 and 2020, promise to correct this genetic problem caused by nature, but many obese people do not want to wait. They are hoping that Nastech’s new nasal spray can provide a solution now. Within 20 to 35 minutes after taking a whiff, this new drug moves quickly through the nasal lining and into the bloodstream, sending a message to the brain that our tummy is full. So far the drug has had no negative side effects. PYY is undergoing clinical trials now, and is expected to be in drug stores by 2009 or 2010. Obesity is the 2nd leading cause of preventable death in America, so this drug offers a great chance for more people to improve their health and get ready to enjoy our “magical future”.
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POPSThe Physics of Dance Notes from a presentation by physics professor George Gollin on the physical laws which every ballet dancer must eventually master, whether explicitly aware of them or not. It must be noted that professor Kenneth Laws has written three books on the physics of dance and just had an interesting interview with Studio 360 on the subject.
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POPSExecution as human sacrifice A very interesting interview with historian Thomas Cahill where he argues that execution, which shows no deterrent qualities, is not punishment but is likely a deeply held, ancient behavioral need to kill that was acted out in ancient societies as human sacrifices.
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POPSTwo Teens Kill Friend For Fun This is one of the sickest things I've heard. Really should read the whole article. Bitches should get life before they kill someone else for fun...and they will...
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POPSCheney takes denial to a whole new level Wow...it is so scary to get a glimpse into how little the Bush administration is in touch with reality...and also the extent to which they do not care about rules or what anyone else thinks.
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POPSCultivating gratitude- interview Prof. Robert Emmons studies gratitude for a living as Professor of Psychology at UC Davis and is Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology. He has just published Thanks: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, an interdisciplinary book that provides a research-based synthesis of the topic as well as practical suggestions.
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POPSGangRaped 19, Guilty Register as Sex Offender. She faces up to a year in prison, a reduction in pay allowances and a possible bad conduct discharge from the Air Force if convicted. Additionally, if found guilty, she will have to register as a sex offender.
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POPSMass extinctions? Blame it on the ocean In the course of hundreds of millions of years the world's oceans have expanded and contracted in response to the shifting of the Earth's tectonic plates and to changes in climate. There were periods of the planet's history when vast areas of the continents were flooded by shallow seas such as the shark and mosasaur infested seaway that neatly split North America during the age of the dinosaurs. As those epicontinental seas drained, animals like mosasaurs and giant sharks went extinct, and conditions on the marine shelves where life exhibited its greatest diversity in the form of things like clams and snails changed as well.