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Curious Fact Of The Week. Brain Pickings. Lifehacker, tips and downloads for getting things done. Breathe. | zen habits. 3quarksdaily aggregator & magazine. Violence is an unavoidable part of being human Rowan Williams in the New Statesman: It would help if we had a single, clear story we could believe about violence – it’s getting worse because of this or that factor in our world, so we know whom to blame; it’s getting better as we all become more educated and secular, so we don’t have to worry in the long term.

But the evidence is profoundly confusing. Richard Bessel begins his lucid and well-documented book with a round-up of contemporary views, from those who think first of the astronomical statistics of humanly devised injury and death in the 20th century to those (like Steven Pinker in a much-discussed recent book) for whom what matters is the gradual change in sensibility that has made us simply more sensitive to the suffering of others – as well as the relative absence of major international conflict in the past half-century or so. More here. Posted by S. Earthworks, new and ancient, and the art of disappearance more here. more here.

T. Torn Halves. Truthout | Fearless, Independent News and Opinion. 20 Things You Didn’t Know About… | Discover Magazine Columns.

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Well Designed Sites. Feeds & Sites. Greendiary : Greendiary - Let's go green and save the environment for a sustainable future. GREEN POWER SCIENCE.  Synthetic Biology. "Synthetic biology" is an umbrella term that refers to a new set of powerful techniques for manipulating the fundamental molecular structures of life, including genes, genomes, cells and proteins.

Techniques being developed under the "synthetic biology" rubric include the modification of existing bacteria to produce useful substances or perform new functions, the creation of novel artificial organisms from "scratch," and — less noted to date — the modification of animal and human genes. Synthetic biologists foresee a host of human applications, including new methods to produce drugs, biofuels and vaccines; to diagnose, prevent and cure disease; and — far more controversially — to screen, select, and modify genes for specified traits in embryos, children, and adults. Nonetheless, the field remains in its early days, and separating hype from real potential remains difficult.

Such prospects raise concerns for social justice, human rights, and equality. Body divine yoga | unlock your kundalini power, ignite your third eye, awaken your inner oracle. Community: Who are the journalists on Quora? I'd like to use the web my way, thank you very much Quora. Gawker — Today's gossip is tomorrow's news. Blog Carnival - Blog Communities Publishing Magazines. Are you prepared? Modern Culture. Rhapsodos. Polymath Renaissance. Societal Gumbo. FUN STUFF. REALLY GOOD STUFF. Being Human. NewStuff. Data Viz. NeWeb Design. Presentation. Well Read Lists.