Diggapedia

I did not intend on writing another piece about religion, but those Graham siblings just got me going again. The more alleged ‘men of the cloth’ talk, the more religion seems like the spiritual version of the hospital in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest .   The latest into the foray is Franklin Graham, who recently supported Vladimir Putin’s stance against LGBT rights.   'In my opinion, Putin is right on these issues,' Graham wrote. 'Obviously, he may be wrong about many things, but he has taken a stand to protect his nation's children from the damaging effects of any gay and lesbian agenda.’   Yes, because LGBT = sexual predator.   What an ignorant jack ass.   But wait, there’s more.   'Our president,' he continued, 'and his attorney general have turned their backs on God and His standards, and many in the Congress are following the administration's lead. This is shameful.' But then again, it does run in the family.   Graham’s sister Anne G...

  It is often said that common sense is all too uncommon today.   There may be some truth to that as stupidity and ignorance do not seem to be on the wane.   However, what I find equally disturbing is a lack of critical thinking, perhaps because there is no universal definition and the concept, like emotional intelligence is so abstract.   Regardless, a lack of critical thinking is harming our competitiveness, foreign policy, national security, and domestic tranquility. So what is critical thinking?   According to Michael Scriven & Richard Paul of the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking, Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.   Growing up Jewish, I remember my Hebrew ...

  Digg’s Oscar Predictions and Commentary Best Picture American Hustle – Will Win Captain Phillips Dallas Buyers Club Gravity Her – did not see Nebraska Philomena – did not see 12 Years A Slave – Should Win The Wolf of Wall Street I am shocked that 12 Years hasn’t won more Best Picture awards this season as it will be the movie people best remember years from now like Pulp Fiction losing to Forrest Gump, Goodfellas losing to Dances With Wolves, and especially Saving Private Ryan losing to Shakespeare in Love.   That is not to say that American Hustle is not a great movie.   It is, with terrific performances from Cooper, Bale, Adams, Lawrence, Renner et al, but the visceral primal emotional impact of 12 Years and the performances of Ejiofor, Fassbender, Cumberbatch, Paulson, Pitt, Nyong’o, Dano, and others   under McQueen’s direction deserve the Oscar.   As for all of the films that I did see, they were all outstanding i...