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Category Archives: Psychology / Human Nature
Officer says god shielded him from Pentagon gunman
Ah yes, the power of belief. I’m sure it never occurred to the officer that his god could have just as easily prevented his being shot in the first place.
Of course, by all accounts the shooter was a 9/11 “truther”, so it would appear that we have irrational beliefs on both sides of the equation.
If you think an innocent man doesn’t need a lawyer…
…then consider for a moment the fact that nearly one quarter (25%) of the cases of DNA exoneration in the United States involve a false confession. Remember that the next time you say to yourself that you (or your kid) would never confess to something you didn’t do…
Also posted in Crime and Punishment, Freedoms / Rights
Tagged random, rights, that sucks
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Family Guy pisses off the Parents Television Council
So it must be one hell of a fucking-A good show. I hate to make blanket statements–I’m willing to bet that there’s something the PTC and I both agree shouldn’t be on TV–but as a general rule, anything that pisses off the PTC is okey-dokey with me.
These people first came to my attention following the [...]
Also posted in Entertainment, Family, Freedoms / Rights, Television
Tagged censorship, power, tv
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President Obama besieged for reversing Reagan gun control
Here’s one from the you can’t please them all files: President Obama was besieged today at Yellowstone for allowing firearms into National Parks. The President in May signed into law a provision that reversed Reagan administration gun control (yes, that’s right, Reagan gun control) rules which required that firearms in National Parks remain locked in [...]
Also posted in Freedoms / Rights, Government / Law, History, News, Politics
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People prefer confidence to expertise
New Scientist:
EVER wondered why the pundits who failed to predict the current economic crisis are still being paid for their opinions? It’s a consequence of the way human psychology works in a free market, according to a study of how people’s self-confidence affects the way others respond to their advice.
The research, by Don Moore of [...]
Also posted in Social Commentary
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Your god isn’t pro-life
Excellent piece by Daniel Florien at Unreasonable Faith.
For years, I’ve had only a few things to say about the heated and contentious issue of abortion. First and foremost, I don’t “believe in it”. As I’ve said before, I am simply unable to think of a set of circumstances where (given the choice) it would be [...]
Also posted in Education, Freedoms / Rights, Health / Medicine, Politics, Religion, Social Commentary
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Tennessee to begin random drug testing of students in 6-12 grades?
A bill before the Tennessee legislature would allow random drug testing of any students engaged or seeking to become engaged in voluntary extracurricular activities.
The Tennessean:
HB 1508/SB 0074, sponsored by Rep. Les Winningham, D-Huntsville, and Sen. Jim Tracy, R-Shelbyville, goes before key committees this week.It would give the drug-testing authorization to local school districts and target [...]
Also posted in Crime and Punishment, Education, Family, Freedoms / Rights, Social Commentary, Tennessee
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Wilson County Christian group not content with Constitutional equality
You may recall the Wilson County “pole strokers”–a parent-led prayer group who seemingly can only talk to their god from the general area of the flagpole in front of a public school in Wilson County, Tennessee. You may also recall that the Wilson County School System not long ago cost the taxpayers of Wilson County [...]
Also posted in Church and State, Education, Freedoms / Rights, Government / Law, Personal, Religion, Social Commentary, Tennessee
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I try to be optimistic, I just don’t think it helps any…
Steve Salerno, writing in eSkeptic of Wednesday, April 15th, 2009, Positively Misguided: The Myths & Mistakes of the Positive Thinking Movement:
The irony is this: The notion that the riddle of success is more easily solved by attitude than aptitude may be one of the more subtly destructive forces in American society. Not only is it [...]
Also posted in Skepticism / Rational-Critical Thought
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A parent’s guide to Facebook: it’s The Beatles
Lisa Belkin writing in the New York Times Magazine, Facebook for Parents:
In the months since my first post about how my children won’t “friend” me, I’ve come to see that today’s parents see Facebook the way earlier generations of parents probably saw the Beatles — as a threat to the known universe that could actually [...]
Also posted in Entertainment, Family, Internet, Technology
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Dr. Kiki on global warming, skepticism, reason and science
Dr. Kirsten Sanford (one of the Skeptologists, for those of you who may be interested in seeing more critical thinking, science and reason on TV), writing at her blog, The Bird’s Brain, A Response to Cali’s Weekend Twitter Circus:
I spend my time paying attention to as much of the science media as I can, and [...]
Support for same-sex marriage by age and state
The data supports the notion that younger people are more supportive of gay marriage than older people. I also think it’s interesting that, even in states that we normally consider quite hostile to gay rights (the ones at the bottom of the table), there is still a significant age difference: 18-29 year-olds in Alabama, [...]