Monthly Archives: August 2016

Cyberpunk – MIT

Posted: August 14, 2016 at 7:16 pm

As the title suggests, the story returns to some of the core icons of the Gernsback tradition of technological utopianism. A young reporter seeks to document the remains of a future which never came to pass, the future foretold at the New York Worlds Fair and in films like Things To Come. As he investigates further, he finds himself staring face to face with that future as a "semiotic ghost" and he is horrified by his vision of a man and a woman from that other future:

They were blond. They were standing beside their car, an aluminum avocado with a central shark-fin rudder jutting up from its spine and smooth black tires like a child's toy. He had his arm around her waist and was gesturing toward the city. They were both in white: loose clothing, bare legs, spotless white sun shoes. . . . They were heirs to the Dream. They were white, blond, and they probably had blue eyes. . . . Here, we'd gone on and on, in a dream logic that knew nothing of pollution, the finite bounds of fossil fuel, of foreign wars it was possible to lose. They were smug, happy, and utterly content with themselves and their world. . . . Behind me, the illuminated city: searchlights swept the sky for the sheer joy of it. I imagined them thronging the plaza of white marble, orderly and alert, their bright eyes shining with enthusiasm for their floodlit avenues and silver cars. It had all the sinister fruitiness of Hitler Youth propaganda.

The images of a technological utopia of white marble, glass, and steel, have devolved here into a dehumanizing utopia, a world closer to the regimentation of Nazi Germany than to the visions of corporate America. "The Gernsback Continuum" was a radical text, an assertion that science fiction had to challenge and perhaps surrender its utopian and optimistic impulses, that it must speak to an age full of ambivalent feelings towards technology, a world created by intimate machines and digital media, a disorderly world where various groups from complex cultural backgrounds must interact and struggle for control.

The cyberpunk writers set their stories in the near future, not the distant future of the Gernsback tradition. One can understand something of how science fiction has evolved by comparing the time-frames in older science fiction with those of contemporary writers. The genre first emerged in response to the dramatic changes occurring in the late 19th and early 20th century. Still, the earliest science fiction writers told stories set thousands and even millions of years in the future, in order to envision social and technological change. The time frame has dwindled, decade by decade; much contemporary science fiction is set only twenty or thirty years in the future. We now live in a state of constant change, and the anxiety/thrill of permanent transition shapes the science fiction we read and write.

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cyberpunk | literature | Britannica.com

Posted: at 7:15 pm

poetry

Literature that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a specific emotional response through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound, and rhythm....

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science fiction

A form of fiction that deals principally with the impact of actual or imagined science upon society or individuals. The term science fiction was popularized, if not invented, in...

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Pop Quiz

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satire

Artistic form, chiefly literary and dramatic, in which human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque,...

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Writing Tips from 7 Acclaimed Authors

Believe you have an awe-inspiring novel stowed away in you somewhere but youre intimidated by the indomitable blank page (or screen)? Never fear, were here to help with these lists of tips from acclaimed...

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Editor Picks: 9 Queer Writers You Should Read

Editor Picks is a list series for Britannica editors to provide opinions and commentary on topics of personal interest. Shrewd observers and lavish prose stylists, the writers on this list...

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Pop Quiz: Fact or Fiction?

Take this Pop Culture True or False quiz at Encyclopedia Britannica to test your knowledge of T-shirts, Legos, and other aspects of pop culture.

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9 Precursors to Science Fiction

Science fiction came to prominence at the turn of the 20th century, and the term was popularized, if not invented, in the 1920s. However, it is a genre that had been long in the making, evolving over hundreds...

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Memorable Beginnings Vol. 2: Match the Opening Line to the Work

Take this literature quiz at Encyclopedia Britannica to test your knowledge of the opening lines of famous stories and novels.

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Romanticism

Attitude or intellectual orientation that characterized many works of literature, painting, music, architecture, criticism, and historiography in Western civilization over a period...

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rhetoric

The principles of training communicators those seeking to persuade or inform; in the 20th century it has undergone a shift of emphasis from the speaker or writer to the auditor...

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literature

A body of written works. The name has traditionally been applied to those imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguished by the intentions of their authors and the perceived...

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Alcor: Membership Info – How to Join

Posted: at 7:13 pm

ALCOR MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION AND ENROLLMENT INSTRUCTIONS

For background information see also:

An Alcor member is a person who has full legal and financial arrangements in effect for cryopreservation with Alcor. (Associate membership is available for those who support Alcor's mission and/or who are considering making cryonics arrangements in the future.) Becoming an Alcor member is easy and surprisingly affordable, if you are in good health and eligible for life insurance, which will pay for your cryopreservation. (If you are not insurable, other financial arrangements can be made. Please ask us for details.)

Our fees are provided in Schedule A of our basic contract. The contract and other sign-up documents are available in the Library section of this website so you can read them in advance.

Note: If you think you may want cryonics, but haven't yet chosen a provider, you can help make it possible for others to sign you up for cryonics in an emergency situation by signing a Declaration of Intent. However, this document will not sign you up for cryopreservation.

To ask questions or request an information package, contact:

Diane Cremeens, Alcor Membership Department Coordinator

Email:

Phone: 1-877-GO-ALCOR (1-877-462-5267) extension 132

Outside of the United States, dial: +1 480 905 1906

Business hours are M-F 9-5 Mountain Standard Time (Arizona does not use Daylight Savings Time)

Fax: 1-480-922-9027

When youre ready to proceed, these are the steps that you will take.

1. Submit an application

For your convenience, you can complete and submit your application for membership right now as a PDF File. If it is more convenient you can print and mail it to us at the address on the form, or fax it to us at the fax number above. If you don't have all of the information that the form requires, fill in what you do know and submit it to Alcor. You may write "Pending" in the appropriate section if your funding arrangements have not yet been completed. What's most important is that you answer the questions in Section IX, entitled Decisions Concerning Your Cryopreservation, as this information is necessary to generate your membership documents.

2. Submit an application fee

There is an application fee of $90. The application fee for additional family members is $45 each. Any applicant who is still in the application process after three months from the initial application date will be charged $90 every three months for extended application fees until all membership requirements are satisfied.

3. Complete your Alcor Membership Documents

After we receive your application, we will send a set of legal documents that you must sign to confirm your understanding of cryonics, your personal preferences, and your desire for cryopreservation. Samples of these documents are in the online Alcor Library. You will need witnesses for these documents, and one of the documents must be notarized. This is for your protection. We want to be able to defend your decision against any possible legal challenge in the future, when you may not be able to speak for yourself.

4. Obtain Funding

For most people a life insurance policy is the simplest and least expensive option. If you are planning to fund your cryopreservation through other means, please contact us. Alcor also accepts cash prepayment for placement into a bank account or trust. Alcor can provide a template Revocable Cryopreservation Trust which can be used as is or customized to meet your needs. But for most people, life insurance works best.

There are two major requirements with life insurance policies:

First, the death benefit must be no less than our minimum requirement, which is currently $80,000 for neurocryopreservation members and $200,000 for whole body cryopreservation members. (If members residing in the continental U.S. and Canada prefer not to pay the $180 annual CMS fee, then the minimums are $100,000 for neurocryopreservation members and $220,000 for whole body members.) Members who choose the neurocryopreservation option will receive cryopreservation of the head and brain, in expectation that tissue regeneration will replace the body. (An additional $10,000 surcharge is applied for international applicants. There is no surcharge for residents of Canada).

Second, Alcor must be designated not only as the beneficiary of the life insurance policy, but also as its owner. This guarantees that the beneficiary cannot be changed without our knowledge, and we will be informed if the premium is unpaid. Alcor will provide a written guarantee that it will surrender its ownership status if you choose to abandon your cryonics arrangements or move to a different organization. You may use any insurance agent, but if you have a problem or you would like to deal with a cryonics insurance specialist, please see our list of insurance agents or contact our Director of Membership Services, listed above. Note that Alcor has no business arrangements with these agents and our list does not imply any endorsement by Alcor.

It is not necessary to have an insurance policy prior to entering the sign-up process. You can work on completing your membership paperwork while simultaneously arranging your funding. These typically take approximately one month each from start to finish, so doing them at the same time works best.

We look forward to hearing from you!

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Abolition – The African-American Mosaic Exhibition …

Posted: at 7:12 pm

The American Anti-Slavery Society was established in 1833, but abolitionist sentiment antedated the republic. For example, the charter of Georgia prohibited slavery, and many of its settlers fought a losing battle against allowing it in the colony, Before independence, Quakers, most black Christians, and other religious groups argued that slavery was incompatible with Christ's teaching. Moreover, a number of revolutionaries saw the glaring contradiction between demanding freedom for themselves while holding slaves. Although the economic center of slavery was in the South, northerners also held slaves, as did African Americans and Native Americans. Moreover, some southerners opposed slavery. Blacks were in the vanguard of the anti-slavery movement. Abolitionist literature began to appear about 1820. Until the Civil War, the anti-slavery press produced a steadily growing stream of newspapers, periodicals, sermons, children's publications, speeches, abolitionist society reports, broadsides, and memoirs of former slaves.

The Library of Congress has a wealth of material that demonstrates the extent of public support for and opposition to abolition. Broadsides advertise fairs and bazaars that women's groups held to raise money for the cause. Other publications advertise abolitionist rallies, some of which are pictured in prints from contemporaneous periodicals. To build enthusiasm at their meetings, anti-slavery organizations used songs, some of which survive. The Library also has many political and satirical prints from the 1830s through the 1850s that demonstrate the rising sectional controversy during that time.

Although excellent studies of the abolition movement exist, further research in the Library's manuscripts could document the lesser known individuals who formed the movement's core. Other promising topics include the roles of women and black abolitionists and the activities of state and local abolitionist societies.

Jonathan Edwards, Jr., (17451801), was, like his more famous father, a Congregationalist minister. He served at the White Haven Church in New Haven, Connecticut, and later became president of Union College in Schenectady, New York. In this sermon, Edwards presented forceful arguments against ten common pro-slavery positions. One of the earliest anti-slavery publications in the Library of Congress collections, the sermon demonstrates the existence of strong anti-slavery feeling in the early days of the republic.

Injustices and Impolicy of the Slave Trade and of the Slavery of Africans. Title page. Jonathan Edwards [Jr.], Author. New Haven: Thomas & Samuel Green, 1791. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (35)

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On January 1, 1794, delegates from the abolition societies of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland met in Philadelphia, a stronghold of the anti-slavery Quaker religion. The group voted to petition Congress to prohibit the slave trade and also to appeal to the legislatures of the various states to abolish slavery. The petitions pointed out the inconsistency of a country that had recently rejected the tyranny of kings engaging in domestic despotism. Delegates published an address urging on U.S. citizens the obligations of justice, humanity, and benevolence toward our Africa brethren, whether in bondage or free. The group planned to meet each January until slavery was abolished.

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The American Anti-Slavery Society produced The Slave's Friend, a monthly pamphlet of abolitionist poems, songs, and stories for children. In its pages, young readers were encouraged to collect money for the anti-slavery cause. Here a picture of the coffle- yoke used to chain groups of slaves together illustrates a dialogue about the horrors of slavery between a girl named Ellen and her father, Mr. Murray. A shocked Ellen concludes that I will never boast of our liberty while there is a slave in this land.

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Anti-colonization sentiment was common in abolitionist publications such as The Anti-Slavery Picknick, a collection of speeches, poems, dialogues, and songs intended for use in schools and anti-slavery meetings. A song called the Colored Man's Opinion of Colonization denounces plans to transport free blacks out of the United States. Many African-Americans opposed colonization, and, in 1831, a convention of free blacks meeting in New York asserted, This is our home, and this is our country. Beneath its sod lie the bones of our fathers; for it some of them fought, bled, and died. Here we were born, and here we will die.

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Although women were heavily involved in abolitionist activities, opinion was divided as to their proper role. Some people believed that women should serve in auxiliary roles that did not expose them to competition with men. However, many women played a highly visible role as writers and speakers for the cause. Some of them gained activist experience that they later used in support of women's rights. In this circular, the women of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society advertise a fundraising event to support an agent. Well-known abolitionists such as Maria W. Chapman, a spirited speaker, song writer, and editor of many volumes of The Liberty Bell songbook, and Helen E. Garrison, wife of William Lloyd Garrison, were involved in the event.

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This broadside condemns the sale and keeping of slaves in the District of Columbia. The work was issued during the 18351836 campaign to have Congress abolish slavery in the Capital. At the top are contrasting scenes: a view of a reading of the Declaration of Independence, captioned The Land of the Free, with a scene of slaves being led past the Capitol, captioned The Home of the Oppressed. Also shown is the infamous Franklin & Armfield Slave Prison, still standing on Duke Street in Alexandria, Virginia. Opened in 1828, this center soon gained control of nearly half the sea trade in slaves between Virginia and Maryland and New Orleans. Most area slaves sold South were held there before being shipped to a dreaded future on a rice, cotton or indigo plantation.

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This handbill urging opponents of abolitionists to obstruct an anti-slavery meeting demonstrates the depth of pro-slavery feeling. Although the handbill advocates peaceful means, violence sometimes erupted between the two factions. An emotion-laden handbill was a factor in the well-known Boston riot of October 21, 1835. In that incident, a mob broke into the hall where the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society was meeting, and threatened William Lloyd Garrison's life.

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Each year the American Anti-Slavery Society distributed an almanac containing poems, drawings, essays, and other abolitionist material. This issue was compiled by Lydia Maria Child (18021880), a popular writer recruited to the abolitionist cause by William Lloyd Garrison. In 1833, Mrs. Child produced An Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans Called Africans, a sensational anti-slavery publication that won converts to the movement. From 1841 to 1849, she edited the New York-based National Anti-Slavery Standard newspaper.

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Joseph Cinquez (or Cinque) was one of a group of Africans from Sierra Leone who had been kidnapped and sold into slavery. In July 1839, Cinquez led a revolt on the slave ship Amistad, off Cuba. The slaves took control of the ship and killed the crew, but were soon captured and charged with piracy. Their subsequent trials in New Haven, Connecticut, were causes celebres, pitting abolitionists against President Martin Van Buren's administration. In March 1841, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court's decision to return Cinquez and his surviving friends to Africa. John Quincy Adams had represented the Africans before the Supreme Court, and they were set free largely as a result of his eloquent pleading.

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The illustration on this sheet-music cover is an allegory of the triumph of abolitionism. A railroad car called Immediate Emancipation, is pulled by a locomotive named Liberator. These two names refer to William Lloyd Garrison, whose demand for immediate emancipation was expressed in his newspaper The Liberator. Repealer, the second locomotive, probably refers to the Irish insurgent movement, a cause with which many U.S. abolitionists were allied. Flags bearing the names of two other abolitionist publications, the Herald of Freedom and American Standard (or National Anti-Slavery Standard) fly from the Emancipation car. In the distance, two other trains, one marked Van, the other Clay, crash, and their passengers flee. These trains allude to Democrat and Whig presidential hopefuls Martin Van Buren and Henry Clay.

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Like many other reformers, abolitionists felt that good crusades required singing. Hence, many abolitionists expressed themselves in verse and songs. The cover of this sheet-music shows a fictionalized and inaccurate version of the escape from slavery of Frederick Douglass (18171895), who actually fled by ship. The song is dedicated to Douglass for his fearless advocacy, signal ability, and wonderful success in behalf of His Brothers in Bonds.

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Abolitionist materials aimed at women often appealed to their sympathetic feeling as wives and mothers for the plight of slave women who might be separated from their husbands or children.

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What is Christian Rationalism? – GotQuestions.org

Posted: at 7:10 pm

Question: "What is Christian Rationalism?"

Answer:

According to the Christian Rationalism website, thousands of years ago great men driven by ideals of reform tried with their teachings to enlighten humanity. Men such as Jesus, Buddha, Confucius and Mohammed taught similar spiritual principles; however, they were not truly understood and ended up being deified by the illiterate masses. Once the idea of divinization took hold, the respective religions were created, each preaching a different form of speculative worship, and the followers of each flocked together. All of them taught the principles that Christian Rationalism now teaches and thus, despite their name, they have nothing to do with the biblical Jesus Christ.

According to its adherents, Christian Rationalism deals with physical and psychic phenomena, philosophical and psychological issues, reincarnation, incorporeal life, space and the universe, the power of thought, evolution, gods and religions, force and matter, the aura, ethics, family and children. Quite a vast array of topics are incorporated into Christian rationalism, many of which are clearly occult in nature, in particular psychic phenomena and reincarnation.

The basic beliefs of the Christian Rationalists are contrary to Scripture, beginning with their concept of God as a universal spiritual force, or a universal intelligence, not a Person. CR adherents see God as made up of billions and billions of intelligent spiritual particles, of which man is part. That means that each one of us is a particle of that universal force which is God. This philosophy is rampant among New Age cults and false religions. The belief that man can be God is very appealing to our fallen nature, originating in the Garden of Eden with the first lie told by Satan: you shall be as God (Genesis 3:5). Jesus, according to the Christian Rationalists, was not God incarnate as Scripture states, but simply a good, moral man who said good things. He is not the one and only Savior of the world, despite His own claims to be the only Way, the only Truth and the only Life and the only access to the Father (John 14:6). To the adherents of CR philosophy, a Christian is not one who believes in the biblical Jesus for salvation, following and obeying Him. Rather, a Christian is one whose behavior lines up with Christian morality, but the word non-biblical is added to the statement, causing one to wonder where they find the morality they call Christian, if not in the Bible.

Christian Rationalism is just another part of Satan's attempt to deceive people into thinking that they are gods and can find their own identity and meaning through his pseudo world. It is, of course, completely against the teaching of the Bible and the God-man, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, and coming King of the world, and the One whom true believers will worship and serve for all eternity.

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Korea: The Transhumanist capital of the world | Recharge …

Posted: at 7:06 pm

This week, it is my honor to be in Seoul Korea as the keynote speaker at a meeting of the Korean Association of Anti-Aging Medicine. Yesterday, I visited my host who runs a longevity clinic in the center of the worlds capital of plastic surgery, Gang Nam, or the tony section south of the Han River where people travel from all over Asia to have their appearances altered, Gangnam style, if you will.

This is just my fourth trip to Korea. As a 10-year-old my parents enrolled me into a first grade class into a summer school session. My classmates must have thought me a gentle simpleton, like Lenny Small from Of Mice and Men, because I didnt speak any Korean and I certainly felt like a mentally-challenged giant among those 6-year-old peers of mine.

In college, I came to Seoul to attend a 12-week course in Korean language studies only to find that I was again the tallest kid in my class. I recall during the 1987 riots for democracy that I felt like one of the tallest people in the country at 510 and could easily see over the lines of student protesters and riot police that clashed frequently in front of Yonsei University.

But eight years ago, when I visited with my family and found that I was just above average height as the post-IMF boom economy of South Korea had brought access to growth drugs and more meat consumption for children. Height may confer competitive advantage so many elected to enhance it and there are countless men over six feet now.

Here is the proof that something related to nutrition and growth-enhancing supplement which are commonly used, are working:

The average height for men living in Seoul reached 173.9 centimeters in 2013, up 10.2 cm from 163.7 cm in 1965, according to data released by the Seoul Institute. Their average weight rose by 15.3 kilograms, from 54.3 kg to 69.6 kg.

This trip, I am most struck by the women. You may know that South Korea has the highest rate of plastic surgery in the world and as you walk the streets, it is exceedingly rare to see any woman who has NOT undergone alterations. Just take a look at the faces of Ms. Korea in recent years (yes, these are all different people):

It is quite eerie to look into the faces of Korean women and not recognize the phenotypes present when I was here in 1987. Those women of matched age simply cant be seen in a relatively affluent urban center.

So what happened? Transhumanism. People using technology to alter their humanity. In terms of game theory, you can talk platitudes of beauty being only skin deep but here it is de rigeure if you want to have self-respect and the acceptance of your culture.

There are a lot of Americans who misunderstand Korean plastic surgery as an attempt to look more Occidental. Others might overlay a moralistic sense and decry the dehumanizing nature of it. But the fact is that for South Korean women and many of the men now, there is no more consideration of the morality of body modification than there would be to wearing clothes or makeup.

Anthropologically speaking, from an emic perspecitive, to NOT have the alterations in Korea would be akin to not wearing makeup, not shaving your legs and armpits, and wearing tank tops and sweatpants around as a young American woman. It is done, but is it really approved of?

Mark Twain said, Modesty died when clothes were born. In Korea, genetically-dictated faces died when plastic surgery was born. Enjoy this gif of different Ms. Koreas and while you shake your head, dont for get that a lot of the statues of antiquity such as David and Aphrodite, look alike; different media, same idea

Think that beauty is only skin deep? Then you may remember this scene from The Eye of the Beholder, The Twilight Zone, which raises an interesting point, albeit one that refutes what we know about symmetry, the golden ratio, and human nature

Postscript:

Some would consider taking telomerase activators and potentially lengthening my lifespan as a form of transhuman modification. That is fair. Even if taking them becomes illegal tomorrow, I believe that my current median telomere length of 14,100 base pairs indicates that I could have added decades to my life expectancy even if I resume aging at the normal rate now.

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Posthuman Futures | KurzweilAI

Posted: at 7:05 pm

Welcome to the Second Edition of our Glocal Symposium Series on the topic of the Posthuman.This event has been generously supported byNYU -Liberal Studies, Office ofStudent Affairs.

It features more than 30 international speakers and performers.Our keynote this year is: Dr. Natasha Vita-More.

The specific focus of this Symposium is dedicated to the significance of the posthuman in relation to near and far futures. We will address current global issues in terms of possible posthuman futures, in ordertospark a deep and multilayered analysisofwhat the notion of posthuman futures implies.In the contemporary era, characterized by different political, economical, cultural, religious, social and environmental conflicts, the traditional approach based on the humanistic attempt to acknowledge our shared humanity has not been successful. What can posthumanism add to the conversation? Howcana post-humanistic,post-anthropocentric and post-dualistic approach be achieved in conflicts resolution, without repeating the failed resolution attempts of the past?More specifically,these are some of the global issues we would like to address: human and non human migration; racism, sexism, ethnocentrism and anthropocentrism; religious fundamentalism and Islamophobia; technological unemployment and economic disparities; environmental issues; non human animals and robot personhood. What perspective can posthumanism offer to these global issues?

Focusing on key notionssuch as transformation and hybridization, but also heritage conservation and cultural acknowledgment, we will delve into our posthuman futures. A reflection on space ethics (including space travel; space exploration; space commercialization), bio-technology and bio-conservation, human and non-human enhancement;emerging technology and economic equity,post-genders and post-humanities will merge with our rigorous analysis of posthuman futures. We welcome proposals on posthuman developments and religion, including the spiritual dimension of virtual reality and virtual communities, the religious-mythological nature of hyperreality, the enhancement of meditative techniques through technology, the religious life of humanoid robots and robotic communities, the theological response of religious communities to posthumanism, the effect of cyborgian immortality on religious doctrine, and the reconceptualization of transgressive behaviours.

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Preterism | Theopedia

Posted: at 7:05 pm

Preterism is a view in Christian eschatology which holds that some or all of the biblical prophecies concerning the Last Days refer to events which took place in the first century after Christ's birth, especially associated with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The term preterism comes from the Latin praeter, meaning past, since this view deems certain biblical prophecies as past, or already fulfilled.

Preterism is most dramatically contrasted with Futurism, the view that most prophecies regarding the End times, and passages referring to Last Days, Great Tribulation, and Judgment are still future and will immediately precede the return of Christ. Proponents of preterist views generally fall in one of two categories: Partial Preterism or Full Preterism.

Partial Preterism, the older of the two views, holds that prophecies such as the destruction of Jerusalem, the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and the advent of the Day of the Lord as a "judgment-coming" of Christ were fulfilled circa 70 AD when the Roman general (and future Emperor) Titus sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Jewish Temple, putting a permanent stop to the daily animal sacrifices. It identifies "Babylon the great" (Revelation 17-18) with the ancient pagan City of Rome or Jerusalem.

Most Partial Preterists also believe the term Last Days refers not to the last days of planet Earth or the last days of humankind, but rather to the last days of the Mosaic covenant which God had exclusively with national Israel until the year AD 70. As God came in judgment upon various nations in the Old Testament, Christ also came in judgment against those in Israel who rejected him. These last days, however, are to be distinguished from the "last day," which is considered still future and entails the Second Coming of Jesus, the Resurrection of the righteous and unrighteous dead physically from the grave in like-manner to Jesus' physical resurrection, the Final judgment, and the creation of a literal (rather than covenantal) New Heavens and a New Earth, free from the curse of sin and death which was brought about by the Fall of Adam and Eve.

Thus partial preterists are in agreement and conformity with the historic ecumenical creeds of the Church and articulate the doctrine of the resurrection held by the Early church fathers. Partial preterists hold that the New Testament predicts and depicts many "comings" of Christ. They contend that the phrase Second Coming means second of a like kind in a series, for the Scriptures record other "comings" even before the judgment-coming in 70 AD. This would eliminate the 70 AD event as the "second" of any series, let alone the second of a series in which the earthly, physical ministry of Christ is the first. Partial Preterists believe that the new creation comes in redemptive progression as Christ reigns from His heavenly throne, subjugating His enemies, and will eventually culminate in the destruction of physical death, the "last enemy" (1 Cor 15:20-24). If there are any enemies remaining, the resurrection event cannot have occurred.

Nearly all Partial Preterists hold to amillennialism or postmillennialism. Many postmillennial Partial Preterists are also theonomists in their outlook.

Partial Preterism is generally considered to be an historic orthodox interpretation as it affirms all items of the ecumenical Creeds of the Church. However, Partial Preterism is not the majority view among American protestant denominations and meets with significant vocal opposition, especially by those which espouse Dispensationalism. Additionally, concerns are expressed by Dispensationalists that Partial Preterism logically leads to an acceptance of Full Preterism, a concern which is denied by Partial Preterists.

Full Preterism differs from Partial Preterism in that it sees all prophecy fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem, including the resurrection of the dead and Jesus' Second Coming or Parousia. Full Preterism is also known by other names, such as Consistent Preterism or Hyper-Preterism (a somewhat derogatory term). A related but more recent term is Pantelism, which some regard as an extension of Full Preterism rather than the same thing.

Full Preterism holds that Jesus' Second Coming is to be viewed not as a future-to-us bodily return, but rather a "return" manifested by the physical destruction of Jerusalem and her Temple in AD 70 by foreign armies in a manner similar to various Old Testament descriptions of God coming to destroy other nations in righteous judgment. Full Preterism also holds that the Resurrection of the dead did not entail the raising of the physical body, but rather the resurrection of the soul from the "place of the dead," known as Sheol (Hebrew) or Hades (Greek). As such, the righteous dead obtained a spiritual and substantial body for use in the heavenly realm, and the unrighteous dead were cast into the Lake of Fire. Some Full Preterists believe this judgment is ongoing and takes effect upon the death of each individual (Heb. 9:27). The New Heavens and the New Earth are also equated with the fulfillment of the Law in AD 70 and are to be viewed in the same manner by which a Christian is considered a "new creation" upon his or her conversion.

Although Full Preterism is viewed as heretical by many, this condemnation is not universal. Many of those who condemn Full Preterism do so not based solely upon the historic creeds of the church (which would exclude this view), but also from biblical passages that they interpret to condemn a past view of the Resurrection or the denial of a physical resurrection/transformation of the body, doctrines which many Christians (but not all) believe to be essential to the faith. Critics of full preterism point to the Apostle Paul's condemnation of the doctrine of Hymaneus and Philetus (2 Tim 2:17-18), which they regard as analogous to full preterism.

Adherents of Full Preterism, however, dispute this assertion by claiming that any biblical condemnation of a past resurrection was written during a time in which the Resurrection was yet future (i.e., pre-AD 70) as well as claiming different interpretations of other proffered biblical passages. Furthermore, Full Preterists reject the authority of the Creeds to condemn their view, stating that the Creeds were written by uninspired and fallible men and are simply in error on this point and need to be reformed. A growing movement, there has been a strong push by Full Preterists for acceptance as another valid Christian eschatological view; however, to date, no major conservative denomination or group has officially accepted this view as normative, though several have issued a condemnation.

The sayings in Matthew 24 concerning the "Great Tribulation" are seen in preterism as being fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem cuminating in AD 70. Support for this claim is drawn from Jesus' saying that "this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place," which has the appearance of limiting the events described to an event that was going to take place in the first century.

Potential difficulties arise when critics of preterism point out that Matthew 24 also refers to the coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven. The claim is then made that since this refers to the return of Jesus in the air, and this never happened in the first century, the preterist approach must be mistaken. The preterist reply has been to point out that there is no reason to assume that this "coming" is the second coming of Christ hoped for in the New Testament. In the Old Testament God speaks of coming to His people in judgement. In Isaiah 19, as a striking example, the prophet refers to the impending judgement on Egypt, and we are told "See, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, and is coming to Egypt." The language of God coming to us, and even the language of riding the clouds, does not necessarily refer to the second coming of Christ that Christianity generally affirms.

Although Preterists are at general agreement among themselves regarding key eschatological issues, weighty objections have been brought against Preterism by advocates of Futurism. Dispensationalists argue that the Preterist view of Christ's Second Coming is flawed, as it ignores the fact that God's covenant with Israel was "everlasting," and therefore cannot have ended in A.D. 70. It is also asserted that Preterists confuse verses which speak of a "scattering" with those that predict a "restoration" of the covenant nation. (Deuteronomy 30: 1-10). Most Dispensationalists teach that Israel was dispersed in A.D. 70. However, textual support is brought in to show that a future regathering and national restoration of Israel is in order. Futurists have sometimes claimed that Preterism logically leads to Anti-Semitism and replacement theology.

Mathison, Keith A.

Jay E. Adams, Preterism: Orthodox or Unorthodox? Stanley, NC: Timeless Texts, 2003.

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Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson hires GOP operative to …

Posted: August 12, 2016 at 2:48 pm

The head of Hispanic Outreach for the Libertarian Party, who is Republican, says he joined up with the third party because he believes GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is the worst of the worst.

Speaking to The Hill, Juan Hernndez, who took the post with the Libertarian Party last week, said that he is not leaving the Republican Party, but is backing Libertarian Gary Johnsons bid for the White House because he believes the former New Mexico governor "comes with a message that brings both of my worlds together."

Johnsons message of small government and letting states decide on social issues resonated with Hernndez because it "fits Hispanics so well."

"We came here, were religious, we dont want to get into the debate over gay marriage," Hernndez said of Hispanics. "Let states decide."

As for Trump, Hernndez said there are just so many reasons why he cant support the boisterous billionaire.

While he says that Trumps call to build a massive wall along the United States southern border with Mexico and his proposal to deport the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the country would be an insult to Hispanics, Hernndez said his opposition to Trump goes even further.

Trump would "not only be a disaster for Hispanics, for Republicans, for Americans, for the world. I really fear a Trump president. The way he speaks of bombing other nations, the Muslims?"

Hernndez, however, said he never had any plans of supporting Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

"Its not a matter of Ill go with the lesser of two evils, I think we have to vote on principle," said Hernndez.

"Since she was first lady of Arkansas, she and her husband were always en la orillita of whats appropriate, Hernndez said, using the Mexican Spanish phrase that roughly translates to in gray space.

Hernndez has previously worked as an advisor for presidential candidates in the U.S., Mexico and Guatemala, including Arizona Sen. John McCains failed bid in 2008 and former Mexican Presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Caldern.

Besides Hernndez, the Johnson campaign nabbed another high profile Republican boost on Wednesday when Virginia Rep. Scott Rigell said he thinks Johnson can win the presidency.

"This may surprise you to hear, but I'm ready to defend the proposition that Gov. Johnson can win," Rigell said.

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Offshore Wind Energy | BOEM

Posted: at 2:46 pm

The first offshore wind project was installed off the coast of Denmark in 1991. Since that time, commercial-scale offshore wind facilities have been operating in shallow waters around the world, mostly in Europe. With the U.S. Department of the Interiors Smart from the Start initiative, wind power projects will soon be built offshore the United States. Newer turbine and foundation technologies are being developed so that wind power projects can be built in deeper waters further offshore.

Wind energy has been utilized by humans for more than two thousand years. For example, windmills were often used by farmers and ranchers for pumping water or grinding grain. In modern times, wind energy is mainly used to generate electricity, primarily through the use of wind turbines. All wind turbines operate in the same basic manner. As the wind blows, it flows over the airfoil-shaped blades of wind turbines, causing the turbine blades to spin. The blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator to produce electricity. The newest wind turbines are highly technologically advanced, and include a number of engineering and mechanical innovations to help maximize efficiency and increase the production of electricity.

Offshore Wind Energy Resources

Offshore wind turbines are being used by a number of countries to harness the energy of strong, consistent winds that are found over the oceans. In the United States, 53% of the nations population lives in coastal areas, where energy costs and demands are high and land-based renewable energy resources are often limited. Abundant offshore wind resources have the potential to supply immense quantities of renewable energy to major U.S. coastal cities, such as New York City and Boston.

Offshore winds tend to blow harder and more uniformly than on land. The potential energy produced from wind is directly proportional to the cube of the wind speed. As a result, increased wind speeds of only a few miles per hour can produce a significantly larger amount of electricity. For instance, a turbine at a site with an average wind speed of 16 mph would produce 50% more electricity than at a site with the same turbine and average wind speeds of 14 mph. This is one reason that developers are interested in pursuing offshore wind energy resources. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provides a number of maps showing average wind speed data through its Resource Assessment & Characterization page and through National Renewable Energy Laboratorys (NREL) MapSearch.

Wind resource potential is typically given in gigawatts (GW), and 1 GW of wind power will supply between 225,000 to 300,000 average U.S. homes with power annually. In a July 2012 Technical Report, NREL estimates a gross wind power resource of 4,223 GW off the coast of the United States. That is roughly four times the generating capacity of the current U.S. electric grid. Even if only a fraction of that potential is developed, clearly there is enough offshore wind resource to power a substantial portion of our nations energy needs.

Wind speeds off the Atlantic Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico are lower than wind speeds off the Pacific Coast. However, the presence of shallower waters in the Atlantic makes development more attractive and economical for now. Hawaii has the highest estimated potential, accounting for roughly 17% of the entire estimated U.S. offshore wind resource. For additional information on NRELs assessment of offshore wind power resource, see the publication Assessment of Offshore Wind Energy Resources for the United States. Maps of renewable energy potential for multiple technologies, or state-by-state analyses, can be downloaded here.

United States offshore wind resource by region and depth (Credit: NREL)

Commercial Offshore Wind Energy Generation

Many countries, including the United States, have coastal areas with high wind resource potential. Worldwide there are 4.45 GW of offshore wind energy installed, with another 4.72 GW under construction and an additional 30.44 GW approved. Over 50 projects are operational in coastal waters of countries such as Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Japan, China, South Korea, Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Portugal, and others. A list of offshore wind power projects can be downloaded at The Wind Power website, a worldwide database about wind turbines and wind power facilities. While the United States does not have any operational projects yet, there are thousands of megawatts (MW) in the planning stages, mostly in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Projects are also being considered along the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific Coast.

Nysted Wind Facility, 8-12 miles offshore Denmark, the North Sea. Wind turbines are arranged to take advantage of the prevailing wind conditions at the project site, and turbine spacing is carefully designed to maximize cost efficiency and power production. (Credit:NREL)

Commercial-scale offshore wind facilities are similar to onshore wind facilities. The wind turbine generators used in offshore environments include modifications to prevent corrosion, and their foundations must be designed to withstand the harsh environment of the ocean, including storm waves, hurricane-force winds, and even ice flows. Roughly 90% of the U.S. OCS wind energy resource occurs in waters that are too deep for current turbine technology. Engineers are working on new technologies, such as innovative foundations and floating wind turbines, that will transition wind power development into the harsher conditions associated with deeper waters.

Offshore Wind Energy Technology

The engineering and design of offshore wind facilities depends on site-specific conditions, particularly water depth, geology of the seabed, and wave loading. In shallow areas, monopiles are the preferable foundation type. A steel pile is driven into the seabed, supporting the tower and nacelle. The nacelle is a shell that encloses the gearbox, generator, and blade hub (generally a three-bladed rotor connected through the drive train to the generator) and the remaining electronic components. Once the turbine is operational, wind sensors connected to a yaw drive system turn the nacelle to face into the wind, thereby maximizing the amount of electricity produced.

For more information about wind turbine technology, see NRELs Wind Energy Basics: How Wind Turbines Work.

Todays offshore turbines have technical modifications and substantial system upgrades for adaptation to the marine environment. These modifications include strengthening the tower to cope with loading forces from waves or ice flows, pressurizing nacelles to keep corrosive sea spray from critical electrical components, and adding brightly colored access platforms for navigation safety and maintenance access. Offshore turbines are typically equipped with extensive corrosion protection, internal climate control systems, high-grade exterior paint, and built-in service cranes. To minimize the expense of everyday servicing, offshore turbines may have automatic greasing systems to lubricate bearings and blades as well as heating and cooling systems to maintain gear oil temperature within a specified range. Lightning protection systems help minimize the risk of damage from lightning strikes that occur frequently in some offshore locations. There are also navigation and aviation warning lights, regulated by the U.S. Coast Guard and the FAA. Turbines and towers are typically painted light grey or off-white to help them blend into the sky, reducing visual impacts from the shore. The lower section of the support towers may be painted bright colors to increase navigational safety for passing vessels.

To take advantage of the steadier winds, offshore turbines are also bigger than onshore turbines and have an increased generation capacity. Offshore turbines generally have nameplate capacities between 2 MW and 5 MW, with tower heights greater than 200 feet and rotor diameters of 250 to 430 feet. The maximum height of the structure, at the very tips of the blades, can easily approach 500 feet, and turbines even larger than 5 MW are being designed and tested for future use.

While the tower, turbine, and blades of offshore turbines are generally similar to onshore turbines, the substructure and foundation systems differ considerably. The most common substructure type is the monopilea large steel tube with a diameter of up to 20 feet. Monopiles are typically used in water depths ranging from 15 to 100 feet. The piles are driven into the seabed at depths of 80 to 100 feet below the mud line, ensuring the structure is stable. A transition piece protrudes above the waterline, which provides a level flange to fasten the tower. In even shallower environments with firm seabed substrates, gravity-based systems can be used, which avoids the need to use a large pile-driving hammer. Tripods and jackets foundations have been deployed in areas where the water depth starts to exceed the practical limit for monopiles.

Transport of Wind-Generated Energy

All of the power generated by the wind turbines needs to be transmitted to shore and connected to the power grid. Each turbine is connected to an electric service platform (ESP) by a power cable. The ESP is typically located somewhere within the turbine array, and it serves as a common electrical collection point for all the wind turbines and as a substation. In addition, ESPs can be outfitted to function as a central service facility, and may include a helicopter landing pad, communications station, crew quarters, and emergency backup equipment. After collecting the power from the wind turbines, high voltage cables running from the ESP transmit the power to an onshore substation, where the power is integrated into the grid. The cables used for these projects are typically buried beneath the seabed, where they are safe from damage caused by anchors or fishing gear and to reduce their exposure to the marine environment. These types of cables are expensive, and are a major capital cost to the developer. The amount of cable used depends on many factors, including how far offshore the project is located, the spacing between turbines, the presence of obstacles that require cables to be routed in certain directions, and other considerations.

Environmental Considerations

In 2007, the Bureau published the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Alternative Energy Development and Production and Alternate Use of Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf. This document examines the potential environmental impacts related to renewable energy development on the OCS for each phase of development (technology testing, site characterization, construction, operation, and decommissioning). Actual proposals will be evaluated in project-specific analyses under the National Environmental Policy Act.

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