Skeptical sites:

#1 ENLIGHTENMENT:  (The first site, with many of the best articles).  American Justice, (both its synopsis and full article).  The Supreme Court’s own published cases are used to show just far since 1975 the pro-government judges have gone in dismantling our Bill of Rights, and thus we have lost the protection of the prudent principles of jurisprudence, which are in essence followed by all other developed countries.  What Historians have deduced about the Historical Mohammed, shows that what has been written of the person Mohammed is so uncertain as to its accuracy, that the important events of his life are essentially unknown.  History of Christ (JK) comes to the same conclusion about Jesus, but with much more compelling arguments.  The German School of biblical scholars set down those arguments at the end of the 19^th century.   The Physics of Everything was NOT the Product of a Designer, lays to rest the argument that Yahweh tinkered with the constants of physic so a to create a universe where life could evolve.  And finally, Exodus and Archaeology, which reveals that the Exodus story is a myth.  Reforming Big Pharma, both a lesson in corporate drug business and by extension the for profit system.  Social Justice, 8 Steps Forward good old practical philosophy of the sort found in Plato’s Republic.

#4 Logical threads    An odd lot collection.  How to evaluate Medical Discoveries, is of obvious importance.   Logical Fallacies, a primer in clear thought (concepts and exercises).  Why strangeness of man--explained:  the best darn insight into why man does strange things (religion, obesity, tobacco, etc.).

#9 Spiritualism    Homeopathy:  Its History, Its Absurdity.  Its title says all.  The Illusion of the Ghost in the Machine (JK), explains how neural brain activity creates this illusion.  Thought and the Illusion of the Ghost in the Machine (JK), a behaviorist analysis of thought.  Psychics, Police department evaluation of their assistance exposes they don’t help and Hocus Focus is good journalism and good reading on parapsychology. 

#17 Quackery    Fad Anti-aging Exposed, an article by concerned scientists—reprinted in Scientific American.  Chiropractics:  19^th Century Quackery, and they call themselves “doctors.”  How to Evaluate Medical Discoveries, the various signs of quackery & junk science

#19 Skepticism   Why Scientists are Skeptics about Psychic Phenomena, a very readable account.  Black Racists Steal Greek Heritage, university professors exposes the lies told in Black Studies courses about their ancient history. 

#29 For skeptics   Bottled Water—why bother? Michael Schermer in Scientific American exposes another costly “need”.   Stigmata Easily Faked.

#102 Quacks, theories & practice    Iridology, Diagnosis through Looking at the Iris­, a thing only those without an understanding of the body could believe in. 

Religious sites:

#6 Thinkers on Religion:     Excellent articles against religion mostly by famous authors.  All the articles are outstanding.  Select according to your interest.  A philosophic favorite is Pascal’s Wager (JK), which applies the tools of logic (philosophy) to show why the gods would reward a concerned, learned atheist (such as Bertrand Russell) before a person of faith such as Mother Teresa or the theologian Fredrick Copleston.  A second favorite would be Hocus Focus¸ on spiritualism and parapsychology, an example of journalism at its best.  It dices new-age crap, especially spiritualism, and is enjoyable to read. 

#8 Old Testament Analysis:     Hebrew Mythology (JK,) lists the demigods, gods, and mythic tales found in the Old Testament.  The 5^th century BC tales of the Old Testament ought to be as much an embarrassment to “modern” Jews and Christians as the Greek pagan tales about the Gods were to the Greek philosophers.  Tacitus on the Hebrew’s Origin, is fun reading both for content and style (Tacitus was the best of Roman prose writes).

#10 Literary Works on Religion    Famous authors who dared to write irreverent fiction.  Mark Twain’s Letters from Earth, stands alone in effectiveness and perception.  Others posted are by Dennis Diderot, Lucian, Nietzsche, Edgar Lee Masters, and Robert Browning,

#15 Christian Apocrypha and Essays     A collection of extra biblical tales and ancient articles. A larger body of works had been written with the same intent as the canonical works, but they were not included.  A number of them had been widely disseminated.  They are another window on those times.  Also extra biblical Christian tales, including Peter versus Simon the Magician, the account of how Peter before a crowd proved that his powers through his god were greater than Simon’s.   

#16 New Testament analysis    Mark Describes Jesus’ Gay Affair (JK), is based on the discovery of Professor Morton Smith of a 2^nd century letter by the Bishop of Alexandria, Clemens, which indicates that the Gospel of Mark had been edited and the Bishop quotes from the complete Mark (now lost) a passage about Jesus in Jericho in which Jesus laid naked with a young man whom he had risen from the dead.  The Gospel of Mark mentions Jesus going to Jericho with brevity that suggests censorship.  (The Gospels are historical fictions.)   Catholic Theologians Acknowledge Gospel Myths, what they know about biblical origins is different than what they preach.  Published in The Notre Dame, a university theological journal.  Earliest Christianity, by Professor Wells, the best of those who take a purely rational approach to the evidence on the foundation of western religion.

#18 Against religious foolishness    Reasons for the Rejection of Religion (JK), outlines how absurd mass religions are.  Also outstanding is On Miracles, by David Hume, a very compelling classic. 

#20 Ancient Sacred Works of the Christians       The infancy Gospel of Matthew, during the Middle Ages as widely read as the Gospels, it is another example of how Christians invented the Christ story.  Death of Pilate an enjoyable Christian fiction.   

#22 Christianity  Puritan Angry God & Evil Sermon—Jonathan Edwards, an example of preaching in colonial times. Pope’s position on gays and celibacy insightful collection.    Martin Luther on the Jews, what you’d expect. 

#24  Bible Studies More     ANCIENT HEBREW (TALMUD) ACCOUNT OF CHRIST:  The Jews had their own tradition concerning the life of Christ, and several ancient texts have survived.  Delightful reading.   A Review of References to Christ Outside the Bible, shows that the Christian claim for extra-biblical evidence is dubious.  Ancient Hebrew (Talmud) Account of Christ, fun reading.

  #26 Ancient Sacred Works of the Hebrews   The Sibylline Oracle, and the commentary thereon provide insights into religious practices and beliefs.  The Story of Ahikar, is a reflection of another culture and times long past, fascinating.  

#107 Holy Horrors    Holy Horrors—Atrocities in the Name of god:  sections of that classic book.  Requiem for Ateqeh Rajabi—16-year Old Publicly Executed based on the Koran.

#109 Philosophy & religion    Pantheism--Profs. Elizabeth Beardsley, the first of 3 sections from her introductory book on philosophy dealing with the question of proof, and especially the verifiability of private religious experiences.  JK’s instructor in philosophy has produced one of the best, balanced analyses in philosophy.  Stands next to Plato’s Euthyphro in quality.  

Political-economic sites:

#21 Muckraking political articles   Pigs at the Trough, by Arianna Huffington; excerpts on corporate greed and how Congress lies with the corporate pigs.   Executive’s Branch Abuse of Scientist, sections from a paper issued by over 60 leading scientists on how politics come first in our government.  Avian Flu¸ a risk our government ought not to make us take—says experts.

#23 Critical of capitalism   ABCs OF SOCIALISM, by 2 noted university professors.  The insight into how a socialist views capitalism and its cure.  It is the best of its kind.  Monopoly Capitalism, explained by 2 professors, excerpts from this still valid classic book.  ABC of Socialism by Prof Leo Huberman, a timeless classic on what is wrong with capitalism. 

22. #25 Bush bashing   Links to Bush Bashing Cartoons and More, the best collection of political humor on the web, plus most of the best site on political reporting.  AT Cartoon Gallery, are eight favorites.  100 Facts and 1 Opinion, goes over the Whitehouse record.

#28 Nuclear war threat:   U.S. Nuclear Stock:  History, Accounts, on of a series of articles published by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, it is full of facts instead of rhetoric.  But do we need rhetoric to know that one bomb would do many times more damage than worse nuclear power-plant accident. 

#103 Parliament of whores   Corporate Welfare:  Helping Companies Grab More.  Some of the examples of the legislature giving the public’s money to business; which is followed by an article on the reform of election funding passed in 6 states.    Flooding the Job Market with Immigrants and Illegals. 

#104 Government, Presidency, Congress, Courts    Two insightful articles on our government:  The most Powerful Lobby, and How Congress Works.  If one is interested in read a moving true story of American injustice, then read my friend’s, Professor Campbell’s, account of how his trial judge, who now has now clear and irrefutable evidence of his innocence, will not let him go, and the appellate court will not intervene.  Professor Campbell’s case is an example of what has happened when our politicians appoint judges who do not support our Bill of Rights, because they see justice from the prospective of a prosecutor.

#106 Economics   International Balance Sheet, & Asian Collapse as Model for U.S. Collapse,­ both by the Federal Reserve Board.  Covers the foundations for why Alan Greenspan has been warning Congress about fiscal responsibility:  the likely consequences of our huge debt to foreign countries.  Economic Data an Interesting Collection:  a large collection on economics,

#111 World Trade Organization    IMF Goes Public, what you’d expect.

#112 Bush watch:  Bush Favors High Levels of Mercury, paybacks for campaign donations.  Several states are going to court for to force safer emission standards.  Six states go to court to enforce a higher standard.  Crimes Worthy of Impeachment.

#116 Oil  Oil stats.  What Oil bought with their political contributions illustrates how money talks and the need for election campaign contribution reform

#117 Federal court system  American Justice uses published Supreme Court cases to illustrate how contrary to the principles of equitable jurisprudence our system is. 

# 118 Iraq war & wars  Oil war plans before 9/11--documents

Utopia, ethics, happiness, misc. sites

#2 Utopia   First would be On Ethics of Love of All things (JK),  supplies the best answers provided by the Greek philosophers as to what choices one ought to follow in pursuing the good life.  Please make their answer (with my improvements) your own.  Social Justice:  Eight Steps Forward (JK,) addresses eight political and the economic problems.  This work continues where Plato left off in his Republic.   The Decalogue:  Greek Moral Philosophy Modernized (JK), the continued development of Greek moral philosophy through utilitarianism, made into 10 rules.  Utopian Economics (JK), develops how a planned economy would work if the government was controlled by those like the Guardians of Plato’s The Republic.

#3 Utilitarianism   There is an account of the theory:  Utilitarian Ethics:  an Introductory Explanation.  Jeremy Bentham:  His Life and Impact (JK), is dressed in style to entertain the reader.  He like Voltaire, a generation before him, labored life-long to spread enlightenment, and like Voltaire was exceedingly successful.

#5 Cartoons & satire:   A little humor, you can guess the targets; exposes the naked emperors and offends the prudes.

#7 Table of contents & links     Greek Wisdom, from Superstition to Science, recounts their theory of atoms in detail; Links Favorite, a collection of links divided into categories and books.

#27 Recreational drugs    LSD the Problem Solving Drug, a paperback written with introduction by two renowned psychiatric researchers.  The authors and many others in 1966 believed that LSD was the new psychiatric wonder drug.  Additional materials from the only medical textbook on hallucinogens.  The War on Drugs:  Costs, a war that never should have been fought--except by education and building a just society.  Quaaludes, How Drug Companies Profited, a description of how the safe alternative to barbiturates was marketed. 

#101 Links & quotes   Meritorious Links a collection on the best on the web.  Site that are an interest to thinking people.  Religious Quotes, the best on the web collection.

#105 Scientific psychology   :  Control of Eating Behavior, the best set of recommendations for control of weight.    Anorexia, a Case Study and Model for Treatment, is an instructive example of the application of behaviorism.  5 Insightful Accounts of Quarrelsome Behavior, close to home and entertaining.

#108 Psychoanalysis, their weird theories    Freud’s Sexual Molestation Theory, mind based psychiatry is an embarrassment to evidence based medicine. 

#110 Recreational drug research    LSD the Miracle Drug, written before the government cut off LSD from research and propaganda changed attitudes.  LSD Discovery—Hoffmann, interesting description of the first acid trip. 

#113 Environment & animals:  Bush’s Environmental Record what you’d expect from a representative of the oil industry

#114 B.F. Skinner, works and life    Skinner, Why I am not a Cognitive Psychologist, his clear explanation as to what is wrong with mind based psychology; Skinner on Mind and Wanting, Skinner’s article.

#115 Ethics the humanistic side  Economics & Quality of Life, Russia  & Vietnam, the free market system has set the people back.

JK’s Literary Sites:

12  Rhymed poems    Assorted poems by JK, which are mostly rhymed and humorous, such as the one on tobacco smoking, which ought to be set to music.

#14  Short story, satire    Chance (JK), the delightful short story of life and love in Mexico.

If there is a divine measurement, it is by the good we do.