Podcasts about pa73

This week, Bryn Keenum drops in to discuss Wishbone, PBS and Texas, with Shannon and I. Patreon www.pateron.com/wdm1 Facebook https://bit.ly/3iMRYc3 Instagram https://bit.ly/2Sloskw References Seductive Screens: Children's Media—Past, Present, and Future By Michael Brody https://books.google.com/books?id=j74wBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA73#v=onepage&q&f=false When Darcy Is a Dog: How Wishbone Introduces Children to Jane Austen By ELEANOR HERSEY NICKEL https://jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/vol34no1/nickel.html Pub Culture Gillespie S. Pup culture. Texas Monthly. 1997;25(10):50. Accessed December 21, 2021. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp.twu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tih&AN=9709244099&site=ehost-live Wishbone's Original Creators on the TV Show's Legacy and Uncertain Future - Paste By Rob Owen https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/wishbone/wishbone-tv-show-history/ 'Wishbone' TV Show Facts | Mental Floss https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/83425/10-classic-facts-about-wishbone Public Television | The First Amendment Encyclopedia https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1251/public-television Great Literature, From the Family Pet - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/08/tv/great-literature-from-the-family-pet.html?referringSource=articleShare TV NOTES; Profitable Afternoons - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/13/arts/tv-notes-profitable-afternoons.html On set with Wishbone - Interview with Larry Brantley, the Voice of Wishbone https://texasarchive.org/2013_02025 WISHBONE: A DOG DRESSED TO THE CANINE – Sun Sentinel https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1996-08-11-0001290110-story.html

This episode we discuss how Rosaire Bilodeau sought structure by working at the post office, and after he was let go he kept trying to get his job back. When his attempts failed, he retaliated against his coworkers and family.To support Murder Dictionary & get access to rewards, perks, & merch, please visit our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/MurderDictionaryPodcastIf you’d like shirts, mugs, phone cases, & other merch, you can shop at https://murderdictionary.threadless.com/ Please rate, review, subscribe & follow us on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter to stay updated on new episodes, true crime tidbits, inappropriate jokes about death, and ridiculous serial killer memes.We appreciate you telling your friends or family about us, & posting about the show on your social media!MURDER DICTIONARY LINKS:Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/murderdictionarypodcast/ Facebook : https://facebook.com/Murder-Dictionary-Podcast-1202280266480382/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/m_d_podcastiTunes : https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-dictionary/id1169967004 ROSAIRE BILODEAU LINKS:https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=HT19341026.2.7&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35182905/rosaire-bilodeau-kills-5-quebec-1934/#https://www.newspapers.com/image/419821482/?terms=rosaire%20bilodeau&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/456441700/?terms=rosaire%20bilodeau&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/456441755/https://www.newspapers.com/image/635963713/?terms=rosaire%20bilodeau&match=1http://www.newspapers.com/image/635963719/https://www.newspapers.com/image/187823919/?terms=rosaire%20bilodeau&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/448205333/?terms=rosaire%20bilodeau&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/558928196/?terms=rosaire%20bilodeau&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/419646742/?terms=rosaire%20bilodeau&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/320996197/?terms=rosaire%20bilodeau&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/182232035/?terms=rosaire%20bilodeau&match=1https://books.google.com/books?id=GrQ5RL1Etk0C&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=rosaire+bilodeau+post+office&source=bl&ots=Bjvktu9J7b&sig=ACfU3U3fpp0j9E8XHN5YwFBjP_rf_xvwtg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwig_KPnp8brAhVDMH0KHVq8DB44ChDoATAEegQIARAB#v=onepage&q=rosaire%20bilodeau%20post%20office&f=falsehttps://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/cd/1997-n49-cd1042136/8203ac.pdf&prev=search&pto=auehttps://books.google.com/books?id=nwjcDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=rosaire+bilodeau+quebec+post+office&source=bl&ots=NjHPASZV9n&sig=ACfU3U19qvXn7AAmOlH46pVd5_8qWEsZ5w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjewfCe28brAhVLnp4KHYsxBRM4ChDoATACegQIARAB#v=onepage&q=rosaire%20bilodeau%20quebec%20post%20office&f=falsehttps://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0KgtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0pgFAAAAIBAJ&dq=rosaire%20Bilodeau&hl=de&pg=6567%2C3233285https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0KgtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0pgFAAAAIBAJ&dq=rosaire%20Bilodeau&hl=de&pg=6567%2C3233285https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3X8uAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PZkFAAAAIBAJ&dq=rosaire%20Bilodeau&hl=de&pg=4049%2C105520https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZHYtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jZgFAAAAIBAJ&dq=rosaire%20Bilodeau&hl=de&pg=6797%2C3306006https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Y3YtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jZgFAAAAIBAJ&dq=rosaire%20Bilodeau&hl=de&pg=1897%2C3014338https://www.newspapers.com/image/419277341/?terms=rosaire%20bilodeau&match=1WELLNESS RESOURCE LINKS:https://www.childhelp.org/hotline/https://victimsofcrime.org/help-for-crime-victims/get-help-bulletins-for-crime-victims/bulletins-for-teens/bullying-and-harassment http://stompoutbullying.org/ https://www.thetrevorproject.org http://www.thehotline.org/?gclid=CjwKEAjwwcjGBRDj-P7TwcinyBkSJADymblT8HNh4scSA-G7d-xEADhi0xODIRWy3zXSWWrGXg2B5hoCdD7w_wcB http://www.ncadv.org/ http://www.crisistextline.org/textline/?gclid=CjwKEAjw9MrIBRCr2LPek5-h8U0SJAD3jfhtHplx6Ibc8Ov7oG79YLibo1TubSfQrumNc-WnXJixDxoCKafw_wcB https://www.mentalhelp.net/meeting-finder/ca/woodland-hills/

O crescimento expressivo e a modernização do Agro tem despertado nos jovens um olhar diferenciado para as oportunidades de atuação no setor, mas eles não querem ser meros coadjuvantes nesse crescimento e, por isso, estão construindo hoje o futuro de manhã. Neste episódio, em que falamos sobre o protagonismo jovem no Agro, recebemos Débora Strassburger, Emanuel Pinheiro e Rogério Araújo, jovens que fazem a diferença no Agro em suas regiões e engajam outros jovens a assumirem o protagonismo rural. Quer saber mais sobre a história desses jovens e como eles estão liderando Agro? Vá no seu distribuidor de áudio favorito ou no site do Papo Agro e confira na íntegra esse episódio. Rede AGROCAST: @redeagrocast @agroresenha @benditoagro @bugbitespodcast @cpvpodcast @esalqast @noticias_do_front @papoagropodcast @rumencast

O crescimento expressivo e a modernização do Agro tem despertado nos jovens um olhar diferenciado para as oportunidades de atuação no setor, mas eles não querem ser meros coadjuvantes nesse crescimento e, por isso, estão construindo hoje o futuro de manhã.  Neste episódio, em que falamos sobre o protagonismo jovem no Agro, recebemos Débora Strassburger, Emanuel Pinheiro e Rogério Araújo, jovens que fazem a diferença no Agro em suas regiões e engajam outros jovens a assumirem o protagonismo rural.  Quer saber mais sobre a história desses jovens e como eles estão liderando Agro?  Vá no seu distribuidor de áudio favorito ou no site do Papo Agro e confira na íntegra esse episódio. Rede AGROCAST: @redeagrocast @agroresenha @benditoagro @bugbitespodcast @cpvpodcast @esalqast @noticias_do_front @papoagropodcast @rumencast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

O crescimento expressivo e a modernização do Agro tem despertado nos jovens um olhar diferenciado para as oportunidades de atuação no setor, mas eles não querem ser meros coadjuvantes nesse crescimento e, por isso, estão construindo hoje o futuro de manhã.  Neste episódio, em que falamos sobre o protagonismo jovem no Agro, recebemos Débora Strassburger, Emanuel Pinheiro e Rogério Araújo, jovens que fazem a diferença no Agro em suas regiões e engajam outros jovens a assumirem o protagonismo rural.  Quer saber mais sobre a história desses jovens e como eles estão liderando Agro?  Vá no seu distribuidor de áudio favorito ou no site do Papo Agro e confira na íntegra esse episódio. Rede AGROCAST: @redeagrocast @agroresenha @benditoagro @bugbitespodcast @cpvpodcast @esalqast @noticias_do_front @papoagropodcast @rumencast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert is joined by Garrison Davis to discuss Alexander Lukashenko. FOOTNOTES: https://www.vox.com/2020/8/10/21357805/belarus-election-tikhanovskaya-lukashenko-protest-minsk   https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/28/europe/alexander-lukashenko-coronavirus-infection-intl/index.html  https://www.politico.eu/article/lukashenkos-brand-image-is-the-real-thing/  https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2014/07/10/homophobia-vote-rigging-and-posturing-20-years-of-lukashenko-a37216  https://www.dw.com/en/belarus-strongman-lukashenko-marks-25-years-in-power/a-49530563  https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/profiles/3080936/Alexander-Lukashenko-Dictator-with-a-difference.html https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/10.2979/jfolkrese.53.2.02  https://books.google.com/books?id=0Tn_CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=alexander+lukashenko+biography&source=bl&ots=Rnv4tPj6K5&sig=ACfU3U17riZ_9mexSZAlqZJnX3sXUfc1GQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjrpc3RwJLrAhWYpZ4KHdAoBKAQ6AEwDXoECBgQAQ#v=onepage&q=alexander%20lukashenko%20biography&f=false  https://carnegie.ru/2018/04/12/house-that-lukashenko-built-foundation-evolution-and-future-of-belarusian-regime-pub-76059  https://www.obserwatorfinansowy.pl/in-english/macroeconomics/the-belarusian-economic-crisis-is-both-the-result-and-the-cause/  https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/25/world/belarus-voters-back-populist-in-protest-at-the-quality-of-life.html  https://twitter.com/closeface12/status/1292839014056300544    Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Intro chit chat over at minute marker 10:12 Join Nick, Kris and I as we discuss Vampire Lore from all over the globe. Including China's the Jiangshi, Australia's Yara-ma-yha-who, Brazil's Jararaca and Azeman, Europe's Revenant, and Indonesia's Langsuir. We also have stories of one community who believed they had a Vampire among them as recent as 2013! REFERENCES  Jiangshi, https://www.history101.com/jiangshi-chinese-hopping-vampires/,  Yara-ma-yha-who https://www.deliriumsrealm.com/yaramayhawho/,. Jararaca and Azeman, https://vampireunderworld.com/south-american-vampires/ ,Revenant, http://www.modaruniversity.org/Vampires.htm, Langsuir, https://books.google.com/books?id=6pYZDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=langsuir+vampire&source=bl&ots=SPcWOerjGx&sig=ACfU3U3FmD0MH55zKlEGvD_b4SGhFWSuwg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj8hOLd9a_qAhXNpJ4KHVrhCPsQ6AEwCHoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=langsuir%20vampire&f=false    

"You don't find reality only in your own backyard, you know," Stanley Kubrick once told an interviewer. "In fact, sometimes that's the last place you'll find it." Oddly, this episode of Weird Studies begins with Phil Ford hatching the idea of putting a replica of the monolith from 2001 in his backyard. As the ensuing discussion suggests, this would amount to putting reality -- or the Real, as we like to call it -- in the place where it may be least apparent. Perhaps that is what Kubrick did when he planted his monolithic film in thousands of movie theatres back in 1968. Moviegoers went in expecting a Kubrickian twist on Buck Rogers; they came out changed by the experience, much like the hominids of great veld in the "Dawn of Man" sequence that opens the film. This is what all great art does, and if you look closely, maybe 2001 can tell you something about how it does it. Because in the end, the film is the monolith, and the monolith is all art. REFERENCES Stanley Kubrick (dir.), 2001: A Space Odyssey (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/) Arthur C. Clarke, "The Sentinel" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sentinel_(short_story)) Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey (https://www.foliosociety.com/ca/2001-a-space-odyssey.html) (novel) Clement Greenberg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_Greenberg), American art critic Stanley Kubrick (dir.), The Shining (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505/) Sergei Eisenstein, [Film Form: Essays in Film Theory](https://www.amazon.com/Film-Form-Essays-Theory/dp/0156309203/ref=pdlpo14t0/147-0144282-1131014?encoding=UTF8&pdrdi=0156309203&pdrdr=37cf94c0-adb2-4fc2-bbfa-91b00773da7f&pdrdw=CdtxC&pdrdwg=jkLXJ&pfrdp=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pfrdr=9KCP3Y7C1RPE4XDH7N9D&psc=1&refRID=9KCP3Y7C1RPE4XDH7N9D)_ Weird Studies episode 62: It's Like "The Shining," But With Nuns: On "Black Narcissus" Ligeti, Atmosphères Gerard Loughlin, [Alien Sex: The Body and Desire in Cinema and Theology](https://books.google.ca/books?id=5WZwCtrqJ8kC&pg=PA73&rediresc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false)_ Jay Weidner, Kubrick's Odyssey: Secrets Hidden in the Films of Stanley Kubrick (https://www.amazon.ca/Kubricks-Odyssey-Secrets-Hidden-Films/dp/B004PF0FJM) Rob Ager's analysis (https://www.collativelearning.com/2001%20analysis%20new.html) of 2001 (Ager was criticized for not citing Loughlin above) Eric Norton's Playboy interview (https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/2016/10/02/playboy-interview-stanley-kubrick/) with Stanley Kubrick J. F. Martel, "The Kubrick Gaze" (https://www.amazon.com/Toward-2012-Perspectives-Next-Age/dp/B002PJ4L72) in Daniel Pinchbeck & Ken Jordan (eds.), Toward 2012: Perspectives on the Next Age J. F. Martel, "The Future is Immanent: Speculations on a Possible World" (https://realitysandwich.com/149962/the-future-is-immanent-speculations-on-a-possible-world/) Henri Bergson, The Two Sources of Morality and Religion (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/bergson/) Sid Meier's Civilization V (https://civilization.com/civilization-5/) Stanley Kubrick (dir.), Dr Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/) Stanley Kubrick (dir.), A Clockwork Orange (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066921/) Dziga Vertov, Kino-Eye: The Writings of Dziga Vertov (https://www.amazon.com/Kino-Eye-Writings-Dziga-Vertov/dp/0520056302) Marshall McLuhan, [Understanding Media](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UnderstandingMedia)_ Martin Heidegger, "The Question Concerning Technology" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Question_Concerning_Technology) Gilbert Ryle, "Improvisation" (https://academic.oup.com/mind/article-abstract/LXXXV/337/69/974404?redirectedFrom=PDF)

On this episode we talk about the Heceta Head Lighthouse in Florence, Oregon, and the mysterious Grey Lady that searched for her daughter. Plus we freeze our buts off in Alaska talking about one of their most popular ghost stories If you like this podcast, consider supporting us on Patreon Sources: http://www.pbs.org/legendarylighthouses/html/pnworgl.html  https://books.google.com/books?id=I4SRDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=heceta+lighthouse+ouija+board+session&source=bl&ots=PlgWZb7Nut&sig=rjgNL4FiUBx9T4iAKSDGZqTbZp4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwii9q__s5zZAhWE7lMKHfu9B-IQ6AEISTAG#v=onepage&q=heceta%20lighthouse%20ouija%20board%20session&f=false  http://northwesternghostsandhauntings.blogspot.com/2010/10/gray-lady-of-heceta-head-lighthouse.html  http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/36070179-75/former-keepers-house-at-heceta-head-lighthouse-said-to-be-among-the-coasts-most-haunted-places.html.csp  https://seeksghosts.blogspot.com/2014/08/oregons-heceta-head-lighthouse.html  http://realunexplainedmysteries.com/heceta-head-lighthouse-ghost  https://www.hecetalighthouse.com/  http://www.dreadcentral.com/cold-spots/10223/cold-spots-heceta-head-lighthouse/  https://www.hecetalighthouse.com/latest-news/the-ghost-of-heceta-lighthouse-b-b  http://ouroregoncoast.com/florence-guide/1404-the-gray-lady-at-heceta-head-lighthouse-an-oregon-coast-ghost-story.html  http://www.creepyghoststories.com/list/heceta-head-lighthouse-haunted  Extra: http://hauntin.gs/listing/south-birchwood-bardarka-road-in-the-woods/  https://www.hauntedrooms.com/badarka-rd-chugiak-alaska-haunted-ghost  http://www.ghoststoriesworld.com/haunted-places-in-america/south-birchwood-badarka-road-in-the-woods-chugiak 

When it comes to the Sega Dreamcast there certainly is no shortage of odd titles. Bangai-O fits the bill. From the moment you start playing, it shatters your expectations into tiny pieces and when you’re done it reassemble them into an unforgettable experience. If somehow you were thinking the Dreamcast version wasn’t enough, we’re also… Read More »

News, upcoming vintage computer shows, feedback.  Special co-host Jim Battle of compucolor.org and audio clips from Graham and Garry Epps!   Main topic: The CompuColor II   Links Mentioned in the Show:   What I’ve Been Up To/New Acquisitions VCF Midwest -  http://starbase.globalpc.net/eccc/, https://www.facebook.com/events/257907004391707/ TI CC-40 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Instruments_Compact_Computer_40 TI PC-200 Printer - http://www.datamath.org/Sci/Galaxy/PC-200.htm   News Kickstarter Funded ‘Commodore 64: A Visual Compendium’ Hits Online Stores - http://www.funstock.co.uk/commodore-64-a-visual-commpendium-c64-book SpeccyJam website - http://www.speccyjam.com/ SpeccyJam 2014 Games page - http://www.speccyjam.com/games/ The Living Computer Museum is hiring a Sr. Vintage Software Developer - http://www.livingcomputermuseum.org/TemplateMain.aspx?contentId=45 Reddit’s Retrobattlestations BASIC week is back on its 3rd edition - http://www.reddit.com/r/retrobattlestations/comments/2fn1zq/basic_week_3_under_the_sea/ Dartmouth BASIC Simulator - http://dtss.dartmouth.edu Glenside Color Computer Club - http://glensideccc.com/newindex.shtml Dartmouth BASIC Contest initial information - http://www.reddit.com/r/retrobattlestations/comments/2ee4l5/cocofest_dartmouth_time_sharing_system_contest/ Amstrad CPC-464 Contest happening in Spain - http://concursocpc.byterealms.com/concurso2014/ Vintage Is The New Old - http://www.vintageisthenewold.com or http://www.vitno.net Commodore is Awesome - http://awesome.commodore.me History of Personal Computing Podcast - http://www.historyofpersonalcomputing.com/ 32nd Chicago TI International World Faire - http://www.chicagotiug.com/tiki-index.php?page=Faire VCF East 10.0 - http://www.midatlanticretro.com/   Emulation JavaScript CompuColor II Emulator by Jim Battle - http://compucolor.org/emu/ccemu.html MESS (emulation) - http://www.mess.org/    Current Web Sites/Links/Mail Lists Computer Closet - http://www.computercloset.org/CompuColorII.htm OldComputers.com - http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=560&st=1 OldComputers.net - http://oldcomputers.net/compucolor-ii.html Instruction Manual - http://oldcomputers.net/Compucolor-II-Instruction-Manual.pdf Programming and Reference Manual - http://oldcomputers.net/Compucolor-II-Prog-Ref-Manual-rev-1.pdf Software Library Newsletter - http://oldcomputers.net/Compucolor-II-Library-Newsletters.pdf ComputerWorld, May15, 1978 - http://books.google.com/books?id=ycJb-Oo9BoIC&lpg=PA73&ots=7ZVosHzlhr&dq=compucolor%20georgia&pg=PA73#v=onepage&q=compucolor%20georgia&f=false CompuColor.org - A tribute to the CompuColor II (Jim Battle) - http://www.compucolor.org/ CompuColor II video on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_jWcgwgmwg CompuColor ad at vintagecomputing.com - http://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/580/retro-scan-of-the-week-compucolor-ii Earl Evans’ episode about the CompuColor II on the Retrobits podcast - http://retrobits.libsyn.com/show-092-a-close-encounter-the-compu-color-ii Chess on the CompuColor at the Chess Programming Wiki - https://chessprogramming.wikispaces.com/Compucolor+Chess DiskVacuum project reads and explores Compucolor II disks (Jim Battle) - http://www.gadgetfactory.net/2014/01/diskvacuum-project-reads-and-explores-compucolor-ii-disks/ THE GIANNA GIAVELLI BLOG - interesting discussion on why the Apple II succeeded and the CompuColor failed - http://thegiannagiavelliblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/apple-falling-apart-without-jobs.html CompuColor’s used at the EPCOT Universe of Energy for Ride Operator Consoles - http://progresscityusa.com/energy/tech_console.htm   References Wikipedia - http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compucolor_II   Closing Throwback Network - http://www.throwbacknetwork.net   Jim Battle Links Two videos Jim recorded to help sell his compucolor on ebay - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_jWcgwgmwg, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkjYM2bXhrM Longer tour of the machine- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibRA6fcwBpc Demonstration of what it looks like when you delete a file - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RNl5C_4ZGY ISC portion of bitsavers.org - http://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/pdf/intelligentSystemsCorp/ Jim Battle website, with email link and links to his other vintage computer sites - http://www.thebattles.net Page with all Jim’s vintage computer stuff - http://thebattles.net/jimsjunk.html Jim’s Wang 2200 Site - http://www.wang2200.org

Christianity brags that it holds the ultimate meaning and purpose for human life. It states most emphatically that the whole purpose of the human experience is to enjoy God and glorify Him forever. It boldly claims that any and all activity outside of the narrow path is worldly, of the devil, and ultimately worthless. While finding a valuable meaning for an individual life is something most people desire, to accuse all who reject the claims of Christianity to be living worthless lives, is arrogantly rude, and historically it’s been destructive. In 540 A.D. Christianity was given a unique opportunity to demonstrate the power of its worldview. Soon after the bubonic plague struck Byzantium that year, striking down 10,000 people a day until 100 million lives had been lost, the Roman Empire was destroyed. Christianity benefited immensely from the pandemic as droves of terrified people flocked into the Church.Christianity castigated secular medicine for failing to cure the plague. The Church subsequently declared all secular medicine heretical. For the next ten centuries, blood-letting, herbal remedies and prayer became the treatments of choice for every ailment. With medical advancement at a standstill, millions died, perhaps as many from the treatment as the malady. Developments in science and technology were abandoned. Extensive aqueduct and plumbing systems created by earlier generations disappeared. Since the sinful flesh was to be despised, even washing was discouraged. Disease of ever type ran rampant as hygiene and sanitation was forgotten. The vast network of roads that enabled transportation and communication fell into disrepair and remained that way until the 19th century. RefBook burning became commonplace. In the sixth century B.C.E., Pythagoras had already suggested that the Earth revolved around the Sun. By the third century B.C.E., Aristarchus had outlined heliocentricity while Eratosthenes had measured the circumference of the Earth. Hipparchus had invented longitude and latitude. After the onset of the Christian Dark Ages, it wouldn’t be until the 1500’s that Copernicus would reintroduce the forgotten theory that the Earth revolves around the Sun. When Galileo attempted to promote the theory, he was tried by the Inquisition in Rome for heresy. It’s untrue to assume only the Roman Catholic Church condemned heliocentricity, Calvin and Luther, the founders of the Protestant Reformation, also harshly condemned the idea, insisting that as it contradicted the Scriptures, it was therefore false. Even as early as the fourth century St. Augustine had written, ”It is impossible there should be inhabitants on the opposite side of the Earth, since no such race is recorded in Scripture among the descendents of Adam.”Historical research was nonexistent and what history there was, was rewritten to conform to the Bible. Modern archeology has proven that human history far exceeds 6000 years, but until very recent years, nearly all English Bibles placed a date on Genesis 1:1 at 4004 B.C. We now know that well before 4000 B.C., rich cultures already existed with well developed art,agriculture, architecture, city-planning, dance, drama, trade, writing, law, and even a few forms of democratic government. History is replete with significant forward development followed by major setbacks. While Christianity claims to have gradually lifted humanity out of dark ignorance of a dark pre-Christian world, the truth is opposite. The longest and darkest setback in the progression of western civilization lies at the feet of Christianity. Ignorance was crowned king when the great libraries in Alexandria in were burned in 391. Ancient academies were closed and education for anyone outside the clergy ended. The Fourth Council of Carthage, in canon 16, permits only Bishops to read the books of heretics in a time of need.. Jerome, a Church Father in the fourth century, reportedly rejoiced that the classical authors were being forgotten. St. John Chrysostom, a preeminent Greek Father of the Church said, “Every trace of the old philosophy and literature of the ancient world has vanished from the face of the Earth.”Whether medicine, art, science, history, music, reading, writing or math, everything was to be brought into conformity with the accepted doctrines of Christianity. The laity and the priest craft were kept ignorant of any ideas outside of a religiously Christian framework. Even the monasteries, filled with educated monkish scribes, were consigned to only preserving works of religious devotion. All other types of literature were consigned to oblivion, hidden away or destroyed, considered at best meaningless works of the flesh, or at worst distractions to lead astray the pious. Worldly writings were thought more suited for the flames, as their authors were destined for hell. Every thought was to be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. I know that in my own life, while a youth, I believed there was no greater purpose in life than learning about, and serving, my Lord. I believed the Rapture would occur any day, and nothing could take priority over saving the lost. Prior to my conversion I was an A student, but in the following years I spurned secular academics and neglected my studies in exchange for what I considered more worthy, eternal pursuits. In my mind, higher learning and high paying jobs were vain. Temporal pursuits, I thought, were not worthy of an eternal resident of heaven. So what about purpose? While immersion in a religion may bring about a feeling of purpose, it is a false purpose, one that ultimately hampers all human creative expression and growth. Without religion, or belief in a God that is directing history, it becomes immediately apparent that our species and our lives are fragile, subject to being snuffed out without much notice by the rest of the Universe. Our sun and our planet are obviously not eternal, and our survival as a species is fraught with uncertainties. Great monsters, called dinosaurs, ruled this planet for an impossibly long time before extinction took them away. Without some god to guarantee our survival, extinction is a very real possibility for us. Without a promise of personal survival in some heaven, the only real immorality we can hope to achieve is through our children and grandchildren – the generations of humanity that follow in our footsteps. Pursuing personal enlightenment through religion may provide an appearance of purpose, but it is ultimately a selfish pursuit. Personal religion is about my salvation, my god, my jeweled crown, my holiness, my Bible, my prayer time, my church, my group, my denomination, my experience, my, my, my, my, my. I would say that a far higher purpose – a better purpose – than mindless obedience to religion, would be a life devoted to making the world a better place to live for all of us. By striving to better our neighborhoods, our communities, our nations, and our world, we have a better chance of ensuring a good future for everyone. Ultimately we each make and choose our own purpose. Jesus does not have a plan for my life; I have a plan for my life. It falls to me to take responsibility for my own life and bring my plan to pass. This has been the podcast of ExChristian.Net for April 9, 2006.Related article: Another, "The Meaning of Life."Technorati tags: ex-Christian | exchristian | podcasts