Sunday School

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

First the bad news. Jesus forgot to rapture his followers last Tuesday, so they are still on the planet. But the good news is that next Tuesday is International Blasphemy Rights Day.

Data shows 35.8% of Moroccans identify as non-religious.

In Oklahoma, Christian Nationalist Ryan Walters announced he was resigning as State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The rapidly growing suppression of free expression and artistic freedom.

World of Woo:  That Trump, RFK, Oz Presser.

Environment:  The undeniable science of extreme weather.

Comey’s indictment sets a very dangerous precedent.

Islamic terrorist attacks man for accusing Islam of being a religion of terrorism.

Where are we located relative to the Big Bang?

Million-year-old skull rewrites human evolution, say scientists.

Long Reads:

We know that God does not exist.

How to check if an argument is valid.

Does Tylenol cause Autism? Here’s what the evidence says.

Major theories of consciousness may have been focusing on the wrong part of the brain.

Learning about the history of atheism to help atheist organizations.

Sunday Book Club:  The Origin of Politics: How Evolution and Ideology Shape the Fate of Nations.

Some photographs taken last week.

While you are waiting for the kettle to boil……

Coffee Break Videos: Michael Shermer reflects on the assassination of Charlie Kirk. What is Time? – Professor Sean Carroll explains Presentism and Eternalism.  A bit geeky but this advance in computer simulation is very impressive.

 

• This topic was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by  Reg the Fronkey Farmer.
• This topic was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by  Reg the Fronkey Farmer. Reason: fixed final video link

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

Have a great week!!

[StregaModerator]

Thank you Reg!

[StregaModerator]

Quick shout out to @unseen – hope you’re OK mate, I gather Portland is under assault from the military – can’t believe I’m even typing this – stay safe!

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

Next year the 250th anniversary of 1776 will see MAGA argue all their talking points to further justify what they are doing and politics will be fully aligned with Christian Nationalism. By the time of the next election there will be a visible military presence in most States. Trump won’t need to stand for election because of the ongoing domestic threat and it will have to be postponed.

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

[PopeBeanieModerator]

Reg the Fronkey Farmer wrote:

Next year the 250th anniversary of 1776 will see MAGA […]

LOL [sic… I mean, maybe no one should laugh], please don’t publicly state any dates of when you might visit USA!

[PopeBeanieModerator]

@regthefronkeyfarmer wrt the last link, for “simulation”, it’s a duplicate of the Sean Carroll link. (I fixed a typo elsewhere, so I’m betting you were in a hurry today!)

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

@popebeanie Thanks, I have fixed the link. I think you will enjoy the video.

The idea for the 250th anniversary ‘celebrations’ came from a discussion I had with some Americans at the tailgate party for the “Steelers vs Vikings” game in Dublin. I should have put “lol” at the end of my comment….or maybe not 🙂

[UnseenParticipant]

Strega wrote:

Quick shout out to @unseen – hope you’re OK mate, I gather Portland is under assault from the military – can’t believe I’m even typing this – stay safe!

Portland is not the dystopian hell Trump seeks to have The Great Unwashed believe. He’s sending troops to liberal cities in preparation for having people used to seeing troops available to interfere with future elections.

There are protests in a small several blocks area around an ICE facility. That’s it.

For now, protests are legal in the U.S. and when they get out of hand on this small scale, local law enforcement can handle it.

[TheEncogitationerParticipant]

Strega and Unseen,

I am no fan of the Military serving as domestic law enforcement.

At the same time, I seriously doubt that Portland has improved from what it was 4 years ago, as shown here:

Is Portland Over? From CBS KOIN Channel 6

And another “Autonomous Zone” could pop up at any minute if local people and local law enforcement don’t stand against it:

CHAZ Returns–Portland’s Red House Autonomous Zone

You gotta ask who’re the real Fascists here when goons can threaten simple pedestrians carrying cameraphones.

[TheEncogitationerParticipant]

Fellow Unbelievers,

RFK JR’s brain worm is not content to deprive us of vaccines, Tylenol, and 5G WiFi. Now the brain worm wants to eat up our food supply by banning GMOs, banning glyphosphate and atrizine, and mandating “Organic, Biodynamic” Agriculture:

MAHA: Make Agriculture Harder for All
https://www.breakthroughjournal.org/p/maha-make-agriculture-harder-for

The end result would use more acreage, use more labor, use of more toxic alternative pesticides and herbicides, increase CO² emissions, and produce fewer, more expensive yields of food.

(Very curious, since the Venn Diagram between Anti-GMO/Pro-Organic Activists and Climate Change Activists is a pretty big overlap.)

And the failure of RFK Jr.’s proposals would be are already proven in the example of Sri Lanka’s government mandating Organic Agriculture, as well as in the pseudoscientific origins of Biodynamic Agriculture and studies proving failure:

Sri Lanka’s Shift to Organic Farming Drops Crop Yields

Sri Lanka’s Shift to Organic Farming Drops Crop Yields

Biodynamic Agriculture–Wikipedia
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodynamic_agriculture

Superstition is never harmless, especially when it govern whole nations.

[UnseenParticipant]

TheEncogitationer wrote:

Strega and Unseen, I am no fan of the Military serving as domestic law enforcement.

At the same time, I seriously doubt that Portland has improved from what it was 4 years ago, as shown here:

That is a profoundly DUMB statement.

Four years ago there were wandering mobs of protesters in the central city which included unwanted anarchists who broke store windows and otherwise vandalized property.

What’s going on now are protests at an ICE facility and while a few throw a rock or otherwise misbehav and get themselves arrested, the biggest problem is noise making it hard for neighbors to sleep.

If any mayhem were going on, Portland news stations are as “if it bleeds it leads” as any are and I’d know about it.

Stop parroting Trump. Portland in no way loois like this:

• This reply was modified 5 months ago by  Unseen.

[TheEncogitationerParticipant]

Unseen,

That is a profoundly DUMB statement.

Four years ago there were wandering mobs of protesters in the central city which included unwanted anarchists who broke store windows and otherwise vandalized property.

What’s going on now are protests at an ICE facility and while a few throw a rock or otherwise misbehav and get themselves arrested, the biggest problem is noise making it hard for neighbors to sleep.

If any mayhem were going on, Portland news stations are as “if it bleeds it leads” as any are and I’d know about it.

Stop parroting Trump. Portland in no way loois like this:

So all of the Antifa and Autonomous Zoners of 4 years ago are no longer there, waiting for another chance to create trouble? Are there not some of them among today’s rabble? All of the roadside encampments are cleared out? So the City Fathers and Mothers have everything under control? I find that hard to believe.

And Trump didn’t mention any of Portland’s history, so how am I parroting?

[UnseenParticipant]

TheEncogitationer wrote:

So all of the Antifa and Autonomous Zoners of 4 years ago are no longer there, waiting for another chance to create trouble? Are there not some of them among today’s rabble? All of the roadside encampments are cleared out? So the City Fathers and Mothers have everything under control? I find that hard to believe.

Portland is taking steps to shut down and clean up homeless camps, including eliminating the RV village at Alder Street and resuming cleanup efforts in the Sandy River Delta, with the goal of moving people into city-funded “Safe Rest Villages” offering services. The city’s Impact Reduction Program handles camp removals, prioritizing health and safety, while the state addresses camps on state lands.

Portland’s violent crime rate is lowering, with an overall 17% decrease in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, including significant drops in homicides (down 51%) and aggravated assaults. This trend places Portland’s violent crime decrease as the steepest among the 68 U.S. agencies surveyed by the Major Cities Chiefs Association.

The following cities had the highest crime rates.
Listed in descending order. The notations (R) and
(D) indicate how the state voted in the 2020
presidential election.

Memphis Tennessee (R)
Detroit Michigan (R)
Baltimore Maryland (D)
St. Louis Missouri (R)
Kansas City Missouri (R)
New Orleans Louisiana (R)
Cleveland Ohio (R)
Milwaukee Wisconsin (R)
Houston Texas (R)
Albuquerque New Mexico (D)

Violent cities would seem to be more of a problem
in GOP states.

And Trump didn’t mention any of Portland’s history, so how am I parroting?

You seem to be parroting his lie that Portland is “on fire” and that living here is “like living in Hell.”

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