Regarding: Non-scepticism, scepticism, & brain function

Michael Shermer writes in Scientific American this month in "Wheatgrass Juice and Folk Medicine/Why subjective anecdotes often trump objective data(italics mine): ...The reason for this cognitive disconnect is that we have evolved brains that pay attention to anecdotes because false positives (believing there is a connection between A and B when there is not) are usually harmless, whereas false negatives (believing there is no connection between A and B when there is) may take you out of the gene pool. ...Superstition and belief in magic are millions of years old, whereas science, with its methods of controlling for intervening variables to circumvent false positives, is only a few hundred years old. So it is that any medical huckster promising that A will cure B has only to advertise a handful of successful anecdotes in the form of testimonials. This was an interesting piece. I enjoyed his personal anecdote about wheatgrass and concur with the impression given by the photgraph about it's palatability. I did find a couple of things to question: Scientific Method a few hundred years old? Ok, I guess technically. But, critical thinking and the application of the principles of science have been around much longer. Perhaps, and, maybe I'm grasping, we'll find them in sacred Scripture("Test all things and hold fast to that which is good" 1 Thessalonians 5:21). On what evidence does he conclude brain "cognitive disconnect" is biologic? What evidence this has been around "millions of years"? And, more to the point, to what effect in his piece? Is this to dismiss superstition & magic, and, perhaps, by inference religious belief as "something in our genes"? To infer it no longer has relevance? I question lumping "belief" behaviors together. I'd definitely not attribute spiritual faith to biology. One might say, "But, it's anecdotal!" Well, are all anecdotes equal? Assuming they bear up to rules and tests for internal evidence, external evidence, and biographical textual agreement -- some anecdotes eventually are referred to as history. Examples worth pursuing: veracity of Scripture and accounts of Jesus Christ life, death, & resurrection(cf. Chapter 4 "More than a Carpenter", by Josh McDowell). Other helpful resources: 10 reasons to believe...

Goals for Latin

I'd like to become proficient enough to help my daughter in her studies, as well as help myself in understanding ancient texts, history, etc.

Google as proxy

Google hacks contained entry for using Google as proxy -- basically you translate a page from english to english -- and, viola. Google servers become the gobetween). Unfortunately, this no longer works -- but, fortunately, if you translate from es|en you get the same effect. Note: This does NOT hide your ip address. It simply allows you to go to another server to get out from behind a firewall (if you need to).

Chances are -- if you have a linksys or other box between your computer and the internet your real IP address is hidden anyway, helping to prevent hackers from directly attacking your computer. It does this be creating a bank of IP addresses that are one hop away from your computer. I've changed the translated link so that it will hide that IP address. This, hopefully, prevents a site from tracking your pseudo-unique-IP's return and using it against you.

This reference to Anonymouse.org should hide your ip. :) EXAMPLE: http://www.google.com/translate?langpair=es|en&u=www.anonymouse.org Try it & then try your real IP generated here... http://www.arin.net/whois/

ABC August-10-2008

1Ti6.11-21;Pro10.1-16;Luk16.10-18;Neh3; Analysis: Paul finishes the letter by telling Timothy to _finish well_ and that this charge _is before God_. Proverbs exhort us to pay attention to the time & the task. That is, we are here for a reason to share, to work, to witness. By fulfilling our tasks we earn: something. God's joy which then becomes ours. Luke teaches us to serve God not money. Nehemiah teaches us to work together & not be proud: the list of people/families that individually worked on the wall is missing names from the Tekoites. It says their nobles were too proud to stoop and server their Lord. Best Verse(s): 1Ti6.11-16;Pro10.1-2,5,11,14,16;Luk16.10-18;Neh3.5; Contract/Prayer -God, you are my judge. I want to bring you joy -It's harvest time. I must study & speak. -Be faithful in little things that I might be worth of greater things. -Be humble & willing to serve/stoop.