It's the Corporate State, Stupid

Rupert Murdoch admits that it isn't news unless he says it is:~

"For better or for worse, our company (The News Corporation Ltd.) is a reflection of my thinking, my character, my values." Rupert Murdoch

I saw the documentary, "The Corporation" on television a couple of years ago and I enjoyed it tremendously. I think it successfully explores the idea that the new totalitarian power structure is most likely to be corporate. Or more probably, a combination of corporate power and government.


Anyway, here is the documentary "The Corporation" courtesy of Youtube. It has been uploaded to Youtube in 10 minute segments with 15 segments in all. Enjoy :)

The Corporation Part 1
The Corporation Part 2
The Corporation Part 3
The Corporation Part 4
The Corporation Part 5
The Corporation Part 6
The Corporation Part 7
The Corporation Part 8
The Corporation Part 9
The Corporation Part 10
The Corporation Part 11
The Corporation Part 12
The Corporation Part 13
The Corporation Part 14
The Corporation Part 15

"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

Family Emergency

Family emergency. Hope to be back in the future.

Beep

Mel Brooks And The Spanish Inquisition

"In the early years of the 16th century, to combat the rising tide of religious unorthodoxy, the Pope gave Cardinal Ximinez of Spain leave to move without let or hindrance throughout the land, in a reign of violence, terror and torture that makes a smashing film. This was the Spanish Inquisition... " from "The Spanish Inquisition" by Monty Python.

I make no apologies for this excerpt from "History of the World Part 1" as it is one of the few movies I can watch and always get a laugh. Mel Brooks is a completely and utterly delightful lunatic. Nobody takes the piss out of "The Spanish Inquisition" like he can.

Watch "The Spanish Inquisition" here on Youtube.

LINKS:~

• Spanish Inquisition
• The Spanish Inquisition by Monty Python
• The Inquisition According to the Catholic Church

Monkeys With High Speed Internet Access

Hello Little Monkey Hand

This video clip has done the rounds on a few blogs, but I will post it here also as it is well worth a viewing.

View this video clip "Dance Monkeys, Dance" on Youtube

LINKS:~

• Newly Discovered Fossils From China Shed Light On Common Ancestry Of Monkeys, Apes And Humans ~ For the first time, scientists have discovered skeletal parts of an extinct primate that documents an early phase in the evolution of monkeys, apes, and humans.
• Comparison of the Human and Great Ape Chromosomes as Evidence for Common Ancestry ~ When one looks at the chromosomes of humans and the living great apes (orangutan, gorilla, and chimpanzee), it is immediately apparent that there is a great deal of similarity between the number and overall appearance of the chromosomes across the four different species.
• Comparison of Human and Chimpanzee Chromosomes
• Becoming Human
• "This Simian World" by Clarence Day

Which Female Stereotype Am I?

The Mistress GO YOU!

You're hot and smart, and ready for sex, but since you are just too independent, you're forever stuck as the Mistress, the woman men use to cheat on their wives and girlfriends with. You scored higher than 0% on bitchiness You scored higher than 0% on atttractiveness You scored higher than 66% on intelligence You scored higher than 11% on sexuality

Oooops. This appears to be yet another test that I have failed.

Take The Test

3,000 Breastfeeding Women

As this is a special report, some of the links will be in "nipple pink".

~

With thanks to Babylonandon for this post Philipines Mothers Chase Breastfeeding Record.

More than 3,000 mothers packed a Philippine sports stadium in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for simultaneously breastfeeding their children.

The event was organized by the Manila city government along with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and local health officials to promote public awareness on breast feeding, and wean mothers away from using baby formula.

I like this story. Can you imagine the hullabaloo by the religious rightwing in the so-called "free nations" if such an event was held? There might be rightwing religious fundies bombing breastfeeding mothers for being lewd and ungodly. Same thing would most likely happen in the so-called "unfree nations" of course. If exposing your ankle is bad, exposing a breast would be an abomination before the male god whose word on sexual organs is "Here a chop, there a chop, everywhere a nip and tuck." (Sorry, that is my obscure reference to male and female circumcision.)

In patriarchial societies the breast is seen primarily as a sexual organ designed for the pleasure and arousal of the male. Thousands of breast enhancement surgeries are performed annually as a result of this mentality. Women in the west claim these surgeries make them feel better about themselves. In reality, many have these surgeries performed because they have succumbed to the pressure to meet the standard of the "female stereotype." One of the female stereotypes is the impossible youth standard set for women and their organs, which is concocted by all sorts of businesses in order to generate cash flow.

The primary biological function of the female breast and its primary reason for existence is to suckle an infant. This seems to have escaped the collective bee mentality of "god's police", aka the religious rightwing. I am here to remind them of it. If, as a male, you find watching a female publically breastfeeding her baby to be sexually overpowering, you need to stay home permanently and read "Superman Comics."

The use of infant formula particularly in the developing world, is somewhat contentious and it has come under scrutiny. Many scientists believe that infant formula exposure increases the risk of several conditions including insulin dependent diabetes mellitus asthma, and eczema. It is well-established that non-breastfed infants suffer significantly more middle ear infections, respiratory, intestinal and other bacterial infections. An association with lower cognitive development has also been shown in several studies. The U.S. government has identified breastfeeding as an important measure of infant and maternal health.

If the US government has identified breastfeeding as an important measure of infant and maternal health, then why is the US the biggest producer of baby formula worldwide? Surely we in the west would not be interested in selling products to developing nations regardless of the known deleterious consequences?

If poor infant nutrition is the reason for the use of baby formula in developing nations, perhaps it makes more sense to increase the nutrients in the diet of mothers so that when breastfeeding occurs, the infant is receiving the known benefits associated with mother's milk. One positive benefit of infant formula is its use as a replacement food supply when the infant could be infected with HIV/AIDS via breastfeeding. It's widespread use seems inappropriate though, if the use of said product produces no benefit medically.

LINKS: ~

• UNICEF
• Breastfeeding: Good For Babies, Mothers
• Right-wing politics
• Left-wing politics
• Christian fascism
• Neofascism and religion
• Conservatism
• Christian right
• Islamic fundamentalism
• Conservative Judaism
  

Creationism dismissed as 'a kind of paganism' by Vatican's astronomer

Creationism Is A Kind Of Paganism

Sometimes the Catholic Church gets it horribly wrong. (Think the Inquisition and in the modern era, no condoms to control the spread of aids.) Sometimes they almost get it right. This is one of the times they have got some of it right.

BELIEVING that God created the universe in six days is a form of superstitious paganism, the Vatican astronomer Guy Consolmagno claimed yesterday.

Brother Consolmagno argued that the Christian God was a supernatural one, a belief that had led the clergy in the past to become involved in science to seek natural reasons for phenomena such as thunder and lightning, which had been previously attributed to vengeful gods.

"Religion needs science to keep it away from superstition and keep it close to reality, to protect it from creationism, which at the end of the day is a kind of paganism - it's turning God into a nature god. And science needs religion in order to have a conscience, to know that, just because something is possible, it may not be a good thing to do."

Any criticism of creationism is fine in my "secular humanist book". Personally, I think religions are all "superstitious mumbo jumbo" including the tenets of catholicism. But, at least the catholic church recognises that creationism as a fundamental christian belief, is a dangerously ignorant position in a modern scientific world.

LINKS: ~

• Creationism
• The position of the Catholic Church towards evolutionary biology ~
• Since 1950, the Roman Catholic Church has asserted that a belief in the natural evolution of biological diversity (including the human body) through material processes is not inconsistent with Church teaching. The Church explicitly endorses neither an evolutionary nor a special creation view of the origin of biological diversity.
• In 'Design' vs. Darwinism, Darwin Wins Point in Rome ~
• The official Vatican newspaper published an article this week labeling as ''correct'' the recent decision by a judge in Pennsylvania that intelligent design should not be taught as a scientific alternative to evolution.
• Brother Guy J. Consolmagno

THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL?

THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL?

Watch "The Root Of All Evil?" video on Youtube

Episode 1: The God Delusion and Episode 2: The Virus of Faith

• "Root of all Evil? Part1"
• "Root of all Evil? Part2"
• "Root of all Evil? Part3"
• The Virus of Faith

(It is compelling to watch Dawkins in his very english-way, remain composed, when the arrangement of his words suggests to me that he is at once amazed and appalled by the people he interviews.)

The Origin of the Phrase "The Root Of All Evil": ~

• "The love of money is the root of all evil" ~ All wrongdoing can be traced to an excessive attachment to material wealth. This saying comes from the writings of the Apostle Paul.
• 1 Timothy 6:10 (New International Version) ~ "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
• 1 Timothy 6:10 (King James Version) ~ "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
• Greek Lexicon ~ ριζα γαρ παντων των κακων εστιν η φιλαργυρια ης τινες ορεγομενοι απεπλανηθησαν απο της πιστεως και εαυτους περιεπειραν οδυναις πολλαις

"The Root Of All Evil?" is a four part TV series hosted by Professor Richard Dawkins. Richard Dawkins uses the phrase to suggest the question: "Is implacable and intractable faith the root of all evil?"

Richard Dawkins is astounded that religious faith is gaining ground in the face of rational, scientific truth based on hard evidence. He describes his astonishment that, at the start of the 21st century, religious faith is gaining ground in the face of rational, scientific truth. Science, based on scepticism, investigation and evidence, must continuously test its own concepts and claims. Faith, by definition, defies evidence: it is untested and unshakeable, and is therefore in direct contradiction with science.

In addition, though religions preach morality, peace and hope, in fact, says Dawkins, they bring intolerance, violence and destruction. The growth of extreme fundamentalism in so many religions across the world not only endangers humanity but, he argues, is in conflict with the trend over thousands of years of history for humanity to progress – to become more enlightened and more tolerant.

Please consider watching all 3 sections of "The Root Of All Evil?" whether you are religious or non-religious, theist or atheist. And please leave a comment concerning your opinion of the programme.

MORE LINKS: ~

• Dawkins: Religion equals 'child abuse'
• Oh come all ye faithless
• The Root of All Evil?
• Debate Richard Dawkins: The Root of All Evil?

Churches Use Violence To Develop Warriors For God

Violent Christian Video Games

There is currently a nationwide movement to use pop culture to bring teens to God through use of a video game called Halo 2. Halo 2 is based loosely on themes found in the Bible, mainly good versus evil. Halo 2 is rated mature for violence, blood and gore, and language. Does this sound like church material?

It does sound biblical. Hard to find a story more violent, sexually depraved, bloodied and gory than the old testament. Christians continually deny the history of violence associated with their belief system while they actively promote violent religious games in order to gain conversions. While playing the game Halo 2, the Christian kid is supposed to bait his other kids into sharing his beliefs. Conversion by video game. You can figure out the rest.

I love the irony of this, or the hypocrisy, depending on how mean you want to be. I will go for hypocrisy today as the religious rightwing are pissing me off. Sections of the religious community like to harp on and on about video game violence and its deleterious effects upon society. How can they then decide to use video violence to promote their religious agenda without expecting shit loads of criticism? Someone pass the air freshener. The stench of hypocrisy is overwhelming.

LINKS: ~

• Religions and violence: an analytical synthesis
• The struggle to develop a just war tradition in the West
• Culture: Gamers' Good News
• Left Behind: Eternal Forces
• LATEST RAGE: VIOLENT CHRISTIAN VIDEO GAMES
• Christian Video Games
• The Prayer Warriors

Is the Creation Story in the Bible Based on the Babylonian Creation Story?

The Babylon/Genesis Creation Myth

The Babylonian creation story is called by its first two words "Enuma Elish." According to archeologists, it was originally written circa 1120 BCE. It was discovered in 1875 CE. It bears many points of similarity to the first creation story in the Bible.

The many points of similarity between the two traditions suggests that one story was derived from the other (or that both were derived from a still older original).

According to liberal theologians, the Babylonian account of creation was written in the 12th century BCE, centuries earlier than the Biblical account. According to conservative Christian theologians, the opposite happened: the Babylonian account was written after the Biblical account.

So who is right? I have always thought that the Babylonian Creation Story occurred first. If this is so, and the biblical account is an evolution of a pre-existing account; it not only means that the christian tradition is based on babylonian beliefs, but that of the jewish tradition as well. The delightful irony of all this is that we may have invaded the country where our creation myth (the account in genesis) originated. But then, I guess, for once and for all, the conservative religious right can rewrite history the way they like it.

Not sure they will actually be fooling many people though.

LINKS:~

• The Top 10 Intelligent Designs (or Creation Myths)
• Enûma Elish
• Genesis and Enuma Elish creation myth comparisons
• The Babylonian Legends of the Creation by British Museum
• The Mesopotamian/Babylonian Creation Myth

However, there are simply too many similarities between the accounts to deny any relationship between the accounts. There are significant differences as well that should not be ignored. Yet there is little doubt that the Sumerian versions of the story predate the biblical account by several hundred years. Rather than opting for either extreme of complete dependence or no contact whatever, it is best to see the Genesis narratives as freely using the metaphors and symbolism drawn from a common cultural pool to assert their own theology about God.

(This is a polite way of saying it was plagiarised.)

Noah's Ark - looking at the evidence

Brain May 'Hard-Wire' Sexuality Before Birth

Published in the October edition of the journal Molecular Brain Research, the UCLA discovery suggests that sexual identity is hard-wired into the brain before birth and may offer physicians a tool for gender assignment of babies born with ambiguous genitalia.

"It's quite possible that sexual identity and physical attraction is 'hard-wired' by the brain," he said. "If we accept this concept, we must dismiss the myth that homosexuality is a 'choice' and examine our civil legal system accordingly."

The religious right should take notice of these findings. If people have no say about their sexual orientation, it would suggest that religions which marginalise and persecute homosexuals are committing a human rights violation. To have specific laws against homosexuality would make as much sense as it would to have specific laws against heterosexuality. I recommend a reading of the origins of christianity's condemnation of homosexuality.

Read More Here: ~

• Brain May 'Hard-Wire' Sexuality Before Birth
• Is Sexuality Hard-Wired by the Brain?
• Sexuality 'hard-wired' before birth?
• Gene scan suggests homosexuality origin
• The Historic Origins of Church Condemnation of Homosexuality