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Why Atheism Will Replace Religion: New Evidence

Why Atheism Will Replace Religion: New Evidence
Atheists are heavily concentrated in economically developed countries, particularly the social democracies of Europe. In underdeveloped countries, there are virtually no atheists. Atheism is a peculiarly modern phenomenon. First, as to the distribution of atheism in the world, a clear pattern can be discerned. The question of why economically developed countries turn to atheism has been batted around by anthropologists for about eighty years. Atheists are more likely to be college-educated people who live in cities and they are highly concentrated in the social democracies of Europe. It seems that people turn to religion as a salve for the difficulties and uncertainties of their lives. In my new study of 137 countries (1), I also found that atheism increases for countries with a well-developed welfare state (as indexed by high taxation rates). Even the psychological functions of religion face stiff competition today. Sources1. Barber, N. (2012). 2. Related:  kpjete

5 Ways To Hack Your Brain Into Awesomeness Much of the brain is still mysterious to modern science, possibly because modern science itself is using brains to analyze it. There are probably secrets the brain simply doesn't want us to know. But by no means should that stop us from tinkering around in there, using somewhat questionable and possibly dangerous techniques to make our brains do what we want. We can't vouch for any of these, either their effectiveness or safety. #5. So you just picked up the night shift at your local McDonald's, you have class every morning at 8am and you have no idea how you're going to make it through the day without looking like a guy straight out of Dawn of the Dead, minus the blood... hopefully. "SLEEEEEEEEEP... uh... What if we told you there was a way to sleep for little more than two hours a day, and still feel more refreshed than taking a 12-hour siesta on a bed made entirely out of baby kitten fur? Holy Shit! We're pretty sure Kramer did this once on Seinfeld. How Does It Work? #4. #3. 1. 2. 3.

7 Skills To Become Super Smart People aren’t born smart. They become smart. And to become smart you need a well-defined set of skills. Here are some tips and resources for acquiring those skills. Memory If you can’t remember what you’re trying to learn, you’re not really learning. If you want to amaze your friends with remembering faces, names, and numbers, look to the grand-daddy of memory training, Harry Lorayne. Reading Good scholars need to be good readers. Evelyn Woodski Slow Reading Course Announcer … Dan Aykroyd Man … Garrett Morris Woman … Jane Curtin Surgeon … Bill Murray … Ray Charles Announcer V/O: [The following words rapidly appear on a blue screen as they are read by the fast-talking announcer:] This is the way you were taught to read, averaging hundreds or thousands of words per minute. Psychologists have found that many people who take speed reading courses increase their reading speed for a short time but then fall right back to the plodding pace where they started. Writing Speaking Numeracy Empathy

120 Ways to Boost Your Brain Power Here are 120 things you can do starting today to help you think faster, improve memory, comprehend information better and unleash your brain’s full potential. Solve puzzles and brainteasers.Cultivate ambidexterity. Use your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth, comb your hair or use the mouse. Write with both hands simultaneously. Switch hands for knife and fork.Embrace ambiguity. Learn to enjoy things like paradoxes and optical illusions.Learn mind mapping.Block one or more senses. Readers’ Contributions Dance! Contribute your own tip! There are many, many ways to keep our brains sharp.

Search The Official New York State Sex Offender Registry - NY DCJS The Sex Offender Registry now posts multiple photos of registered sex offenders, as they become available, to provide New Yorkers with additional information to keep their families safe. The Registry also includes multiple names (aliases) and multiple home and/or work addresses in an offender’s profile, if applicable. By law, only information about Level 2 and Level 3 offenders is available via this public directory. By last name: To search by name, enter the offender's last name. By zip code: You can get a list of all sex offenders who live in a certain area by entering the zip code. Level 1 and Level 2 offenders are required to submit updated photos every three years, while Level 3 offenders must submit updated photos annually. Searching for Level 1 sex offenders (or those with a pending risk level): DCJS is barred by law from posting information on Level 1 (low level) sex offenders, or those with a pending risk level, on this public site. Disclaimer:

100 Breaths Meditation This exercise will help increase concentration by using the breath as a focal point for meditation. It should take between 10-15 minutes depending on your natural pace of breathing. This is a great technique to use in the morning before you start your day, or during a break at work. Posture Posture can be very important to help minimize discomfort and/or avoid falling asleep. If you find either of these positions too uncomfortable, you can choose to sit in the traditional cross-legged form (so called “indian style” that many of us learned in grade school) – where both feet are tucked under the knees or thighs. Your eyes can be opened or closed during the exercise, but it is probably best to start out with them closed so there are fewer distractions. Directions Focus your attention on your breathing and countdown each breath from 100 to 0. Tips: When you first start out practicing this exercise, you will probably experience many distractions. Breathing is like an anchor

Non-Programmers May Soon Be Able To Create Apps Too Do you have an incredible idea for a new iPhone/iPod touch app? Don’t have the time (or money) to learn iOS programming? In the future, Apple may make it easier for non-programmers to launch their own apps in the App Store, according to AppleInsider. According to a new Apple patent filing entitled, “”Content Configuration for Device Platforms,” the company makes the case that programming is much too difficult for the average person. Therefore, to eliminate this “hindrance to content creation,” Apple proposes a new graphical software creation tool. Catering to both amateur and professional content developers, the new tool would completely eliminate the need to understand or access computer code. According to the filing: The JavaScript library instantiates the objects specified by the user using the authoring tool and generates additional code (HTML/CSS/JavaScript) as needed to display the content. Very cool, don’t you think? First filed with the U.S.

What's your sign? Discover the world of signs and symbolic meanings. ASTROTHEOLOGY & SHAMANISM, A review by Gerrit J. Keizer Review of the Second Edition With Colour Illustrations of ASTROTHEOLOGY & SHAMANISM: Christianity’s Pagan Roots. A Revolutionary Reinterpretation of the Evidence, by Jan R. Irvin and Andrew Rutajit (Gnostic Media, 2009). By Gerrit J. Keizer, clinical psychologist, mycologist and forest ecologist. In general, the second edition has substantially been improved by republishing the illustrations in colour, which makes evaluating relevant details of the religious art work included much more reliable. 1. Amanita muscaria is a cosmopolitan species, which in Europe and Asia lives in symbiosis (ectomycorrhiza) with indigenous deciduous trees like birches, beech, oaks, poplars, hornbeam and lime and with conifers like pine, spruce, fir, larch and cedar. 2. 3. Mushrooms, like the Fly Agaric, don’t grow, they stretch out. 4. The greater part of the mycelium of the Honey fungus Armillaria ostoyae (photo 5) 5. 6. 7. or St. 8. 9. 10. Some finishing remarks. Summarizing. Gerrit J.

Introduction to Cosmology Cookies on the New Scientist website close Our website uses cookies, which are small text files that are widely used in order to make websites work more effectively. To continue using our website and consent to the use of cookies, click away from this box or click 'Close' Find out about our cookies and how to change them Log in Your login is case sensitive I have forgotten my password close My New Scientist Look for Science Jobs Cosmology Introduction: Cosmology Cosmologists study the universe as a whole: its birth, growth, shape, size and eventual fate. Einstein's perfect theory: General relativity rebooted FEATURE: 21:00 04 August 2014 From the first images of a black hole to exploring time before the big bang, we're in a new golden age for general relativity, says cosmologist Pedro Ferreira Galaxy mapper's first discovery: surprise space debris TODAY: 15:57 21 July 2014 White holes: Hunting the other side of a black hole FEATURE: 20:00 20 July 2014 Panning for dark matter in an Australian gold mine

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