Study Suggests Attackers Choose Victims Based on the Way They Walk

In the report titled “Psychopathy and Victim Selection: The Use of Gait as a Cue to Vulnerability,” the authors surveyed 47 inmates at a maximum-security prison in Ontario and found that social predators are very good at picking victims based on their gait—their posture and their stride.

The authors secretly filmed 12 people walking—eight women and four men, some of whom had been attacked before. Then, they showed the footage to a group of inmates, some of whom exhibited interpersonal traits commonly associated with psychopathy—manipulativeness, a lack of empathy, superficial friendliness—and asked them whether or not each person would make a good victim.

These “victim ratings” were then compared against each person’s actual history of victimization. Sure enough, the people whom the psychopaths picked as “likely victims” were usually the ones who had been victimized in the past. These people were often said to have “walked like an easy target”—slowly, asynchronously, with short strides.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2013/04/09/journal_of_interpersonal_violence_study_suggests_attackers_choose_victims.html?wpisrc=obinsite

this was locked in gd for being about religion

the atheism delusion

The author has testified against the teaching of creationism and so called intelligent design in schools. In this interview he argues that those who dismiss the very idea of God are engaging in blind faith as well.

An anti "intelligent design " theologian takes on the new athiests.


http://www.salon.com/2007/12/19/john_haught/

What do you think?

"all men are potential rapists"

is the most intellectually meaningless statements I have read recently. it isn't completely without a purpose, however - its purpose is to antagonize, and at that it is quite efficient. but intellectually it means nothing. when pressed, those who advocate such a position will say, well a woman doesn't know who is a rapist, therefore all men are potentially thus.

this is such faulty logic that one hardly knows where to begin with it, being such a target-rich load of fallacy. the idea that one person's lack of information makes another person a potential anything is so absurd on its face that it is breathtaking.

by this standard everyone is a potential everything. all short people are potential serial killers because I don't know which ones are and which ones are not. all women are potential car thieves because I don't know which ones are and which ones are not. all redheads are potential cannibals because....

Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Among Groups Eyed in Prosecutors' Murders

In November, 34 suspects associated with the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas were indicted on federal racketeering, murder and drug conspiracy charges. Ten members potentially faced the death penalty as prosecutors accused them of ruthless violence, including ordering hits on rival gang members.

...

Authorities are also working to determine if the Texas killings are related to the March shooting death of Colorado prisons chief Tom Clements, gunned down at home. The chief suspect in the murder is ex-con Evan Ebel, an alleged member Colorado white supremacist prison gang known as 211. Ebel had a swastika tattoo on his stomach, lightning bolt tattoos on his hands and wrists, along with the phrase "White Pride" on his arms, according to prison records released today.

Ebel was killed in a gun battle with Texas cops 100 miles from Kaufman County just days after Clements' murder.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/aryan-brotherhood-texas-top-focus-prosecutors-murder/story?id=18865405#.UVuh768o6M8

Regarding the "History" Channel's "The Bible" - Jesus was not a white dude

The historical figure known as Jesus of Nazareth was not “white. He was not European. Based on the scholarly consensus, the historical Jesus would be a Middle Eastern Jew of medium, if not dark, complexion. He was certainly dark enough to have spent time in the Middle East and elsewhere, and not to have had his skin tone commented upon or noted.


This Jesus would be hounded and harassed by the TSA, looked at as a de facto “suspicious” person in post-9/11 America, and be racially profiled by the national security state. The historical Jesus would likely be subject to stop-and-frisk policies by the New York police and others. If it were too late at night, and the historical Jesus was trying to get a cab–especially if he were not attired “professionally”–he would be left standing curbside because brown folks in their 20s and 30s who look like him are presumed to be criminals.

Despite the “common sense” depiction of Jesus in the (white) American popular imagination, the historical Jesus Christ is not a white surfer dude with blue eyes, long flowing hair, and tanned and toned skin.

http://www.salon.com/2013/03/19/no_jesus_wasnt_a_white_dude_partner/

liberals, libertarians and family

I have been a major critic of libertarians, as I am a socialist by American standards - probably moderate/conservative by European standards. but my sister has married a libertarian. we are eye to eye on drug war, foreign interventionism, marriage equality etc. but as far apart on the social safety net as I would be with any republican. and while I will still stand by my principals on those issues I will no longer bash the libertarians as a whole as I do the religious right.

success in a republican democracy means making alliances. and while I will always be an fdr/carter/Clinton.obama democrat, I have pledged myself to finding common ground without compromising my beliefs, with those who agree with me on individual freedoms.

to fellow anglicans, episopalians, catholics and various eastern orthodox sisters and brothers

do any of you practice lectio divina? and if so, do you have any helpful links.

I am Anglican btw

An Easter Offering who Who Lump all Christians together as Intolerant Woo Worshipers

Obama attends Easter service; minister criticizes ‘captains of the religious right’

President Obama and the first family attended Easter Sunday worship at Saint John’s Church Lafayette Square, across the street from the White House, their most frequent religious venue while in Washington.

...

“You cannot go back,” Leon said, citing the words of Jesus. “It drives me crazy when the captains of the religious right are always calling us back ... for blacks to be back in the back of the bus ... for women to be back in the kitchen ... for immigrants to be back on their side of the border.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/president-obama-attends-easter-sunday-worship-at-st-johns-church/2013/03/31/a67ee70a-9a10-11e2-a941-a19bce7af755_story.html

Christ has Died!
Christ is Risen!
Christ will Come Again!

the relationship between the delegitimization of structural identity

and the engendering of empowerment at least achieves the doubtful virtue of innocuousness.