Thursday, March 29, 2012

Webcomic Reimagines Shooting Victim Trayvon Martin As Spider-Man

I just read a real good summary of the Trayvon Martin case.

One of the most ridiculous details from the tragic shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin is that his George Zimmerman – who shot Martin in what he claims was self-defense — felt threatened because Martin was wearing a hoodie. The youth didn’t appear to have a weapon or to be acting in a threatening manner, and yet Zimmerman racially profiled him all the same.

A recent web comic strip spotlight how silly it is to judge a person by solely their outward appearance. We all do it, unfortunately. Maybe Trayvon Martin might still be alive had Zimmerman not done that.


Tor.com noticed this strip from webcomic Let’s Be Friends Again, which draws on half-black, half-Latino Spider-Man Miles Morales to drive home the point that you never know what kind of person is beneath a hoodie.
And it could very well be that more often the stranger is a good guy instead of a threat.



Webcomic Reimagines Shooting Victim Trayvon Martin As Spider-Man

Calvinistic Cartoons: The Rest of the Story

Calvinistic Cartoons: The Rest of the Story

A History of Western Typefaces [infographic] | Daily Infographic



A History of Western Typefaces [infographic] | Daily Infographic

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

What Physics Students Do [Pic]

 I'm dating myself but when I was a university physics student, I couldn't just "Google" anything. We "yahooed"

What Physics Students Do [Pic]

Desposyni: The Mighty Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of

I had never heard of Amalie Noether but it turns out that we all owe her.

She invented a theorem that united with magisterial concision two conceptual pillars of physics: symmetry in nature and the universal laws of conservation. Some consider Noether’s theorem, as it is now called, as important as Einstein’s theory of relativity; it undergirds much of today’s vanguard research in physics, including the hunt for the almighty Higgs boson. 

I really liked this article. Really important information. 

Desposyni: The Mighty Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

I'm Sexy And I Know It

I think You may have noticed a meme going around" Parodies of the song "I'm Sexy, And I Know it" Some of the are hilarious. Here are a couple that just are real funny! Fill in the Blank


I'm Pregnant, And I know It

I'm Nerdy and I know It

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Racism Is Still Here In 2012

I find it amazing that there still so much racism in 2012. In the past week it's like a blanket has been pulled back and we can see how ugly some people's hearts truly are.

1. This past weekend I heard about the murder of Trayvon Martin. The young man was only seventeen years-old and he was murdered for wearing a hoodie killed because he was dressed in a way that made him seem suspicious to George Zimmerman. To make it worse there are people trying to excuse Zimmerman by finding something Trayvon did that lead to him being shot.







2. I also heard about a black man and a black woman killed in Chicago by cop and there does not seem to be any good reason for this.
3. I admit I have not yet seen "Hunger Games" or read the books, but apparently some people who were fans of the series have made shocking and racist remarks against a young black kids that was cast as one of their beloved characters. I guess these people have really bad reading comprehension skill because the characters were described as black in the books. These idiots claim that this revelation has detracted from their enjoyment of the franchise. Here is a picture of one of the young people being insulted for no other reason than the color of her skin.
'Hunger Games' Cast Subjected to Racist Attacks in Shocking Tweets

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This Elephant Works A Smartphone Better than Most of Us





The Daily WTF: This Elephant Is Scarily Good At Using A Smartphone

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Answering Muslims: Islamic Bookstore Sells out of Violently Misogynistic "A Gift for the Muslim Couple"

David Wood posted an article about a book describing how Muslim marriages should run.  He not on;y points out a passage from the Qur'an many Muslims use to tell them that they should beat their wives and wives should allow themselves to be beaten. I realize some people might read this and not follow the link so here is the Qur'anic passage:

Qur'an 4:34—Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High, Exalted, Great.

The book the article that David writes about attempts to explain how would someone live this out:

Page 45 contains the rights of the husband, which include his wife’s inability to leave “his house without his permission,” and that his wife must “fulfil his desires” and “not allow herself to be untidy ... but should beautify herself for him ... ”

In terms of physical punishment, the book advises that a husband may scold her, “beat by hand or stick,” withhold money from her or “pull (her) by the ears,” but should “refrain from beating her excessively.”

Yup, Marital bliss alright. The truth is that not all Muslims would agree with that. But like David Wood observeed:

I hate to break this to everyone, but if Tarek Fatah rejects what this book says about beating women, he's not a "moderate" Muslim. He's not a Muslim at all, because he accepts Western values as a higher source of morality than the Qur'an.

Answering Muslims: Islamic Bookstore Sells out of Violently Misogynistic "A Gift for the Muslim Couple"

ID.Plus: Insight into Fundamentalist Atheism

Dr Peter S Williams posted the following video on his blog and I agree that it does show one of the ugly sides of fundamentalism: refusal of discussion. Religious people are not the only ones guilty of doing this. It is unfortunate that people can be so busy throwing accusation at people that they don't see their own blindness. I also found it interesting that many the atheist running the so-called "Reason Rally" only want to interact with the caricature of Christianity embodied by the Westboro Baptist Church. It's like they don't want to reason - just pontificate.




ID.Plus: Insight into Fundamentalist Atheism

Common Runner Injuries [infographic] | Daily Infographic

[via]

Common Runner Injuries [infographic] | Daily Infographic

Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Why do some Bibles omit portions of Daniel and Esther? Akin Says: Luther

James Swan has posted a really great response to Jimmy Akin who was answering the question of why most Protestant Bibles don't have the longer versions of Daniel and Esther. Swan also explodes the myth that Martin Luther tried to get rid of those parts of Daniel and Esther. This is a great article. The video being responded to is below.





Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Why do some Bibles omit portions of Daniel and Esther? Akin Says: Luther

Friday, March 23, 2012

Internal Evidence for the Gospels by Timothy McGrew Audio and Video - Apologetics 315

Here is the third part in Dr Timothy McGrew's series of lectures in which he explains some of the evidence we have for accepting the validity of the Gospels. In this lecture, he focuses on "undesigned coincidences". They are times when the one Gospel gives details that another Gospel omits. There are several examples and none of them can be explained by one author copying another. The series just keeps getting better and better. Can't wait for part 4.




Internal Evidence for the Gospels by Timothy McGrew Audio and Video - Apologetics 315

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Doomsday Predictions Debunked [infographic]

Personally, I believe the Bible tells us the right way it will all end.

Doomsday Predictions Debunked [infographic]

External Evidence for the Gospels by Timothy McGrew Audio and Video - Apologetics 315

Here is a really good lecture that Dr Timothy McGrew gave last month relying on historical evidences from non Christian witnesses and culture and history to show consistently accurate the Biblical Gospels and Acts are. Of course, it does not prove that they are true by themselves but it is good evidence that they are true. If the Bible authors had gotten so many easily checked things wrong, it would be enough to throw them out as true. I'be got to ask why doesn't the fact that they get these things right not evidence that the books are true? It truly is a sad, double-minded, and inconsistent methodology for determining if something is true.



External Evidence for the Gospels by Timothy McGrew Audio and Video - Apologetics 315

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

How Many Devices Can You Replace With An iPad?

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No More Shuffling

Kirk Cameron Claims He Loves Everyone, Even If They're Going To Hell

Recently, Kirk Cameron has been heavily condemned for sticking to Biblical Christianity. I was amazed but not surprised about this article. It never fails. The minute you stand on what the Bible says, while speaking English, all of a sudden you are like speaking an entirely different language. For example this article says that Kirk said:

So today Kirk Cameron went on The Today Show to explain what he really meant by what he said. And all he really explained was that he’s still a homophobic asshole who can’t understand why people are mad that he thinks gay people are the worst. 

He never said that. It's like what he said went through a filter and out comes something unrecognizable. I think that some people will hear what a Christian says and then run it through a filter and their minds twist it into something else. For example Kirk is quoted in the article:

“Absolutely not, of course not. I love all people, I hate no one and, you know, when you take a subject and you reduce it to something like a four-second sound bite and a check mark on a ballot, I think that that’s inappropriate and insensitive…Nobody should mistreat anybody—homosexuals should not be mistreated, heterosexuals should not be mistreated, bisexuals should not be mistreated. All of us who really think deeply about social issues like gay marriage and abortion and homosexuality have convictions on issues, and and we all have our convictions formed by different things, and mine are formed by my faith, they’re informed by the word of God, and I found that to be an anchor for me, a compass and a guide for me."

The article's author seems to be fine and understands exactly what was said. But then Cameron is quoted:

“I was surprised, frankly, that people were surprised by the things I said. I have been consistent for 15 years as a Christian. I’m a Bible-believing Christian. What I would have thought was more newsworthy is if I had said something that contradicted the word of God, if I had contradicted my faith.” 

I see nothing wrong with this statement. It is consistent and clear. But the author of the article feels the need to re-contextualize and re-state the comment in their own words. Not surprisingly, it's completely different than what Kirk Cameron said and wrote:


Let’s translate that real fast to non-PR lingo:
“Guys, remember that time God called me and told me being gay was unnatural and sinful and dirty? Yeah that was years ago and I told ya’ll years ago. So I don’t get why you’re all acting surprised that I still think they’re ‘unnatural’ and gross. Wouldn’t it be weirder if I came on this show and said ‘Gays are awesome, rainbow flags for everyone!’ I’m not saying you should like stone them, but I am saying you should stay away so you don’t get dragged to hell with them. Okay?”
So yeah, Kirk Cameron still sucks. It’s a shame, you know? The Seavers seemed like such good parents!

This is completely not what he said. And I think that it should be remembered that as a Christian, Kirk Cameron believes, and as he has stated in the past, that all people are sinners and without Jesus' sacrifice and Resurrection we would all be going to hell no matter if your gay or not.

View the Video

Kirk Cameron Claims He Loves Everyone, Even If They're Going To Hell