News Briefs 13-09-2012

"All the world's major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether."

~Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

That idea is as old as the hills. Jiddhu Krishnamurti had been saying that since the 1920's when he broke away from Theosophy and organized religion entirely. I do wonder if the Lama is familiar with JK. He is a well read man as i have heard, so how can he be arriving at these ideas so tardily? Perhaps it is just a case of him finally thinking the religious mileu in which he floats is able to withstand these challenges.

I do not understand why the average mass media commentator does not understand a fundamental idea about placebo effects. A huge part of the placebo effect is focus and visualization. Needles strategically placed in the skin lure the mind into concentrating on those areas and giving them its full attention. There are other less invasive ways to achieve healing effects, but these simple procedures have great utility and don't require a lot of training in mediation or yoga. Ultimately the body is healing itself. We may not yet have a good grasp as to how it is doing so, but we will probably eventually work that out and discover that the body is using its own "drugs" to heal itself. Then we will no longer use the term placebo because the healing effect will have been traced to endogenous substances just as real as any drug on the shelf.

If you ever see that magazine at my office it's because we are trying to fix the printer :P

in fact, there are a bunch of scholars who think that the Torah was designed to get people beyond the concept of G_d...in the text (which is also repeated in the Old Testament) G_d starts out very involved in the world and gradually becomes less and less 'there' or involved...

brilliant idea-smiths, those Jews

Am I the only one here that finds Tim Binnall to sound like a complete asshat? I don't discount the content, but the delivery is just terrible. I'd honestly rather listen to Rush Limbaugh than this guy.

Red Pill

But first, let's get real! Let's start with the basics!

First, we need to colonize low gravity planitoids like the moon and build factories.

Second, we need to learn how to warp space and forget faster than light speed. Star Trek got the physics wrong; but, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return Of The Jedi got the physics right.

Third, the ship will not have to be aerodynamic. It has to be very large. It can carry smaller aerodynamic craft.

Fourth, the above are a few of the problems that need to be solved! We don't need a time limit! We need to think things out very carefully and set goals! Maybe it will take 100 years, 300 years, or 1,000 years; but, it can be done!