Monthly Archives: July 2021

Is Joe Biden the 2021 Version of Jimmy Carter? – The National Interest

Posted: July 27, 2021 at 1:32 pm

Highschoolyearbooks are filled with the idyls of youthfootball games, proms, and notes from best friends forever. My 1980 high school yearbook was no different except for one picture.

The photography club snapped a shot of a massive billboardopposite the entrance tothe homepost ofthe 82ndAirborne Division. The message was the crowning glory of the Jimmy Carter yearsIRAN,LET OUR PEOPLE GO.That is what we had become,anation reduced tobegging Tehrans theocraticfanatics torelease U.S.diplomats and soldiers.

In the 1970s, the world assumed thattheUnited States was on an inevitable decline riven by problems at home and indecisiveness abroad. The crime was out of control.Oil prices had tripled,and gas lines were everywhere.Americans learned a new word:stagflation.

Thedefense budget tanked;there was no fuel for vehicles and no money for training.Overseas, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan,and Cuban proxies were rampaging through southern Africa.Meanwhile,Jimmy Carter apologized on behalf ofAmerica. Someacademics assessed as they do nowthat Americahad entered the Thucydides trap. In this trap,America played the role ofAthens and the Soviet Union played the role ofSparta.

Then-Senator JoeBidencut hispoliticalteeth inthis decade of disco and malaise.Hewas on the wrong side of historythen andwaswell onhis way to being, asformer Secretary of Defense Robert Gatessaidyears later,wrong about every major national security issue for40years.

It isa small wonder,that the Carter years have returned with a vengeance.Inflation is soaring. So, too, is the number of murders.Oil prices are climbing as thepresident strikes at the heart of American energy independence, all the while giving the green light for Putin to tie western Europe to a Russian gas pipeline.

Once more,theleader of the free worldfumbles opportunities to cooperate with allies and enables our adversaries in Beijing, Moscow, and Tehran.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was sentto Asia to reassure allies with memories of Obama-era indifferencetoward the Pacific region that Biden is cut from a different cloth.Yet even as Austin offeredthese assurances, the Biden administration was proposinga flat defense budget,one insufficient even to maintainpurchasing power.The incongruityhasnotbeenlost on nations looking to stand together with Washington to prevent Chinese military dominance of the Pacific region.

The same attitude applies to the Middle East where Arab statesin 2020buried age-old animosities toward Israel so as to stand together against the mullahs in Tehran. Throwing awaytheyears of progressencapsulated by the Abraham Accords, the Biden White House has returned to the Obama-era appeasement of Iran and its proxies.

Even in Europe,the message is one of retreat. The Trumpadministration halted Russian aggression in Ukraine by providing Kiev with weaponsable tokill Russian president Vladimir Putins tanks,helicopters and planes. The Biden-Harrisadministration unilaterallychoked offthe flow of military supplies to Ukraine, in the hope that Moscow would reciprocate.Instead,Putinhasmoved tens of thousands of troops to the border opposite Ukraineandcontinues to wage war on the cyber commons vital to American security.

People in London, whichis one of Americasmost important allies, wereleft flabbergasted by apresident who could not comprehend that Northern Ireland was a constituent part of the United Kingdom,not a province of the Irish Republic. The Canadians are reeling from the loss of thousands of oil and gas jobs as America relinquished its energypartnershipwith the stroke of apresidential pen.Thepresident of the French Republic declaredthat the wokepresidency of Joe Biden is a threat to the very soul of the French nation.

All of this means that America is now led by those who believe they exist to manage national decline,not lead the world.Secretary of State Antony Blinken has asked the United Nations Human Rights Council,a forum for world thuggery,to investigate racism in America. That means unleashingcouncilmembersChina, Russia,and Cubato vilify the United States with Foggy Bottoms blessing.

This is not new ground for Blinken. In March, the Chinese foreign minister hammeredhimby simply echoing Bidens own woke critique of America.The Wall Street Journalposited that the Chinese made clear that after the Trump years, Beijing wants a return to the policy of Obama accommodation to Chinas global advances. Blinkencould only respond with faculty lounge pieties about Americas imperfections.

In April, Bidens ambassador to the United Nations, Laura Thomas-Greenfield, embarrassed the United Statesbydenouncing her own nationbefore the UNHuman Rights Council, declaring that the original sin of slavery weaved white supremacy into our founding documents and principles.

Theinabilityof these top officialsto be anything but defensive abouttheirown country sets the tone for what to expect in the next four years. How can America cope with a rampant China when her own leaders do not believe that the country is worth defending, even rhetorically? If they will not stand for a nation grounded in the universal principles of human dignity and individual freedom, then where will they stand?

Let us be clearaboutwhat is at stake. China and itsjunior partners, Russia and Iran, seek nothing less than the overthrow of the United States as the worlds most powerful country with the Middle Kingdom being at the center of a new world order.

Carter famously said that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan revealed what was at the heart of Moscows ambitions. He immediately putintoproductionthe B-1 bomber, theAbrams Tank and the Minuteman 3systems Ronald Reagan would build upon to confront the Kremlin.

At least the man from Plains was honest enough toreverse course when he realizedhe was wrong.Do notcount on a similar epiphany from the current occupant of the White House. One canonly pray that Americanswill not witnessmoregrovelingbillboards on Bragg Boulevard.

A former secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairsandundersecretaryof Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Robert Wilkie is a visiting fellow in The Heritage Foundations Center forNationalDefense.

Image: Reuters

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An arm made for walking is about to arrive at the space station – Digital Trends

Posted: at 1:32 pm

The International Space Station (ISS) is preparing to take delivery of the European Robotic Arm (ERA) later this week.

The 11-meter-long robot launched on a Russian Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 21, and is scheduled to dock with the ISS on Thursday.

Due to its large size, the ERA was folded into a more compact shape prior to loading, and then attached to what will be its home base at the ISS the new Multipurpose Laboratory Module, also called Nauka.

The space station is already home to two robotic arms from Canada and Japan. While extremely useful for docking procedures and assisting astronauts on spacewalks, neither of these arms can reach the Russian segment of the orbiting outpost. But the ERA will be able to do just that.

According to the European Space Agency (ESA), the new robotic arm will also be the first with the ability to walk around the outside of the ISS by moving hand-over-hand between fixed base-points.

Moving hand-over-hand around the Russian parts of the station, the ERA will bring more freedom, more flexibility, and more skills to space operations, said David Parker, ESA director of human and robotic exploration.

Itll also be the first robotic arm at the ISS thats able to be controlled by crew members both inside and outside the station.

The robots main tasks will be to handle experiment payloads and other components, transport spacewalkers between locations outside the station like a cherry-picker crane, and carry out inspection work of the stations exterior using its four built-in cameras. During its activities, the ERA will be able to handle components weighing up to 8,000kg with an impressive 5mm precision.

First, though, the ERA needs to be set up. Current ISS astronaut Thomas Pesquet will help prepare the robot for installation, with incoming astronauts Matthias Maurer and Samantha Cristoforetti conducting the first of five spacewalks to fully deploy the device.

The ERA is the work of a consortium of 22 European companies from seven countries. It was actually designed more than three decades ago and was supposed to head to the ISS long before now, but technical issues kept it grounded for longer than expected.

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Retired astronaut hopes commercial space flight will be open for all – KCCI Des Moines

Posted: at 1:32 pm

A new chapter in space travel is here, but one astronaut tells KCCI it won't be available to most Iowans for a while.Clayton Anderson is a retired astronaut who teaches at Iowa State University. Hes been watching the past couple weeks as competing billionaires launched themselves into space. Anderson says it's exciting, but not achievable for all. He says it's only available to the extremely wealthy right now.He says the idea is that they will continue to launch flights, and prices will come down. Anderson hopes that will actually happen.Meanwhile, he's already incorporated commercial flights into his curriculum at Iowa State University. The retired astronaut teaches intro to aerospace engineering."The key here is that they're developing new technologies. Virgin Galactic did it one way, and Blue Origin did it another way. Totally different approaches to the same, similar problem, and when you do that sort of thing, you develop new technology, and that's where humans on Earth will benefit," Anderson said.Anderson says he wants more people from the Midwest to be considered as astronauts someday. He's specifically rooting for his students at ISU.He believes ISU is the only institution with a retired astronaut, retired fighter pilot and retired NASA space station flight director on their faculty in aerospace engineering.

A new chapter in space travel is here, but one astronaut tells KCCI it won't be available to most Iowans for a while.

Clayton Anderson is a retired astronaut who teaches at Iowa State University. Hes been watching the past couple weeks as competing billionaires launched themselves into space.

Anderson says it's exciting, but not achievable for all. He says it's only available to the extremely wealthy right now.

He says the idea is that they will continue to launch flights, and prices will come down. Anderson hopes that will actually happen.

Meanwhile, he's already incorporated commercial flights into his curriculum at Iowa State University. The retired astronaut teaches intro to aerospace engineering.

"The key here is that they're developing new technologies. Virgin Galactic did it one way, and Blue Origin did it another way. Totally different approaches to the same, similar problem, and when you do that sort of thing, you develop new technology, and that's where humans on Earth will benefit," Anderson said.

Anderson says he wants more people from the Midwest to be considered as astronauts someday. He's specifically rooting for his students at ISU.

He believes ISU is the only institution with a retired astronaut, retired fighter pilot and retired NASA space station flight director on their faculty in aerospace engineering.

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What’s behind the rioting that rocked South Africa? – Thomson Reuters Foundation

Posted: at 1:32 pm

By Kim Harrisberg

JOHANNESBURG, July 22 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - From factories and malls going up in flames to supermarkets stripped bare by looters, South Africans were shocked this month when the army was used to stem the worst violence in decades.

What exactly sparked the riots and how do government, and regular citizens, hope to build back better in one of the world's most divided and unequal countries?

What triggered the violence?

When former president Jacob Zuma was arrested on 7 July and jailed for refusing to appear at an inquiry into high-level corruption during his nine years in office until 2018, his supporters took to the streets to demand his release.

The protests quickly evolved into widespread looting as rioters blocked major highways and set fire to chemical plants, farms and food storage facilities. The violence claimed more than 300 lives and billions of rands worth of damage.

President Cyril Ramaphosa called the riots "a failed insurrection" by Zuma supporters, signalling an ongoing political battle within the ruling African National Congress (ANC), which took power at the end of apartheid in 1994.

Did coronavirus play a role?

While some looters were filmed driving in expensive cars to raid malls, many said they were poor and jobless. Women, including the elderly, stole food and nappies while children grabbed clothes and shoes.

Coronavirus has decimated the economy, with the first hard lockdown in 2020 causing 3 million job losses within months, with women in the informal sector particularly hard hit.

Almost half of South Africanssurveyed by research firm IPSOS last year said their household often went hungry because they did not have enough money to buy food.

And unemployment hit anew record high of 32.6% in the first quarter of 2021, with more than 7 million people unemployed.

Child support grants were topped up during the pandemic, andnew relief schemes were introduced but these benefits stopped in April, as the government said it could not afford them.

In June, South Africa went in to a third lockdown, causing massive hardship for poor families who rely on daily wage labour like construction and domestic workers, creating a tinder-box ready to ignite.

Isn't South Africa the richest country in Africa?

South Africa is a country of paradoxes. It is not uncommon to see a shoeless beggar hold out his hand towards the tinted windows of a Ferrari at the traffic lights.

Rich in diamonds, gold, platinum, copper and coal, South Africa is home to36,500 dollar millionaires - twice as many as any other country on the continent, according to New World Wealth and AfrAsia Bank.

Meanwhile, more than half of South Africa's 60 million people live in poverty, official statistics show.

This deep inequality stretches back to 17th century colonialism and slavery, followed by 46 years of racially segregated, white minority rule from 1948 to 1994.

Racial tensions remain, with roughly 70% of privately-owned farmland in South Africa owned by whites, who make up less than 9% of the 58 million-strong population.

What happens next?

Despite the violence and loss of life, many have lauded Zuma's imprisonment as a sign that all are equal before the law.

Ramaphosa announced acrisis relief fund for South Africans whose businesses were looted and asked the public to donate. But some on Twitter decried it as a "relief fund for the looters" or worried it would provide "more for people in govt to steal".

Ramaphosa also said he was considering introducing a basic income grant, which civil society has long lobbied for, and met with 90 business leaders to discuss urgent relief efforts.

The millionaire businessman's wing of the ANC is under pressure from the Zuma faction and the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters, both of which have called for mines and banks to be nationalised and land confiscated without compensation.

Ramaphosa's planto revive the economy and create jobs by building ports and generating energy has won support, though critics say the ANC must do more to end corruption, unemployment and simmering anger over continued wealth disparities.

Meanwhile, ordinary South Africans have wasted no time responding to the crisis with fundraising networks and street clean ups, and charities have rallied to collect food parcels while lines snaked outside soup kitchens.

Related stories:

Sharp-eyed grandmothers combat looting and crime in South Africa

In South Africa, a zero-waste food bus hopes to drive away hunger

Trash for cash: South Africans fight hunger with digital currency

($1 = 14.5396 rand)

(Reporting by Kim Harrisberg @kimharrisberg; Editing by Katy Migiro. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights, and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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IBM’s newest quantum computer is now up-and-running: Here’s what it’s going to be used for – ZDNet

Posted: at 1:30 pm

A Quantum System One, IBM's flagship integrated superconducting quantum computer, is now available on-premises in the Kawasaki Business Incubation Center in Kawasaki City.

IBM has unveiled a brand-new quantum computer in Japan, thousands of miles away from the company's quantum computation center in Poughkeepsie, New York, in another step towards bringing quantum technologies out of Big Blue's labs and directly to partners around the world.

A Quantum System One, IBM's flagship integrated superconducting quantum computer, is now available on-premises in the Kawasaki Business Incubation Center in Kawasaki City, for Japanese researchers to run their quantum experiments in fields ranging from chemistry to finance.

Most customers to date can only access IBM's System One over the cloud, by connecting to the company's quantum computation center in Poughkeepsie.

Recently, the company unveiled the very first quantum computer that was physically built outside of the computation center's data centers,when the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany acquired a System One. The system that has now been deployed to Japan is therefore IBM's second quantum computer that is located outside of the US.

The announcement comes as part of a long-standing relationship with Japanese organizations. In 2019, IBM and the University of Tokyo inaugurated the Japan-IBM Quantum Partnership, a national agreement inviting universities and businesses across the country to engage in quantum research. It was agreed then that a Quantum System One would eventually be installed at an IBM facility in Japan.

Building on the partnership, Big Blue and the University of Tokyolaunched the Quantum Innovation Initiative Consortium last yearto further bring together organizations working in the field of quantum. With this, the Japanese government has made it clear that it is keen to be at the forefront of the promising developments that quantum technologies are expected to bring about.

Leveraging some physical properties that are specific to quantum mechanics, quantum computers could one day be capable of carrying out calculations that are impossible to run on the devices that are used today, known as a classical computers.

In some industries, this could have big implications; and as part of the consortium, together with IBM researchers, some Japanese companies have already identified promising use cases. Mitsubishi Chemical's research team, for example, has developed quantum algorithms capable of understanding the complex behavior of industrial chemical compounds with the goal of improving OLED displays.

A recent research paper published by the scientistshighlighted the potential of quantum computers when it comes to predicting the properties of OLED materials, which could eventually lead to more efficient displays requiring low-power consumption.

Similarly, researchers from Mizuho Financial Group and Mitsubishi Financial Group have been developing quantum algorithms that could speedup financial operations like Monte Carlo simulations, which could allow for optimized portfolio management thanks to better risk analysis and option pricing.

With access to IBM's Quantum System One, research in those fields is now expected to accelerate. But other industry leaders exploring quantum technologies as part of the partnership extend from Sony to Toyota, through Hitachi, Toshiba or JSR.

Quantum computing is still in its very early stages, and it is not yet possible to use quantum computers to perform computations that are of any value to a business. Rather, scientists are currently carrying out proofs-of-concept, by attempting to identify promising applications and testing them at a very small scale, to be prepared for the moment that the hardware is fully ready.

This is still some way off. Building and controlling the components of quantum computers is a huge challenge, which has so far been limited to the confines of specialist laboratories such as IBM's Poughkeepsie computation center.

It is significant, therefore, that IBM's Quantum System One is now mature enough to be deployed outside of the company's lab.

"Thousands of meticulously engineered components have to work together flawlessly in extreme temperatures within astonishing tolerances," said IBM in a blog post.

Back in the US, too, quantum customers are showing interest in building quantum hardware in their own facilities. The Cleveland Clinic, for example,recently invested $500 million for Big Blue to build quantum hardware on-premises.

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Quantum computing market is anticipated to surge over the next decade – Help Net Security

Posted: at 1:30 pm

As per the findings of a revised market research by Persistence Market Research, the worldwide quantum computing market insight reached a valuation of around $5.6 billion in 2020, and is anticipated to surge at a CAGR of 33.7% over the next ten years.

Major companies are developing quantum computers focused on delivering free access to their quantum systems through cloud platforms, with the objective of creating awareness and a community for developers working on quantum computing technology.

Through this new way of offering access, companies are targeting universities, research groups, and organizations focused on quantum computing to practice, test, and develop applications of quantum computing.

The COVID-19 epidemic outbreak has disrupted different industries, including the quantum computing space. Demand for quantum computing software, machine learning, cloud-based quantum computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum computer-as-a-services has been increasing during lockdowns. This is fueling demand for quantum computing software and services.

During the outbreak, manufacturing as well as design and development of quantum computing devices declined by nearly 5%-7% in Q3-Q4 2020, due to falling production across East Asian and North America factories, as both regions are the worlds major quantum computing device manufacturers and suppliers. However, according to report, production has become pretty stable in the first half of 2021 with demand gaining traction again.

Large quantum-computing enterprises in North America, Europe, Canada, China, Australia, India, and Russia are investing in qubit research, while also giving researchers access to cloud-based and commercial cloud services. Over, the market for quantum computing is projected to grow faster from Q3-Q4 2021 onwards.

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Quantum Computing Set To Transform Multiple Industries, Create Up To $850 Billion In Annual Value By 2040, Latest Estimates Show – Al-Bawaba

Posted: at 1:30 pm

Confidence that quantum computers will solve major problems that are beyond the reach of traditional computersa milestone known as quantum advantagehas grown fast in the past twelve months, according to a new report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), titled, What Happens When If Turns to When in Quantum Computing?

Investors are moving aggressively to increase the amount they allocate to quantum computing, with two-thirds of all equity investments in the field coming since 2018.

Through 2017, those investments totaled ~$600 million, and that amount nearly doubled over the next three years. At the same time, companies are also significantly upping their QC investment, with 20% expected to dedicate resources to quantum technology by 2023, up from just 1% in 2018, according to a recent Gartner prediction.

Jean-Francois Bobier, a BCG partner and director, and a co-author of the report, predicts the acceleration will continue.

Recent advances and roadmaps from major hardware companies such IBM, Google, Honeywell, IonQ, PsiQuantum and others have increased the confidence that we will have machines powerful enough to tackle important business and society problems before the end of this decade. Impacted companies and governments should get prepared for an accelerated timeline, said Bobier.

This upturn in investment is driven by major advances in quantum computing technology and predictions of massive performance and profit improvements as a result of this new capability. The BCG research estimates that quantum computing will unlock new value across many industries, creating up to $850 billion in annual value by 2040 (see exhibit).

Much of the new investment is being directed toward the challenge of developing lower cost and more reliable quantum computing hardware. Researching and engineering the quantum bits (qubits) that power the computers is extremely difficult and expensive.

In 2020, a total of $675 million in equity investments flowed to quantum computing, with $528 million of that going to hardware development. The year before, the total venture capital of just $211 million was split evenly between hardware and software. BCG expects 2021 to break previous records, with more than $800 million in investments.

BCG predicts a race between five competing quantum hardware technologies over this decade. As of today, they all bear unique performance and scalability tradeoffs, and the jury is out on which ones will achieve a decisive advantage. Large, established companies such as IBM, Google, Honeywell and Amazon Web Services are heavily investing beside well-funded startups such as IonQ, which went public this year at an estimated initial valuation of $2 billion.

Matt Langione, a BCG principal and another of the reports authors, predicted a significant surge in institutional and corporate investment in quantum technology.

The critical change since we last surveyed the market two years ago is the rise of corporate interest and investment. That was the last domino to fall after governments and equity investors began investing heavily, Langione said.

Building quantum computers will require not only hardware and software innovations, but also use-case innovation: businesses will need to identify and scope high-value problems for quantum computers to tackle, Langione added. That is happening now, and its happening with vision and imagination across many industriesnot just pharma and financial services, but energy and retail.

Businesses of all kinds are realizing that this isnt the kind of industry that youll simply be able to buy your way into once it matures.

A copy of BCGs report can be downloaded here.

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Quantum Computing Set To Transform Multiple Industries, Create Up To $850 Billion In Annual Value By 2040, Latest Estimates Show - Al-Bawaba

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Thoughts on atheism and kindness | Features | heraldpalladium.com – Herald Palladium

Posted: at 1:30 pm

Because of Psalm 14:1 (Fools say in their hearts, There is no God) there are jokes about April Fools Day being Atheist Day.

The problem is, the psalmist likely had no concept of the modern idea of atheism. Ironically, the earliest Christians were called atheists because they didnt worship the gods of the nations around them.

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Todays Insights was written by the Rev. David Schell, pastor at Fairplain Presbyterian Church. Insights is written by area clergy to give different viewpoints on a variety of topics. It is published each weekend in cooperation with the Berrien County Association of Churches. The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views of member churches.

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Closet Atheists Abound in America | James Haught – Patheos

Posted: at 1:30 pm

By James A. Haught

Atheists are disliked in America constantly denigrated in public surveys which may explain why many doubters conceal their lack of belief.

However, a 2017 poll by University of Kentucky researchers found that perhaps one-fourth of Americans are either overt skeptics or closet atheists: a far higher ratio than previously thought. Heres the background:

Two-thirds of Americans say they have negative opinions about disbelievers. More than one-third think atheists shouldnt be allowed to teach in public schools, or hold office, or even hold rallies (talk about taking away the Constitutional right to peacefully assemble!). Revealing doubt about the supernatural can cause a storm within a family, and maybe jeopardize ones career. Therefore, atheism is hidden by some.

A 2016 Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) survey found that more than one-third of atheists reported hiding their religious identity or beliefs from friends or family members out of concerns that they would disapprove, wrote Dr. Daniel Cox, Research Director of the PRRI. Dr. Cox added:

There are Catholics, Jews and Muslims who do not believe in God; their connection to religion is largely cultural or based on their ethnic background.

Polls that ask directly about belief in God usually find that under 10% are bold enough to declare themselves atheist. However, two U.K. scholars, Will Gervais and Maxine Najle, devised an indirect survey method called the unmatched count technique. It asks bland general questions of two control groups, and asks participants in one group if they agree with the statement: I believe in God. Authors say it reveals a lot of clandestine nonbelievers.

Results, published in the Social Psychological and Personality Science journal, estimate that 26% of American adults actually are atheists.

Theres a lot of atheists in the closet, researcher Gervais told Vox. Their report says:

Obtaining accurate atheist prevalence estimates may help promote trust and tolerance of atheists potentially 80 million people in the USA and well over a billion worldwide.

Frankly, I suspect that the rate of American doubters is higher still. I think most churchgoers dont really believe the supernatural dogmas they sing about. Remember the old joke saying that no Christian wants to go to heaven right now.

Also, ideas about God are blurry. Some believe in a miracle-worker who answers prayers, while others have much-vaguer notions. PRRI Director Dr. Cox wrote: Does a belief in mystical energy, for example, constitute a belief in a god?

When Gallup recently asked a yes-or-no question about belief in a god, 89% of Americans reported that they do believe. Yet, in a separate poll, only slightly more than half (53%) of Americans said they have an anthropomorphic god in mind, while for other believers, its something far more abstract.

Some sophisticated theologians try to shift religion away from supernatural spirits. They contend that God actually is the human capacity to feel compassion and empathy that God is love. Or, they postulate that God is the awesome, mysterious power in every atom of the universe.

But these approaches dont fit the parent-creator deity of most churches. I dont see how churchgoers could worship part of their own psychology (or pray to E=MC2). That would turn religion into something quite different.

Actually, those who would reinterpret God in a manner far removed from traditional religion are almost closet atheists of another sort.

As America relentlessly turns more secular, I think the stigma against skeptics will fade, and many more may come out of the closet.

(Haught is editor emeritus of West Virginias largest newspaper, The Charleston Gazette-Mail, and a senior editor of Free Inquiry magazine.)

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China’s Xi urges people in Tibet to ‘follow the party’ in rare visit – Reuters

Posted: at 1:30 pm

BEIJING, July 23 (Reuters) - China's President Xi Jinping made his first visit to the Tibet Autonomous Region as national leader this week, and urged people there to "follow the party", the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday.

Xi's July 21-22 visit - the first to Tibet by a Chinese leader in three decades - comes as the country faces increased security concernsas a result of clashes with India and the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops from Afghanistan.

The visit also shows the ruling Chinese Communist Party's confidence in having established order and gained support in the once-restive region, analysts say.

Xi flew into the city of Nyingchi on Wednesday and took a train to the Tibetan capital Lhasa the following day along a section of the high-elevation railway being built to link the mountainous border region with Sichuan province.

In Lhasa, Xi visited a monastery and the Potala Palace Square, and "inspected ethnic religion work" and Tibetan cultural heritage protection, according to Xinhua.

The palace is the traditional home of Tibetan Buddhism's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who is in exile and has been branded a dangerous separatist by Beijing.

State television network CCTV showed a Tibetan woman wiping away tears as she joined a crowd of people dressed in traditional costume clapping enthusiastically to welcome Xi.

Xi instructed local provincial officials to work towards making people in Tibet identify more with the "great motherland, Chinese people, Chinese culture, the Chinese Communist Party and socialism with Chinese characteristics", according to Xinhua.

He also said that only when the people "follow the party" can the "rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" be realised.

CULTURE AND LOYALTY

Over 80% of the population in Tibet are ethnic Tibetan while Han Chinese are the minority. Most Tibetans are also Buddhists. China's constitution allows for freedom of religion but the party adheres strictly to atheism.

In Lhasa, Xi watched a cultural performance which showcased Tibetan culture and loyalty to the party through song and dance, including a famous song with the lyric "sing a folk song for the party, the party is like my mother".

In Nyingchi, Xi also inspected rural rejuvenation and environmental protection.

On China's border with India, Tibet is seen as having critical strategic importance to Beijing. Last year China and India saw the most serious clash in decades on their disputed border in the Himalayas, with deaths on both sides.

Photos released by Xinhua show Xi was accompanied by Zhang Youxia, a vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission and a senior general in the People's Liberation Army.

Xi was last in Tibet in 2011, when he was vice president.

Beijing sent troops into Tibet in 1950 in what it officially terms a peaceful liberation and maintains a heavy security presence in the region, which has been prone to unrest.

A violent clash in 2008 between Chinese police and Tibetan monks commemorating an anniversary of the 14th Dalai Lama's exit from Tibet, left local authorities unsure for many years if a visiting Chinese leader would be welcomed or safe, said Yang Chaohui, professor of politics at Peking University.

Tibet's high altitude, which can take a toll on leaders not accustomed to the climate, is another reason why China's top leaders rarely visit, he said.

Reporting by Gabriel Crossley and Yew Lun Tian; Editing by Sam Holmes, Editing by William Maclean and Giles Elgood

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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China's Xi urges people in Tibet to 'follow the party' in rare visit - Reuters

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