The Road Towards Agnosticism
Open minded people will eventually be led to agnosticism.

By: Chaim Zeitz

Read more here:
The Road Towards Agnosticism - Video

Making fun of agnosticism Cus i can
I created this video with the YouTube Video Editor (http://www.youtube.com/editor)

By: juan yates

View post:
Making fun of agnosticism Cus i can - Video

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal | July 23, 2014

Until E3 2014, I had no idea what Disney Infinity really was--probably because I'm not exactly Disney's target demographic. So when I wandered over to the Disney Interactive booth during last month's gaming trade show, I was completely in the dark about how the company is helping along the whole video-game-toy-mash-up thing with its play sets, interactive figurines, and platform-agnostic gameplay.

Until E3 2014, I had no idea what Disney Infinity really was probably because I'm not exactly Disney's target demographic. So when I wandered over to the Disney Interactive booth during last month's gaming trade show, I was completely in the dark about how the company is helping along the whole video-game-toy-mash-up thing with its play sets, interactive figurines, and platform-agnostic gameplay.

And while what Disney has in store for Infinity 2.0, which launches later this year, is pretty awesome a collection of Marvel superheroes, in-game currency, and special Toy Box games it turns out that Infinity 1.0 (not the official name, but I'm going to call it that) offers comprehensive gameplay in its own right. I took a look at the app, Disney Infinity: Toy Box, and I think you should, too.

Enter: The Toy Box

At first glance, it looks like the Disney Infinity franchise leans heavily toward those with consoles and PCs. After all, the game is predicated on physical toy figurines with built-in NFC chips that players can place on special NFC readers that plug into their console or PC. Placing a figurine on the reader brings that toy "to life" in your game: The character pops up on your screen and they can move around, perform special moves, and pick up and use objects.

The character is now inside the Disney Infinity Toy Box, which is the sandboxy, open world of the Infinity franchise. In the Toy Box, your character can play through pre-made campaigns (much like a traditional video game), or you can build your own game world complete with varying terrain, obstacles, and enemies.

But the Toy Box is where Disney Infinity differs from similar game sets, such as Activision's Skylanders. The Toy Box is cloud-based and platform-agnostic, which means that you can access your Toy Box from any platform that Disney Infinity is available on, including mobile.

"You get the full Disney Infinity experience on the app," explains Ryan Rothenberger, senior producer for Disney Interactive. "We've made it truly platform-agnostic. You can pick up your iPad and start playing from wherever you left off on your console, play for a little while, and then go back to your console and keep going."

Most games are, at most, operating system-agnostic you can play them across iOS and Android, or Windows and Mac not platform-agnostic. In fact, Disney's platform-agnosticism is so comprehensive, Rothenberger says, that the company has actually patented the technology.

Go here to read the rest:
Why you should download the Disney Infinity: Toy Box app ahead of Infinity 2.0

EAGER TO LOVE: THE ALTERNATIVE WAY OF FRANCIS OF ASSISI By Richard Rohr Published by Franciscan Media, $21.99

The ideas of Franciscan Fr. Richard Rohr are ubiquitous. Thousands find them in the morning on their computer screens, grist for meditation; thousands more find them in his more than 30 books; others are taught them at the Center for Action and Contemplation, which he founded in Albuquerque, N.M., in 1986.

In all, Rohr's intent is to deepen contemporary spirituality by linking it to Christian mysticism and the contemplative tradition. In Eager to Love, he reclaims the mysticism inherent in the Franciscan legacy and he offers it as an alternative to the hierarchical, patriarchal and authoritarian Christianity that he suggests has primary responsibility for so much of contemporary agnosticism in the West.

He claims to want to "reignite the Franciscan revolution," which is universally accessible and inclusive, offering healing and liberation. As such, he is building a bridge between the Christian mystical tradition and estranged seekers of every ilk.

Eager to Love is neither a biography of Francis nor a history of the Franciscan order, but Rohr's reflections on the best aspects of the Franciscan heritage as lived out by its founder and its early worthies -- Clare, Bonaventure and Dun Scotus. The book's publication is timely, not only because Franciscan spirituality is foundational to Rohr's entire understanding of spirituality, but because the elevation of a Jesuit pope has made it so by his selection of name and his claiming as his own the Franciscan charism of poverty.

The message of Francis, the saint, offers an alternative way of life, one anchored in a sacramental understanding of the world, an appreciation of contemplation as a different way of knowing, a wisdom that is nondualistic, and a pedagogy that teaches through living and being rather than through creedal affirmation.

According to Rohr, the starting point for Francis was not the reality of human sinfulness, but rather human suffering. He held up not the desire for self-perfection but rather the desire to enter into, to love, that which was other -- the poor, the outsider. As such, the Franciscan tradition is prophetic rather than priestly. It offers a third way of heterodoxy, one between traditional orthodoxy and heresy.

Although he includes many pages of endnotes as documentation, Rohr admits that he is not a scholar, but a popularizer who is laying out a different approach to the inherited Christian tradition. The strength of the book is his rendering of the many positive aspects of Francis' contribution and that of his early followers. Eager to Love is written to convince. Its language is exuberant, and while many ideas are provocative, Rohr's treatment -- and he acknowledges this -- is not systematic. He not only ranges widely over some eight centuries of church history with glances back to the life of Jesus and the early church, he also gives short shrift to many theological and philosophic issues.

Ever optimistic, Rohr sees the present moment as fecund, and his readers -- most of whom will be Catholics, disaffected or otherwise -- as pivotal in giving birth to a new understand of a very old mystical tradition.

Rohr both values the institutional church and suggests ways to survive within it. The autobiographical import of this statement is not lost on the reader. He admonishes Christians to give priority to Jesus and his message and to make use of both the inherited wisdom of the church and the protection it affords that message.

More:
Seize the Franciscan moment, Rohr advises

Nadella's plan to put services, software on all platforms means the Apple-IBM deal will have little impact on the enterprise-centric Microsoft

The Apple-IBM partnership announced yesterday will have little or no impact on Microsoft's dominance in the enterprise, or drastically change its already mutating mobile strategy for business, according to analysts.

"Short term, there will likely be very little impact to Microsoft," said Ross Rubin, principal analyst at Reticle Research. "Microsoft is a very broad corporate computing entity, but IBM tends to focus on more specific implementations for vertical markets. Most of the IBM work, even though they have long-term engagements with certain customers, the engagements are more project focused.

"Of course, Microsoft wants its share of that business - it does do some consulting and of course wants to lock in those wins on its own platforms - but so much of its business is in general productivity," Rubin added. "So I think it's unlikely that the Apple-IBM alliance will have much of an impact."

On Tuesday, Apple and IBM jointly announced a new partnership that will meld IBM's big data and analytics capabilities with Apple's iPhone and iPad. IBM will sell the Apple devices; craft more than 100 industry-specific enterprise solutions that include native apps; optimize its cloud services for iOS; package device supply, activation and management services; offer financing and leasing plans; and provide on-site support to customers. Apple will also offer new AppleCare support options designed for enterprises.

Experts yesterday called the deal "brilliant" and said Apple got the better part of the alliance as it now has a front door into the enterprise rather than having to sneak in through the back as workers bring their personal iPhones and iPads into the office.

Microsoft, of course, is the premier supplier of productivity software - including operating systems - to the enterprise, and has been hammering on mobile for ages. Since the appearance of the iPhone, then Android and finally the iPad, it has made little headway: Microsoft's smartphone shipment share remains in the low single digits worldwide and its tablets, among them its own Surface Pro 3 -- Microsoft trumpets it as a notebook replacement, not a tablet -- have made little or no meaningful headway anywhere, including in business.

Originally, Microsoft's enterprise mobile strategy, particularly with the 2012 launch of Windows 8 on PCs, tablets and phones, was one stressing homogeneity to customers. Microsoft bet that its business customers would choose Windows-powered smartphones and tablets because they could be managed with the familiar tools already used to handle desktops and notebooks.

When that didn't take, Microsoft switched up the strategy. New CEO Satya Nadella has banged the "mobile-first, Cloud-first" mantra and increasingly talked about app agnosticism and the importance of cross-platform-capable software and services.

"We are going to have our experiences on all platforms," Nadella again promised when he spoke today at his company's Worldwide Partners Conference. "That means every home screen out there. Our aspiration is to have one or many Microsoft icons, Microsoft digital experiences. They're all entry points for us as an ecosystem."

Read more:
Why Microsoft isn't spooked by the Apple-IBM alliance

Agnosticism 101

Index of Documents and Articles

If there is anything as misunderstood and misrepresented as atheism, it must be agnosticism. There are many misconceptions about agnosticism, agnostics, and the reasons why anyone would adopt a position of agnosticism in the first place. This is unfortunate, because whether agnosticism is conceived of as a philosophy or simply an isolated position on the existence of gods, it is eminently reasonable and defensible.

The definition of agnosticism is one of the more contentious issues - even many agnostics continue to hold to the idea that agnosticism represents some sort of "third way" between atheism and theism. Not only evidence from standard dictionaries but also a careful comparison between agnosticism and other ideas like theism and atheism reveal that calling oneself an agnostic by no mean excludes being either an atheist or a theist.

Limiting oneself to discussing agnosticism as an isolated position fails to do it justice. It was originally conceived by Thomas Henry Huxley as a methodology for approaching religious questions, particularly the existence of God. Even before he coined the term, however, basic agnostic principles had existed for a long time and they have always posed serious challenges to basic premises in theology and religious philosophy. Agnosticism is a skeptical challenge to the notion that any religious conclusion can really be "known" in the first place.

Defining Agnosticism To understand why agnosticism is both reasonable and plays an important role in the philosophy of religion, the first step is to get a better grasp of just how the concept is defined. There are quite a few different definitions of agnosticism, but the definitions presented here are the most basic, the broadest, and I think the most reasonable of the lot. Defining agnosticism isn't all that difficult because the broad understanding of it is well supported by most standard dictionaries.

Highlights: What is Agnosticism? Strong Agnosticism vs. Weak Agnosticism Standard Dictionary Definitions of Agnosticism

Agnosticism Compared & Contrasted One way to learn more about agnosticism is to take a closer look at how it compares with other ideas. Contrasting agnosticism with atheism and theism can reveal that agnosticism is not really a 'third way' between the two. Seeing how and why agnosticism is often conceived as a lack of commitment can also explain the differences between some popular perceptions of agnosticism and the way it is properly defined.

Highlights: Agnosticism vs. Atheism Agnosticism vs. Theism Agnosticism and Commitment

Philosophy of Agnosticism Agnosticism plays an important role in the philosophy of religion because it poses a serious challenge to those theologians and philosophers who argue that knowledge about gods is possible. If agnosticism can be successfully defended as being at least rational, then the efforts of many religious apologists (especially those who try to prove the existence of God) can be called into serious question, if not rejected entirely as a castle built upon sand.

Read more:
Agnosticism 101: What is Agnosticism? Index of Documents ...

In fact, the Devil has been centre stage within popular Western culture for the past 40 years. When, in the 1973 film The Exorcist, a voice inside the possessed girl, Regan, announced, And Im the Devil! Now kindly undo these straps, he was announcing, in Terminator mode, that he was back. The girl in whom the Devil had taken up residence spoke with a deep contralto voice, screamed obscenities, vomited and levitated, rotated her head 180 degrees and walked like a spider. Audiences were horrified and appalled, yet captivated and fascinated.

This modern enchanted world is one of multiple meanings, where the spiritual occupies a space between reality and unreality. It is a domain where belief is a matter of choice and disbelief willingly and happily suspended. And in this new realm of limbo, the Devil finds a new space.

As the revised Anglican baptism service suggests, belief in the Devil is now very much a matter of choice, even within the Christian Church. It was not always so. For the better part of the past 2,000 years, it was as impossible not to believe in the Devil as it was impossible not to believe in God. To be a Christian was not only to believe in the salvation that was available through Christ, but also to expect the punishments inflicted by Satan and his demons in the eternal fires of hell for those not among the chosen. The history of God in the West is also the history of the Devil, and the history of theology is also the history of demonology.

When belief wasnt a matter of choice: the 'Hell fresco (1415) by Giovanni da Modena

For some forms of modern conservative Christianity, marginalised within Western secular and liberal theological thought, the Christian story of the Devil is very much alive still. The belief remains that the Devil is active and will remain so until finally consigned to an eternity in Hell at the end of history. The existence of the Devil and his capacity to act in history, nature, and human lives, remains for many Christians, both Protestant and Catholic, a satisfactory explanation of natural misfortune and human suffering.

And the modern world often does seem at times to be so evil and human actions so wicked that only a supernatural explanation can suffice. That Satan and evil always seem to be winning the battle against God and the good has always been only partially and paradoxically mitigated by the Christian conviction that, at the end of the day, he has been carrying out Gods will. Christianity has always wrestled with the apparent contradiction between a God who is both all-powerful and all-good, and yet appears either unable to control the Devil or unwilling to do so.

Still, the story of the Devil is one that had lost its central role in Western intellectual life by the middle of the 18th century. By then, for an educated elite if not for the masses, the Devil was no longer a matter of fact but of fiction, and even occasionally a folkloric figure of fun. For some, the Devil became merely a metaphor for the evil within us. For others, he became merely a personification of an impersonal force. It was no longer a valiant struggle against sin, the world and the Devil but rather, as the new baptism service has it, a matter of standing bravely and opposing the power of evil. For others, it was a convenient excuse for men, as Daniel Defoe put it in 1727, to shift off these crimes on Him which are their own.

It was the rise of secular scepticism about the Devil that made possible his effective elimination from liberal Christian theologies. His relegation to the darker corners of the Christian mind was perhaps the most important consequence of the growth of liberal Protestantism from the beginning of the 19th century. Yet, ironically, this very marginalisation of the orthodox Christian story of the Devil in the modern West has allowed for a proliferating of lives of the Devil in modern popular culture.

The Devil still exists within the Christian story, but also beyond it, an objectification of the often incomprehensible evil that lies within us and around us, threatening to destroy us. The spell of disenchantment has been broken. The Devil now has new domains and new borders. Hedged in by the traditional Christian story on the one side, on the other by modern secular agnosticism, he prowls around, looking for someone to devour, yet again, both delectable and dangerous, fascinating and terrifying, familiar and alien, in a newly enchanted world.

Philip Almond is professorial research fellow at the University of Queensland and author of 'The Devil: A New Biography (IB Tauris)

See the original post here:
Giving the Devil his due

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) July 09, 2014

WorldReligionNews.com, one of a new breed of religious news sites utilizing bleeding edge technology and digital methodologies, has published its latest 'Featured Contributor' article, 'VATICAN MUSEUMS DISPLAY REPLICA OF TEMPLE TO THIS HINDU GOD,' by Rajan Zed, President of 'Universal Society Of Hinduism,' and launched an updated WRN tablet app and Alexa Firefox & IE browser extension.

This marks the 5th 'Featured Contributor' article Rajan Zed has written for WRN and covers the fact that the Vatican Library carries extensive collection of ancient Hindu scriptures and various other Hinduism related texts, including books on Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Bhagavad-Gita, Panchatantra, Krishna, Brahma, yoga, Shakti, Hindu theology, Hindu pantheon, etc.

WRN also updated its IOS and Android religion news tablet app with various user enhancements specially for tablet users and also added a WRN Alexa browser extension to allow users to keep up to date with WRN news directly from their Firefox or Microsoft IE browsers.

Install the WRN browser extension here.

WorldReligionNews.com has established its Featured Contributor program to offer both writers officially affiliated with all faiths and belief systems, as well as independent writers, bloggers, journalists and authors of note, a public platform from which to publish religion focused articles that will reach not only WRN visitors but also appear via syndication partners on sites like CNN, FOX, New York Daily News and others.

If you are an officially affiliated spokesperson/writer for a particular religious organization or, a prominent writer, blogger journalist of note who would like to be considered for a Featured Contributor article placement on WRN, contact us here: http://www.worldreligionnews.com/guest-blogger-submission/.

About WorldReligionNews.com: WRN, part of the IEN network, exists to cover the news generated by all major world religions, A to Z, from Agnosticism to Wicca and all in between, in ways that will inspire, enlighten, entertain & engage within a framework wired for a connected and distracted world.

Visit: http://www.WorldReligionNews.com

Read the original post:
WorldReligionNews.com Publishes Hinduism Featured Contributor Article, Tablet App Update & Alexa Browser Extension

Submitted by David Stockman of Contra Corner blog,

Just when you thought that nothing could be worse than bubble blindness of Greenspan and Bernanke - along comes the Yellen doctrine of resilience. Its dangerous Keynesianblather, and far worse than Greenspans feigned agnosticism which held that the Fed does not have the capacity to recognize financial bubbles in the making and should therefore mop them up after they burst.The Maestronever did say exactlywhat caused the massive and destructive dot-com and housing bubbles which occurred on his watch - except that Chinese factory girls stacked 12-to-a-dorm-room apparently saved way too much RMB.

By contrast, Yellens primitive Keynesian mind knows exactly what causes financial bubbles. Shehas now militantly asserted thatbubblesare entirely an irrational impulse in the privatemarket and that the price of money and debt has absolutely nothing to do with financial stability. Thats right, if the Fed could find a way topeg the money market rate at negative 10% to further its self-defineddual mandateof just enough inflation and always more jobs - even thenany speculative excesses would presumably be attributable tostill another outbreak of the markets allegedpropensity for error, irrationality and greed.

Lets see. If the central bank arranged to cause carry-traders to get paid 8% to borrow short-termmoney (i.e.on anegative 10% deposit rate)in order to fund the carry on junk bonds, Turkish construction loans and the Russell 2000, do ya think they might get a tad rambunctious?For crying out loud, when it comes to speculation, leverage, maturity transformation and re-hypothecation of financial assets the money market interest rates is not nothing as Yellen contends. Its everything!

Thats the heart of the matter and why Keynesian central banking is the most destructive and dangerous doctrine ever invented. In effect, it mandatescentral bankers toseize control of the single most important price in all of capitalismthe price of carry or gambling stakes in the financial markets - and then assertsthat this drastic pre-emption will have no impact on the behavior of speculators, traders and investors.

That predicate is so perverse that it puts one in mind of the boy who killed his parents and then threw himself on the mercy of the courts on the grounds that he was an orphan! Keynesian central bankers like Yellen are doing exactly the same thing. Pegging the money market rate at zero for seven years amounts tokilling all of the financialmarkets inherent stability mechanisms.

That is to say, carry trades are made essentiallyrisk free because the money market rate is officiallypegged at zero. Moreover,the Fed has furtherpromised to be utterly transparent in notifying gamblers as to when the spread between their funding cost and their asset yield will change, and with ample advance notice.

Furthermore, the downside risk on the asset side of the trade is also substantially removed. Owing to the long-standing Greenspan/Bernanke/Yellen put the cost of protection against sharp declines in the broad market (such as the S&P 500 index) has become dirt cheap. In effect, the Fed is massively subsidizing the cost of put options that allow speculators to insulate their risk asset positions.

Accordingly, momentum dealsandcarry trades are far more profitable than they would be on an honest free market because in the latter case market-priced insurance premiums would eat up far more of the winnings. Needless to say, out-sized and artificial profitability attracts massive excess capital and resources into the hedge fund and trading deskgambling arenasthe very motor forces of financial instability.

Likewise, an essential ingredient of honest two-way financial markets is speculation from the short-side. Self-evidently, ZIRP, bond market repression and the Feds stockmarket put have driventhe short interest out of the casino entirely.So now we have one-way markets that are inherently prone to powerful speculative excess.

Continued here:
The Yellen "Resilience" Doctrine Is Dangerous Keynesian Blather

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) July 03, 2014

WorldReligionNews.com continues its featured contributor series with 4 articles from a varied collection of authors representing either official religions or organizations.

This most recent addition of 'Featured Contributor' articles includes: Rajan Zed, representing the Universal Society of Hinduism, discussing a historical Hindu invocation in Maryland; Ro W, of the Quranist blog Muslim Reformation, asserting his opinions on blasphemy and apostasy laws; Keith Wommack, syndicated columnist and Christian Scientist explaining the connections between health, good listening, and spirituality; and finally, Tad Reeves, Scientology Parent website writer, with an interview about raising children as a Scientologist parent.

Read these 'Featured Contributor' articles and others here: http://www.worldreligionnews.com/featured-contributors/.

WorldReligionNews.com has established its Featured Contributor program to offer both writers officially affiliated with all faiths and belief systems, as well as independent writers, bloggers, journalists and authors of note, a public platform from which to publish religion focused articles that will reach not only WRN visitors but also appear via syndication partners on sites like CNN, FOX, New York Daily News and others.

If you are an officially affiliated spokesperson/writer for a particular religious organization or, a prominent writer, blogger journalist of note who would like to be considered for a Featured Contributor article placement on WRN, contact us here: http://www.worldreligionnews.com/guest-blogger-submission/.

About WorldReligionNews.com: WRN exists to cover the news generated by all major world religions, A to Z, from Agnosticism to Wicca and all in between, in ways that will inspire, enlighten, entertain & engage within a framework wired for a connected and distracted world.

http://www.WorldReligionNews.com

More:
WorldReligionNews.com Featured Contributor Series Continues With Hinduism, Scientology, Islamic and Spirituality ...

Terra 2014: Rational Agnosticism (Sector of Hypothesis)
Top secret...

By: Francis Carmody

View original post here:
Terra 2014: Rational Agnosticism (Sector of Hypothesis) - Video

(Kumar Ketkar is a senior journalist, political commentator, globe trotter and author. He has covered all Indian elections since 1971 and significant international events. He is a frequent participant on TV debates.)

The title of this piece, paraphrased from Oscar Wilde's 'The Soul of Man Under Socialism' would contradict the very essence of the idea of 'Secularism'. The secularists are not supposed to believe in the existence of 'soul'. It is presumed that they have scientific temper and do not believe in any prevailing religion. They may have been born to some religion - Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh etc, but they profess to be secularists. The secularists are either atheists or at least agnostics.

But the Indian version, or rather the Congress version of secularism is essentially respect (or appease) all religious communities. That is why it was translated by a section of Indian intellectuals as "Sarva-Dharma-Samabhava". It tried to emphasize co-existence and tolerance of all faiths, rather than scientific temper or agnosticism / atheism. Under this system, all religions are allowed to not only practice publicly but also propagate their religious beliefs. The pragmatic and politically convenient definition of "secular" is just being "anti-communal".

The otherwise sober Congress leader A K Anthony has stirred a hornet's nest by openly saying that Congress secularism has come to mean appeasement of the minorities. So the definition of secularism was not merely anti-communalism but being overtly pro-minorities. It hardly needs to be stressed that the term minorities is often used as synonymous for Muslims. Anthony himself is a Christian and therefore a member of the minority community. But despite being a Congressman, he too used the term appeasement to mean Muslims. It was the unkindest cut of all.

Actually, a similar critical comment was made by late Vithalrao Gadgil, the then spokesperson of the Congress, in 1998-1999, when the BJP-led NDA came to power, but it did not generate as much controversy. The debate has now reopened because Anthony is a head of the committee set up to investigate the causes of the disastrous defeat of the Congress. Also, the defeat in 1998-99 was not as catastrophic as now. It is natural therefore that the BJP and the conservative Hindu pundits have quickly taken up Anthony's statement and pounced on the rather vague idea of secularism as practiced by the Congress.

Oscar Wilde had observed, in the context of the idea of socialism that, "Admirable but misdirected intentions, they very seriously and very sentimentally set themselves to the task of remedying the evils, but their remedies do not cure the disease, they merely prolong it. Indeed their remedies are part of the disease". This observation aptly describes the fate of political secularism in the country today.

For the past 30 years or more, this form of secularism is under siege. Broadly, the organizations or parties believing in the idea of 'Hindutva' or 'Hindu Rashtra' were considered "communal" and hence all other parties, from the Congress to Communists, from Samajwadi Party to the BSP, were regarded as secular. Muslims are not a monolithic community, as most of the Sangh Parivar believes. In fact, the Shia Muslims are supposed to be with the BJP, even in Gujarat. The Bohra Muslims are openly backing Narendra Modi.

Psephologists say their research shows that the so-called Muslim Vote Bank is a media-created myth. The Uttar Pradesh election proves that even the Muslims voted the BJP in a significantly large number. However, there is a strong "secular" view that majoritarianism has prevailed and there was massive Hindu vote consolidation. It is also true that there is tremendous apprehension about this election and there is a lot of fear, frustration and a feeling of getting reduced to secondary citizenship.

For the first time the number of Muslim members of Parliament has been reduced to a single digit. The BJP does not have a single Muslim MP. The only Muslim minister, Najma Heptulla is a non-elected member of the party, and she has complicated the issue of "minority community" by saying that only the Parsis can be considered a minority. Even the Parsis were not impressed by Najma's statement.

Those people who have visited Gujarat feel the state and the so-called development model have not reached out to the Muslims in refugee camps. Modi often says "all are Indians " and he does not distinguish between Tamilians and Punjabis, Bengalis and Marathis. The experience of Gujarat is that it is psychologically divided. There is a huge "trust deficit" between the state government and the Muslim community. It is also easy to say that the people, mainly the Muslims, must "move on" and not keep the injury of 2002 bleeding. Gujarat has a very bloody history of communal riots and just because some intellectuals and pundits want to "move on" does not mean the Muslims will be persuaded to believe a new era of "genuine secularism" has arrived after nearly 60 years of "pseudo-secularism".

Link:
Opinion: The Soul of Man under Secularism

Is moving from one mobile OS to another a big deal? The platform you choose today could have ramifications in the future,

Will your choice of phablet determine the mobile ecosystem you get locked into for health and fitness tracking, automobile navigation and home entertainment?

I've been mulling this questions since I saw Google's flurry of news at its 2014 I/O conference this week. More on that in a second. First, let's start with Apple, which is expected to release two big-screened iPhone 6 phones this fall, one model at 4.7 inches and another at 5.5 inches.

Apple's current iPhone 5 models max out at 4 inches and can't compare to Samsung's army of phablets, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (5.7-inch screen) and the Galaxy Mega (6.3 inches). But will supersized Apple phones lure phablet fans away from their Samsungs?

I doubt we'll see a mass exodus, becasue there are many happy Samsung phablet users out there. Still, a few trends are worth noting:

This could mean there will be a fair amount of Android-to-iOS switchers this fall. Moving from Android to iOS or vice versa may not seem like a huge deal -- until you consider the future of both platforms.

Recent announcements from Apple (at its WWDC developer conference) and Google (at I/O) clearly illustrate that their mobile ecosystems are poised to expand far beyond smartphones and tablets in the near future.

Both Apple and Google are busy integrating health and fitness apps, APIs and smartwatch/fitness trackers into their respective ecosystems. Both are vying to become your car's mobile OS. Android TV is coming to a set-top box near you later this year to compete against, among others, Apple TV, as well as the physical Apple television the company is said to be building. Don't even get me started on the "Internet of Things," as part of which refrigerators, toaster ovens, crockpots and other everyday appliances will no doubt soon be hooked into and controlled by apps within the Android and iOS ecosystems. The goal of both companies is to deeply interconnect the various devices on their platforms so that, for instance, you can control your TV set with your smartwatch.

As the months and years tick by, the Apple and Google platforms will undoubtedly invade many areas of our lives. Of course, it's quite possible to live with one foot planted in each ecosystem. I do. But the benefits of mobile OS agnosticism will likely reach diminishing returns over time, forcing most people into one camp or the other.

So if you find yourself mulling a jump from Android to iOS or the other way around, choose carefully. Whichever road you take, the further you go, the harder it will be to turn back.

View post:
Why It's Never Been More Important to Pick Your Mobile Platform Wisely

Kate Holden MPhil - The Case for Agnosticism
The "God Question" is perhaps the most important question there is, as not only does it have enormous implications for our understanding of our existence, ou...

By: Dorset Humanists

Follow this link:
Kate Holden MPhil - The Case for Agnosticism - Video

Atheism or Agnosticism
"In fact, "atheism" is a term that should not even exist. No one ever needs to identify himself as a "non-astrologer" or a "non-alchemist." We do not have wo...

By: Justin Speaks

Continued here:
Atheism or Agnosticism - Video

Dr. Charles Spivak, MD: Revert from Agnosticism - The Journey Home Program
Charles was born and raised Catholic. When he went to college he began to question his Catholic faith and the existence of God. His study of astronomy and the glory of the universe began to...

By: The Coming Home Network International

Here is the original post:
Dr. Charles Spivak, MD: Revert from Agnosticism - The Journey Home Program - Video

June 05, 2014

Nickelodeon is all about fun contentbut when it comes to understanding its audience, there's nothing the TV network takes more seriously.

Nickelodeon goes where its audience tells it to go. That may sound like a recipe for chaos, but what is actually does is allow Nick to market from a position of powerbecause consumer insight is the foundation of solid marketing strategy.

If you don't know who your target audience is and where they play, the quality of your content is akin to the proverbial tree falling in the woodsit doesn't matter because no one is consuming it.

Considering the growing platform agnosticism of consumers in generaland of Nickelodeon's core target of 6- to 11-year-olds in particularthat might seem like a tall order, but Nick's CMO Pam Kaufman has these words for marketers who might fear the plunge: It's not complicated. Start with great content, know where the consumer is, and create activations across platforms.

Omnichannel marketing might feel complex because of the continually evolving tech landscape, but it's really just a matter of being smart and picking your battles.

Be on the platforms that make sense as they become available; if consumers are there, we've got to be there, says Kaufman, who took a few moments to chat with Direct Marketing News before her keynote presentation at the Brand Activation Association's Marketing to the Omnichannel Shopper conference in NYC.

To be a meaningful brand today you need to have a mobile strategy and a social strategy, which also has to connect to your overall digital strategy, Kaufman says. But we can't be everywhere all the time, so it's about listening for the drum beats and seeing if they're worthy of making some noise around.

The fluidity of Nick's content is no accident. There is no expression of Nickelodeon's TV presence that doesn't make its way, in some form, to other platforms, particularly digital, social, and mobile channels. And throughout it all, Nick tracks consumer behavior on an ongoing basis.

More here:
Omnichannel Totally Rules at Nickelodeon

A new survey shows the religions of people who cheat on their spouses, and according to the results, Evangelical Christians take the top spot.

Ashley Madison is a website for married people who discreetly want to find something on the side, and in a recent survey, they found that the majority of cheaters are Christian.

You can go and pray every Sunday, or Saturday, or three times a day, and it may not make a difference in how monogamous you are, said Ashley Madison founder Noel Biderman to the NY Daily News.

The survey shows that Evangelical Christians make up a quarter of the people who participated in the survey, while two other denominations of Christianty, Catholicism and Protestantism, take spots two and three, respectively; all falling above 20 percent. Other religions like Mormonism, Judaism, and Hinduism, account for less than two percent of participants, and non-belief systems like Atheism and Agnosticism fall very low on the list.

The survey questioned around 63,000 people, and of those people, 57 percent were male.

Take a look below at the top ten religious affiliations of cheaters, based on the Ashley Madison survey.

1. Evangelical: 25.1%

2. Catholic: 22.75%

3. Protestant: 22.7%

4. Agnostic: 2%

Here is the original post:
New Survey Shows Evangelical Christians Cheat On Their Spouses The Most

Agnosticism
Preaching the Gospel of "I don #39;t know"

By: Donnacha O #39;Driscoll

Go here to read the rest:
Agnosticism - Video

Mysticism, Skepticism, Agnosticism
Here I discuss the major differences between skepticism, mysticism, and how mysticism and religion are two very different animals and why we should avoid ass...

By: imyouandurme

Read the original post:
Mysticism, Skepticism, Agnosticism - Video