Sunday School

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

Arizona senator who thinks mankind came from monkeys has a say in childhood education. That is not a bad though as flying an “Appeal to Heaven” flag in the Dept. of Education.

In Florida officials intend to roll back certain vaccine mandates to force more children to acquire deadly diseases.

This story highlights policy concerns about church–state neutrality and secular representation in government policy.

The WHO is expected to make a call in January on whether the United States keeps its measles elimination status.

Taxpayer funding of Religion.

On turning down $1 million to debate anti-vaccine activists.

World of Woo: Chocolate…..?

Environment: Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center.

A list of non-religious and atheist elected officials.

Media representation of non-believers: Stereotypes and stigma.

100 fun facts about the universe.

100 Years of Quantum Mechanics: A strange idea that changed everything.

DEI dies in darkness, taking integrity with it

Balancing Free Speech and Public Health.

Long Reads:

The changing landscape of faith in Britain.

Examining Criminal Justice from a secular humanist perspective.

Prayer at the Department of War.

Senator Ron Johnson is a conspiracy theorist.

How a single meme can jeopardize your trip abroad.

Racial harassment against black students ignored under Trump.

Pride and Shame in the human hive.

Complex life started with fungi, not plants or animals.

Sunday Book Club: Liberalism and its discontents.

Some photographs taken last week. Some photos from 2025.

While you are waiting for the kettle to boil……

Coffee Break Videos: How AI sees science differently than we do. An atheist explains the most convincing argument for God. A recording from Francis Fukuyama and Yascha Mounk’s on their 2025 in review. The Biggest Breakthroughs in Physics: 2025.

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

Have a great week and Happy Solstice from close to where I live, this morning. More here.

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

I smoked some good weed last night. I imagined an artist digging into the earth for inspiration with bare hands and scraping the hand of a philosopher digging from the opposite direction…. so I wrote a poem. I will dedicate it to Strega 🙂

Digging

You dig from your side
with charcoal hands,
following a feeling
you can’t quite name.

I dig from mine
with words and brackets,
counting, testing,
refusing easy answers.

Above us
they build temples
and call it rest.

Below,
the earth is quiet
except for the sound
of stubborn effort.

Sometimes you hit pain
before you hit meaning.
Sometimes I hit language
that breaks in my mouth.

Then —
a pause.
Stone gives way.
Air moves.

Knuckles scrape.
Not a handshake.
Just proof.

No fire promised.
No voice from above the ceiling.
Only this:

For the first second
I wonder
if I’ve hit a hand
or maybe a root.

I don’t pull back.
I don’t call out.

That moment…….
before certainty,
before explanation…..

is the point.

That’s what makes
the digging
worth it.

To find that someone else
was digging too.

[StregaModerator]

Thank you Reg. I’m really touched. Your poem is amazing and I’m honoured by the dedication.

(And thanks for Sunday School!)

• This reply was modified 1 month ago by  Strega.

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

As always, you are very welcome Strega 🙂

[TheEncogitationerParticipant]

Reg:

Arizona senator who thinks mankind came from monkeys has a say in childhood education.

Senator Farnsworth didn’t say he thought mankind came from monkeys, but rather that the Theory of Evolution said so. He is doing a good impersonation of a monkey by flinging poop, though.

Also, Mitzi Epstein got it wrong when she said that “Evolution is a product of the scientific method.” Evolution is the natural phenomenon discovered by the scientific method. The Theory of Evolution is the product.

Also, everyone needs to codify the definition of “Theory” to be “an explanation of natural phenomenon based on evidence.”

World of Woo: Chocolate…..?

This article neglects the obvious benefit of chocolate’s caffeine in boosting awareness, which invaluable for the practice of Medicine. Also, it forgets “a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down” and that Exlax is chocolated.

And speaking of things that need flushing, the American Council of Science and Health really needs to flush those awful AI illustrations.

DEI dies in darkness, taking integrity with it

If a media outlet thinks that it’s employee’s immutable traits makes it a better media outlet, it never had integrity, whether it’s hiring practice is called D.E.I. or Affirmative Action or old fashioned Good Ol’ Boy-ism. You’ll notice the author couldn’t bring herself to mention Joy Reid or Rev. Al Sharpton in defense of D.E.I. in media.

• This reply was modified 1 month ago by  TheEncogitationer. Reason: Addenda
• This reply was modified 1 month ago by  TheEncogitationer.

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

I wonder if Schrödinger was ever nervous on Christmas morning as he opened his boxes of presents? Did he call his cat “socks”??

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

If Christianity were evidence-based, denominations would converge.

[jakelafortParticipant]

Not only would Christianity’s denominations converge but all religion. Probably not true. Even the most convincing and incontrovertible would not persuade cuz ya know..

So just make a little appearance or give an unmistakable sign that all would understand as your own. You are God. You don’t need any advice how to make us all appreciate your handiwork. Or just let us go along killing and hating each other.

If a person were in loco deus we would all expect it. Should we have lower standards for the architect? No we have people so desperate to prove their beliefs they find meaning in numbers and prophecy and god knows what else.

[Author]

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