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[#] Mon Oct 20 2014 03:45:56 EDT from the_mgt

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That's actually one of the better articles I read about these stupid (new) atheism discussions.



[#] Mon Oct 20 2014 07:26:51 EDT from IGnatius T Foobar

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I have a hard time giving any credibility to someone who refers to the Scriptures as "malleable."

It also makes references to Richard Dawkins, who does not exist.

Further going on to claim that there is a difference between jihadists and islamists puts the final nail in the coffin of this article's credibility.

[#] Mon Oct 20 2014 10:04:48 EDT from the_mgt

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Mon Oct 20 2014 07:26:51 EDTfrom IGnatius T Foobar
I have a hard time giving any credibility to someone who refers to the Scriptures as "malleable." 
Of course they are, thats why there are protestant, catholics, evangelists, greek/russian orthodox in the "christian" section of the abrahamitic religious complex. The jews themselves have their split sections and some of them are very creative when it comes to interpreting the scriptures, see for example http://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/02/nyregion/symbolic-line-divides-jews-borough-park-debate-over-strictures-for-sabbath.html
It also makes references to Richard Dawkins, who does not exist.
I agree on this argument, but the Cult of the New Atheists believe in his existence.
Further going on to claim that there is a difference between jihadists and islamists puts the final nail in the coffin of this article's credibility. 

The distinction is questionable, but for the purpose of his argumentation it makes sense. An objective, correct and definitive capital-T truth definition of both terms is likely impossible due to an infinite regressing "true scotsman" loop.

Funniest thing about the end of the article is, that Azlan promotes killing of ISIS militants while he criticizes Sam Harris for his (allegedly out-of-context) quote that "some propositions are so dangerous that it might be ethical to kill people for believing them." http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/on-the-mechanics-of-defamation



[#] Mon Oct 20 2014 10:52:34 EDT from vince-q

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The problem with Scripture is not in the actual text but in the **translations** of those texts.

The Scripture that is Not Malleable is that which is in the original language, be it Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, or (a very small bit) Latin.

KJV says "and a man shall leave his mother and cling to his wife, and they twain shall become one flesh."

Really? Go read the Aramaic, or have someone that can read Aramaic do that for you and translate into contemporary English (or whatever your native language may be, even Klingon!) and I think you'll be, if nothing else, a tad unsettled! <evil grin>

[#] Tue Oct 21 2014 00:12:34 EDT from ax25

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But, most of it is that way (e.g. open to interpretation)



[#] Sat Oct 25 2014 23:43:42 EDT from Sig

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Inasfar as the actual text is available, there's still the not insignificant question fo which books are considered canon.

[#] Sun Oct 26 2014 05:39:11 EDT from fleeb

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Yeah, if you read some of the stuff in the Apocrypha (sic?), it would certainly make you wonder about Christianity.

Jesus as a child came off as a bit of a brat. Arguing with his rabbi about 'how dare you try to teach me about the alphabet, I was there when it was created' sort of stuff.

And the alternative world creation story featuring Lucifer as a really great angel concerned for humanity was interesting.

[#] Fri Nov 07 2014 04:33:05 EST from dothebart

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Nice article about the weareables hype:

http://www.wired.com/2014/11/where-fitness-trackers-fail/?mbid=social_twitter

Adidas demonstrated a heart rate monitor that clips onto its biometric sports bra. At least someone finally figured out that women already run with a band around their chest.



[#] Sat Feb 21 2015 03:08:44 EST from dothebart

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IGs gonna reply he told so for ages...

http://www.naturalnews.com/040938_adhd_fictitious_disease_psychiatry.html

Before his death, father of ADHD admitted it was a fictitious disease



[#] Sat Feb 21 2015 07:49:38 EST from fleeb

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I usually like Tim Minchin's work, so I should give that a look-see.

[#] Sat Feb 21 2015 17:35:57 EST from triLcat

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There is not one source to that article that is credible. 
And you can go any which way you want about ADHD, but when my (then) 6-year-old was telling me she wanted to kill herself because she wasn't smart, and she literally could not keep tush to chair for 2 minutes to learn how to read, maybe I took the easy way out, but as soon as we started the medication, she started learning how to read, to do math, getting her work done, making friends... 

Maybe I've set her up for a lifetime of addiction, but honestly, I'd rather her be addicted for a lifetime than dead... and you may think that suicide threats from a 6-year-old aren't serious, but I started thinking about suicide before I was 10, and I know exactly how serious it is. (3 times in the ER plus a psych hospitalization are only the most obvious manifestations.) 



[#] Sun Feb 22 2015 14:32:31 EST from IGnatius T Foobar

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So, she clearly had a problem or an issue. Clearly, it needed to be addressed.
Just as clearly, the problem was something other than ADHD, because there is no such thing as ADHD. Simple enough.

[#] Mon Feb 23 2015 17:42:16 EST from vince-q

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It is my ever humble opinion, based on 31 years of teaching in a public high school (New Jersey) that "ADHD" is a phoney condition conjured up for a couple of reasons:

First, it generates a "classification" which can be used by school psychologists (waste of a job and money) and "learning disabilities teacher consultants" (yet another waste of time/money job) to funnel students into "Special Education" classes and programs, all of which require mountainous amounts of useless paperwork to be shuffled about by "professionals" allthewhile wasting taxpayer money that could otherwise be spent on purchasing supplies and equipment for the teachers to use in the classroom while teaching.

Second, and to me the most important, ADHD is a shield behind which hide incompetent teachers who find it much easier to blame their lack of classroom management skills on the kid. "He cannot learn like the others; it's ADHD" or "he doesn't pay attention; his mind wanders; it's ADHD" or any of the many similar comments I've heard and read over my 31 years in the Education Game.

NONSENSE! Just about every kid that causes problems in the classroom is doing that because he/she is BORED. YOU, the TEACHER, are the cause of that because you have NO IDEA how to structure your lesson in an ENTERTAINING and mind-engaging way.

It is not enough for the teacher to stand in front of the room and vomit information, hoping the class will catch and consume it.

The first, and most essential job of a good teacher is to ENTERTAIN. And within the context of the ENTERTAINMENT to deliver the content of the lesson.

Do that, and the overwhelming majority of "problems" in the classroom evaporate automagically.

Fail to do that and you deserve to be FIRED for INCOMPETENCE. Our kids deserve more.

[#] Mon Feb 23 2015 18:06:34 EST from IGnatius T Foobar

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<< clap clap clap >>

"...comin' at you with music and fun, and if you're not careful you may learn something before it's done."


[#] Tue Feb 24 2015 08:04:16 EST from LoanShark

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I have to deal with what might have been considered AD(H)D kids (back when they were in school) in a professional setting and sometimes I'm like "how the fuck did this person ever make it through school"...

I suppose maybe it's all normal psychological variation but it's clear that some people need a much more structured environment (or differently-structured) than others, in order to do well...

[#] Tue Feb 24 2015 14:07:11 EST from vince-q

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And then there is the classroom technique used with overwhelming success by many many Nuns for many many years....

TERROR!

[#] Tue Mar 03 2015 19:36:18 EST from fleeb

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Finally, *finally* watched that video. I'd seen it before... but it's a damned good watch. And rather fun, heh.

[#] Sat May 30 2015 07:46:28 EDT from fleeb

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Right... so... I guess I've been a tad distracted.

A couple of weeks ago, my father had a heart attack... or... something. He blacked out, and when he woke up, he threw up on the feet of a lot of people who were trying to figure out what happened to him.

He was rushed to a hospital where they performed a variety of tests to find that an aortic valve was struggling to work properly. It seems this valve accumulated a lot of calcium deposits over the years, and finally couldn't handle the extra effort anymore.

So, this past Tuesday, a surgeon replaced this valve with a pig's valve.
He was released yesterday.

The bit where he passed out happened about a couple of hours from where I live. Melvin and I drove out there to help deal with some of my father's (and his wife's) affairs, and drive them back to their home in New Jersey.

I hadn't seen my father in 10 years. Kind of a weird way to get reacquainted with him.

[#] Tue Jun 02 2015 11:30:02 EDT from wizard of aahz

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Whoa.. Fleeb that is sorta crazed. Glad that you were there to be able to help. And I'll send you some xanax to help with the brain flips which must be going on.

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