Throwing some light on “Dark Energy”

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Exciting news from the BBC folks, we have some new information about “Dark matter”, they report …

First results from a major astronomical survey using a cutting-edge technique appear to have confirmed the existence of mysterious dark energy.

Dark energy makes up some 74% of the Universe and its existence would explain why the Universe appears to be expanding at an accelerating rate.

The finding was based on studies of more than 200,000 galaxies.

Scientists used two separate kinds of observation to provide an independent check on previous dark energy results.

Two papers by an international team of researchers have been accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society journal.

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Book Pointer -> “Forged” by Bart Erhman

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If you are a believer, then you should seriously consider reading a book by Biblical scholar, Bart Erhman. His latest publication “Forged” is a great introduction to the reasons why scholars are persuaded that a significant number of works in the New Testament are not by their purported authors. He also explains why some of the ideas we embrace today do not actually come from the bible at all, but were instead added in later.

As an example, we have a truly crazy idea that many accept as reality. Its the bizarre concept that there is one God that has three different forms, Father, Son and Spirit. We are all familiar with this concept today, it is part of our cultural baggage. However, what really surprised me is that this idea does not exist anywhere in the bible at all … except for one reference in 1 John 5:7-8.

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No rapture – So what happens now in the minds of the believers?

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Its official, the clock here in the UK just passed 6pm, and …No rapture!! … except of course on twitter where we have an armageddon of users expressing their mock disappointment at the lack of dead people rising from their graves, but then again perhaps it has been a rather quiet rapture – the type that passes unnoticed. God popped down,  took a quick look around, decided none of us were worth bothering with, was also rather keen to watch Dr Who today (on in 10 minutes if you happen to be in the UK), and so  decided to give it all a miss.

Of all the tweets I’ve seen so far, my favorite just has to be Professor Brian Cox who tweeted … “I think we should all pretend the #rapture is happening so that when Harold Camping gets left behind later today he’ll be livid.“.

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Its “Rapture” day tomorrow .. but what about the pets?

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As I’m sure you all know, tomorrow (21st May) is “rapture” day. For believers it is yet another of the almost monthly predictions regarding the end-of-the-world, and just like all the previous predictions, this one will also be a dud, so for the non-believers, it simply marks the day prior to our post-rapture mocking.

In fact, the only reason we all know about this specific prediction is because the senile nutcase that made the claim has successfully managed to con many into paying over $3 million for advertising. It is truly heart breaking; this complete gobshite has convinced folks such as retired subway worker Robert Fitzpatrick into blowing his entire $140,000 life savings on an ad campaign in New York city.
I have no idea how that poor bloke will manage to pick up the pieces when reality comes knocking as the sun rises on 22nd May.

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Is it ethical to support “Lets Draw Mohamed Day 2011”

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Tomorrow, 20th May, is the official “Lets Draw Mohamed day”. Given the high degree of offense this causes, is it ethical to support it or participate in it?

The short simple answer is “Yes“, however, it is still appropriate to mull over this so that as we move forward, we do so with a clear understanding as to why this is the clearest, most logical, and ethical answer.

To start, I’ll lay a foundation that underpins the answer. There are two very fundamental and well-recognized human rights that have emerged, and there is general consensus for the support of both. These are as follows:

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