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To: 2MAR$ who wrote (68865)	12/18/2015 8:05:44 AM
From: Solon	Respond to of 69300

Margaret Sanger had said all of that, as she forced the courts and society to view women as human beings, and as she fought the evils of poverty, disease, and human wretchedness. Of course good ideas don't die but remain in the hearts and minds of great people, so that humanity my not wholly descend into the caves and caverns of superstition and tribalism.

To: 2MAR$ who wrote (68865)	12/18/2015 8:07:00 AM
From: Solon	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 69300

The Science Stories of 2015 The top 10 science news stories of 2015 David is the Online News Editor of Science. Email David By David Grimm 17 December 2015 2:15 pm 2 Comments We here at Science write and edit hundreds of stories every year for our online news site. We think they’re all great, but some rise above the pack—either because tons of our readers like them, or because they’re fun, strange, or amazing enough to become our personal favorites. If you’re looking for the most important scientific discoveries of 2015, check out our Breakthrough of the Year. But if you want to see some of 2015’s quirkiest offerings, read on. 10) The thermostat in your office may be sexist HANNAH PALLUBINSKY Always wearing a sweater to work—even in the middle of the summer? Blame Povl Ole Fanger, a Danish scientist who in the 1960s developed a model that predicted comfortable indoor temperatures for the average worker of the day—a 40-year-old man sporting a three-piece suit. Now, researchers say they have built a better model by taking modern attire and demographics into account. 9) Did natural selection make the Dutch the tallest people on the planet? VLIET/ISTOCKPHOTO Scientists have finally solved the mystery of why the Dutch are so tall. Tall Dutch men on average have more children than their shorter counterparts, and more of their children survive, researchers have found. The findings, say scientists, are an impressive example of human evolution in action. 8) Internet search engines may be influencing elections BIDGEE/WIKIMEDIA/CREATIVE COMMONS (CC BY-SA 3.0) “What we’re talking about here is a means of mind control on a massive scale that there is no precedent for in human history.” That’s how this story starts, and it just gets wackier from there. 7) Rats forsake chocolate to save a drowning companion SATO, N. ET AL., ANIMAL COGNITION (2015) Are you as altruistic as a rat? Even when offered a piece of chocolate as an alternative, the rodents prefer to save a comrade in trouble—a sign that humans aren’t the only animals who feel empathy. 6) Did dark matter kill the dinosaurs? SERGE BRUNIER/ESO Of all the hypotheses of how dinosaurs died, this may be the strangest. A team of scientists proposes that mysterious dark matter may seep into Earth’s core about once every 30 million years, triggering massive volcanoes and ripping apart continents. 5) Want to influence the world? Map reveals the best languages to speak S. RONEN ET AL., PNAS EARLY EDITION (2014) If you’re thinking about taking Chinese as a second language, you might consider Spanish instead. This study reveals that if you want to spread your ideas far and wide, some languages are much better—and slightly more surprising—than others. (Note that this story actually published in late 2014, but it missed our cutoff for last year’s list.) 4) Shattered chromosome cures woman of immune disease EMBL/P. RIEDINGER One of the most fascinating medical stories of the year is about a woman whose serious genetic immune disease was apparently cured in her 30s when one of her chromosomes shattered into pieces and reassembled. The phenomenon is known as chromothripsis, and it could pave the way for therapies for a variety of diseases. 3) Rare African plant signals diamonds beneath the soil STEPHEN HAGGERTY Don’t forget what this plant looks like—it could make you rich someday. A scientist has found that a thorny, palmlike plant in Liberia seems to grow only on top of kimberlite pipes, which are known to contain diamonds. Now get digging. 2) ‘Winged monster’ on ancient rock art debunked by scientists WHIT RICHARDSON/ALAMY Is it a dragon, a flying reptile, or something far more banal? One of our favorite stories of the year finally solves a lingering debate that has pitted rock art researchers and archaeologists against young-Earth creationists for decades. 1) How long would it take you to fall through Earth? OLESACHEM AT THE MANHATTAN WELL DIGGER/WIKIMEDIA/CREATIVE COMMONS It’s a question that’s been asked by everyone from kindergartners to physicists. Now, scientists have an answer—or at least a better answer than they had before. Our favorite story of the year is also one of the most fun. Posted in Scientific Community Best of 2015

To: 2MAR$ who wrote (68865)	12/19/2015 1:39:08 AM
From: Solon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 69300

One of the FUNNIEST pieces I have ever read--bar none!! A Christmas question: Are the Gospels more reliable than scholars once thought? (This sounds really thoughtful and serious!) (But what is it really!!!) By Robert J. Hutchinson Published December 14, 2015 FoxNews.com Stone house discovered in Nazareth, Israel (photo from Mary of Nazareth Center) What about those pictures?! Reliable gospels?! :-) It’s the Christmas season... and once again Americans face questions about the historical accuracy of the Gospels. Do they?! Or just Fox News! For more than a century, skeptical scholars have claimed that much of the New Testament is legendary, invented by the early Christians in the decades after the crucifixion. A few even claim that Jesus of Nazareth didn’t exist at all. ALL scholars know the tribal tales are tribal tales--as are all tribal tales in all cultures. But in just the past few years, dramatic discoveries in archaeology and New Testament studies have led even many secular experts to question this hyper-skeptical approach. Psss... We just don't know which ones! Which is why we do not give any names! For one thing, archaeology is actually confirming the existence of many people, places and beliefs mentioned in the New Testament. We just don't have any references or evidence so we won't make an actual claim! A revolution is going on in New Testament studies. Many of the skeptical ideas of the past century are now being questioned by secular experts. These discoveries include the remains of a first-century stone house in Nazareth, This is the major claim of "the gospels"? People can make houses out of stone! Wonderful! I was stuck on that in my search... :-) Archaeologists have identified the ossuary of the high priest Caiaphas and perhaps that of James the Just – believed to be the brother, stepbrother or cousin of Jesus. "perhaps that of James the Just – believed to be the brother, stepbrother or cousin of Jesus." That is what I was thinking!! Or maybe Alvin the crackhead who I believe to be the mother or father or food of Mr. Carrot! Beyond archaeology, New Testament scholars also are making dramatic discoveries that undermine more than a century’s worth of skepticism toward the New Testament. One example of this is ...an agnostic scholar in the U.K. who is challenging the assumption that the Gospels were all written 40 to 60 years after the crucifixion. Based on clues in the text, this scholar argues that the gospel of Mark could well have been written as early as the mid-30s -- perhaps just five to ten years after Jesus was crucified. An agnostic? In the U.K.? This unknown person is challenging what with what? What did she say?! She (if she exists) challenges that!! Is that It? I wonder if the world will ever hear about this "CHALLENGE"!! Another example are experts who claim that the Gospels show signs of first-hand, eyewitness observations and written sources -- and that some of those sources could well have been written while Jesus was living and preaching in Galilee. What signs???? In addition (the best line of the screwball propaganda PIECE FOR TINY MINDS!) "In addition" !!!!! , by analyzing Aramaic phrases embedded in the Greek texts of the New Testament, scholars have discovered that it was the early Jewish followers of Jesus who proclaimed him “son of God” and “standing at the right hand of God,” not the pagan Gentile followers who joined the movement in the centuries after the crucifixion. A number of top New Testament scholars have recently argued that belief in Jesus’ divinity arose very early, within a year or two of the crucifixion -- not decades or centuries later as skeptical scholars once thought. Bottom line: A revolution is going on in New Testament studies. Many of the skeptical ideas of the past century are now being questioned by secular experts. And increasingly, some top scholars are concluding that the Gospels are likely far more accurate historically than once thought. A WONDERFUL SUMMARY OF A MENTAL MIDGET TRYING TO MANAGE A BOWEL MOVEMENT!! "Something to ponder this Christmas season." What?? Not a single evidentiary premise was put forward? What are we to ponder??? This dim-witted and dishonest fellow should ponder his own vomit! One can respect honest people who reach unjustified conclusions. But one has no respect for "clever" propagandists. NEW DISCOVERIES?? Were you too ashamed to mention them?????????????????? Robert J. Hutchinson is the author of "Searching for Jesus: New Discoveries in the Quest for Jesus of Nazareth – And How They Confirm the Gospel Accounts” (Thomas Nelson October 27, 2015). http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/12/14/christmas-question-are-gospels-more-reliable-than-scholars-once-thought.html

To: 2MAR$ who wrote (68865)	12/19/2015 2:05:05 AM
From: Solon	Respond to of 69300

If any part of the immoral, vicious, tribal, delinquent bible has any basis in fact, then the core of the Jesus story (that he was born a few thousand years after the earth came into existence) must be true. But it is not, is it?!! The Jesus genealogy is tribal crap mythology...invented when the Christian Jewish sect won out. They fought for centuries and then the Nazis (justified by Martin Luther as he plotted Christians against Jews)--(the Germans were the most Christianised country on earth--not surprising as Luther was Christianity's greatest cult figure/ hero)--tried to resolve these ancient tribal conflicts. It continues today. Islam (for example) is a tribal variant of Christianity/Judaism. It is about the tribe, the power, and the weapons of power. Today, the biggest weapon of power is OIL. But this is just simple commentary. All superior (CHOSEN) people want power--which means land, everything else, and the power of life and death over slaves. In an evolutionary sense, tribes are really a separate species. They will do ANYTHING to survive as OH SO special! They want to be exalted as a distinct egg and sperm. This is mindlessness, of course! But can brains, civilization, and humanity improve on this? Time will tell...