Interesting Stuff Thread

Here are some videos I thought were really interesting. The first three are briefly explaining Transactional Analysis and the fourth one is applying the principle to religion. Well worth a watch. From youtuber TheraminTrees, one of his videos dealing with Pascal's wager called 'betting on infinity' has been posted on here a few times before.

A bit off topic but I have been reading up on the Corporate State and the power of interest groups which in Ireland is very strong. If you like it is an expanded version of Parish Pump politics.

I wonder if it has something to do with the PR System etc.

I disagree with using Bernes transactional analysis, in this context, (maybe its cos I am a believer) because also because that could be the same with any value system.

In the case of political power and interest groups it has been the dominant government philosophy since the early 60's and powerful interest groups and clientism has been a key feature in Irish politics. Transactional analysis is used in economic analysis too and the Irish system has been greatly influenced by it.

So it is no small wonder Cowen will acknowledge the church, womens movement and whoever in the upcoming election scenario.

There is a thread in history about it and how it has been developed and used since Lemass was Taoiseach and a guy TK Whitakker a civil servant who developed the economic model.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056127781

I have been surprised recently posting on a gay marriage thread in AH how little people understand about interest groups / corporate state(bigger interest groups) in Ireland.

So if you look at Cowens speech in the context of the power of unelected interest groups it makes a lot more sence.

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

Orson Welles on cold reading. It's a little known fact that he was also an excellent magician, as well as actor, director, writer, artist, cinematographer, producer and editor.

Edit: He mentions becoming a "shut-eye", which I hadn't heard of before, where a charlatan psychic becomes good enough at what they do that they start to believe themselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjPsnfysrp8

If there was ever anything that could make me become a theist it would be the fact that Orson Welles existed. I have extreme difficulty believing he came to be in the universe in any way other than as an example of an omnipotent being showing off.

Edit: Also, if Mr Hatter or anyone else knows where I can watch this whole interview, well........ that would be just swell.

Edit;Edit: In the spirit of the thread here is Parkinson interviewing the mother fukking genius. (discussing vice president elect Gerald Ford, being under constant survielence {sc?} by the inept US government and other interesting stuff).



Part one of four.


Edit;edit;edit. I'm just going to post the next three. Cause that's just how I roll.

Dades wrote: »

Interesting new word for non-religious... "unaffiliated".

I always assumed "unaffiliated" meant not associated with any particular church or group, rather than being non-religious.
I'd consider my mother "unaffiliated", but still a Christian.

sponsoredwalk wrote: »

Is that a Star Wars spaceship in front of the sun, a satellite or just a giant UFO?

It's the International Space Station

Here's a website that most of you will find interesting: Arts and Letters Daily. That's just the name of it, there are interesting articles and book reviews and things linked to throughout the day.

The website was created in 1998 by Denis Dutton, recently deceased, a founding member of the New Zealand Skeptics.

I stumbled upon it while in Australia, didn't realise it's been around for so long :eek: I'm sure many of you will already be aware of it, but for those who aren't... give it a chance

Just a nice video to listen to.

Us Rifles to be recalled/defaced because of encoded Bible Messages on Aiming Sights