January 27, 2010-Live blogging the State of the Union address 1894 view(s) Sex Trafficking and the Super Bowl: A relationship the NFL should openly oppose 773 view(s) Rabbi Ralph Messer, Bishop Eddie Long, and the Auschwitz Torah 620 view(s) Manute Bol the radical Christian 401 view(s) Bishop Eddie Long crowned as a king 'not on the earth'? [VIDEO] 377 view(s) LifeWay's 'The Gospel Project' review 253 view(s) Excessive criticism and living in grace 201 view(s) 'Sherlock Holmes,' movie review 156 view(s) 'Alice in Wonderland,' movie review 133 view(s) Blake Griffin Dunk, January 30, 2012 [VIDEO] 106 view(s) 
I’m not sure what the literary equivalent of disruptive technology is, but When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. . .and Ourselves by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert would certainly fit the description. Perhaps cognitive realignment could be suggested. In the wake of the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile combined with ongoing struggles in Sudan and concerns about unemployment in the U. S., minds and hearts have been turned to those...
When I returned from Haiti on February 8, the first thing I started doing was looking for books that could help make sense of some of the things I had seen that obviously predated the earthquake: the extreme poverty, regularly being asked for money or things, and nightmarish logistical situations that seemingly prevented needs from being met. What I found was the books on the subject are few, but devastating in their critiques. I...
Loretta Napoleoni gave the following talk at TED last summer. Napoleoni, a macroeconomist whose introduction to terrorism and money came through interviewing the Italian Red Brigades, demonstrates the intricate linkage of world finance and terrorist moneymaking. She also suggests the primary activity of terror networks is not politics or violence, but the raising of capital, which, in turn, funds the violence to further political ends. Loretta Napoleoni is an Italian born economist, author, journalist...
January 25, 2010—Near-death experiences have long been a fascinating phenomenon, prompting more questions than answers. According to a Gallup poll, between 8 to 12 million Americans—around five percent—say they have had a near-death experience. Despite these substantial numbers, most scientists are at a loss to explain these events. Dr. Jeffrey Long, a radiation oncologist, has spent the last twelve years studying over a thousand cases of near-death experience. In his groundbreaking new book, EVIDENCE...
[A necessary disclaimer: I did not vote for either Obama or McCain in November. My preference was not to choose between the lesser of two evils and I would not cast a vote for either of them in a future face-off. The first two posts in this group (Parts One and Two) focused on the campaigns of Obama, Clinton and Edwards. Lest anyone think I'm biased toward the Republicans, I offer this post in...
Part 2 of excerpts from Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime. First post, Excerpts Part 1 On Barack Obama’s international travels (p. 55): The Africa trip turned out to be a revelation for both Barack and Michelle. The last time he had been there was fourteen years ealier, with a pack on his back and not much more than a packet of cigarettes in his...
The controversy stirring new book Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heilemann (New York magazine) and Mark Halperin (Time magazine) has been all the political news rage since last week. The early leak of Harry Reid’s race faux pas has all but overshadowed the full breadth of the book. It’s hardly Race 2008 by the National Enquirer. Instead, Heilemann and Helperin take readers...
Sub-titled, “Reflections on the God Debate,” British literary critic Terry Eagleton’s latest work takes on the likes of Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens (the latter two he derisively and often combines into a single being, “Ditchkins”) for the lack of integrity in some criticisms of religion that are part and parcel of the New Atheism movement. At the same time, he takes on much of the vacuous nonsense which, at this moment...
Attempting to find “a good God in an evil world,” Dr. William Dembski, mathematician, philosopher, prolific author and leader in the Intelligent Design movement, presents this effort to reconcile the goodness of God in which we believe with a fallen world which we see. Though there be nothing novel in the attempt, the tack which he takes will be new to many: Dembski asserts that all evil in the world’s history traces back to...
Thanks to everyone who has stopped by martyduren.com. Yesterday marked the 1st month since the official launch and I’m grateful! According to Google analytics I’ve had 1,966 visits with more than 4,200 page views (hits) since I went live a month ago. The nook giveaway is winding down (tomorrow at 11:59 pm marks the deadline) with several hundred individual entries and counting. If you haven’t registered yet, please see the giveaway contest widget to...