U.S. torture program results in thousands of U.S. deaths

In an interview with The Washington Post, a U.S. Air Force counter-intelligence specialist explains that he was aghast when he saw how the U.S. was continuing to torture prisoners, even after he arrived in 2006.   He further learned, based on first-hand interviews he conducted, that the torture committed by the…

Continue ReadingU.S. torture program results in thousands of U.S. deaths

Photographing your children during the holidays

When you take a posed holiday photo of your children, strive to present your children in a unique light.   The photo of my children (below) turned out especially well.  I used a Canon SD1100SI.   Make sure you get natural expressions by being a bit unpredictable.  Choose a suitable background…

Continue ReadingPhotographing your children during the holidays

Science is totally awesome

...especially when described in Ebonmuse's inimitable, emotive style in "The Age Of Wonder": Consider what we witness when we peer into the cosmos with our telescopic eyes. We see light born billions of years ago in the crucible of dying stars, shining out across the cosmos and becoming ever more…

Continue ReadingScience is totally awesome

What if there were far too many people, but no one had the courage to talk about it?

What if there were far too many people living on planet Earth, but no one had the courage to talk about it? According to Global Population Speak Out, that is exactly our situation. Consider that we repeatedly see news reports about scarce and dwindling resources (e.g., water, food, fish, fuel, topsoil), but these news reports rarely consider the exploding population on Earth as a major contributor to these problems. This refusal to consider the carrying capacity of Earth is truly staggering. As a thought experiment, consider how our "environmental" issues would be altered if each country had 25% fewer people than it currently does. Or 50%. Instead, we the human population of earth is at 6.5 billion, headed toward at least 9 billion by 2050. When it comes to discussing sex, reproduction and birth control, we freeze up, even when out-of-control population growth threatens our way of life.

Continue ReadingWhat if there were far too many people, but no one had the courage to talk about it?

What Should Be Taught in Biology Class?

I spend waste hours each week reading arguments between those who think that science education should be strictly based on science, versus those who think that alternate views (usually Biblical) should be taught along side. This is a skit about a father outraged at the amoral and unlikely (scientific) theory…

Continue ReadingWhat Should Be Taught in Biology Class?