Jim Webb: Women Can't Fight

The title Women Can't Fight comes from a well-known 1979 article by Jim Webb, Naval Academy graduate, novelist, senator, Secretary of the Navy, and combat officer in the Marines during Vietnam. He was wounded twice and has the decorations to show for his experience and courage. His article has raised controversy for years. He says women can't fight and he explains why.

Matthieu Ricard, Happiness, & Buddhist Meditation

What is happiness, and how can we have it? Biochemist turned Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard says we can train our minds in habits of well-being to generate a true sense of serenity and fulfillment. He has been dubbed the "happiest person in the world" by popular media.

Which Universe Are You In?

"Get used to the idea of an infinite number of universes, says superstring theorist Brian Greene in his new book, The Hidden Reality. . . .

David Chalmers: The Easy and Hard Problems of Consciousness

The following discussion is from David Chalmers site. His page remains but the link I had for this material no longer exists.

"Consciousness poses the most baffling problems in the science of the mind.

Scott Atran on Rationalist Sam Harris & Talking To Terrorists

Unlike Sam Harris, Scott Atran has a sympathetic view of religion, although an atheist.

Michael Gazzaniga: The Mind's Past

In The Mind's Past, Gazzaniga reminds me of age-old teachings in Buddhism and Advaita. Of course in this he is not out of tune with other neuroscientists.   I am reminded of Benjamin Libet,  I am also reminded of neurophilosopher Thomas Metzinger, who publishes opinions reminiscent of ancient Eastern views of self and mind. (Not that neurophilosphers intend it, although some borrow from the teachings without acknowledging their sources.) Neuroscience also provides evidence that corroborates some of the teachings.

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson

Oral Roberts told his television audience that God would call him home if he didn’t raise $8 million in donations. Roberts didn't raise it and God let him hang around another 22 years. Long before Oral, Aimee Semple McPherson was a media evangelist before the term was invented.

Pancho Villa's Finger

Pancho Villa's Finger for Sale in a Texas Pawn Shop?

Barack Obama: A Profile

Even af­ter his parachute opened, Tyler Stark sensed he was coming down too fast. The last thing he’d heard was the pilot saying, “Bailout! Bailout! Bail—” Before the third call was finished, there’d come the violent kick in the rear from the ejector seat, then a rush of cool air.

With Orthodox Conservative Values, I Vote Left

The outcome of this election may prove to be a total surprise, but I doubt it. I say that while not allowing for voter fraud or statistical bias. Regarding bias, the photo for this piece has Truman gloating over the Chicago Daily Tribune's failed scoop. Its editors believed the data. The Tribune's expectations in the 1948 election were based on faulty Gallup polls. The problem was that Gallup had surveyed a specific sector of citizens—such as those who read Literary Digest, an upscale magazine of the era—rather than a cross section, and now in 2012 Gallup's lop-sided current data again shows it out of step with other polls.