skeptical

Historic Theater Poster (S), Man in tuxedo questioning woman in cloak/gloves
$19.99
This is a museum quality, reproduction print on premium paper with archival/UV resistant inks. Date: c. 1891. Print Info: W29925 Created by H.A. Thomas & Wylie Litho. Co. N.Y. Title devised. Caption: Where do you propose to pass the night? Lithographers advertisement attached. Topics: Tailcoats. Questioning. Pointing fingers. Theatrical productions.Publisher: Raleigh Cecil 1856-1914. Hicks Seymour Sir 1871-1949. Russell-Morgan Print. HISTORY OF THE THEATER POSTERSOriginally used to attract the public to performances and performers, these posters illustrate the wide range of popular, live entertainment in America from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. The bulk of the posters are color lithographs and woodcuts and come from three main genres: Magic Posters, Minstrel Posters, Theatrical Posters. 1. Magic Posters: feature Houdini, Kellar, Thurston, et al. 2. Minstrel Poster Collection: highlight minstrel companies who usually performed programs of African-American music, comedy and impersonation. 3. Theatrical Posters: a) Burlesque, Dance, Music, Operetta, Specialty Acts, Vaudeville, b) Kiralfy Brothers, c) Portrait Posters, d) Stock Posters.

Crystalux Mini Crystal Stone (1.4 oz)
$1.44

Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity
$19.95
For about two decades, John W Loftus was a devout evangelical Christian, an ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and an ardent apologist for Christianity. With three degrees - in philosophy, theology, and philosophy of religion - he was adept at using rational argumentation to defend the faith. But over the years, as he ministered to various congregations and taught at Christian colleges, doubts about the credibility of key Christian tenets began to creep into his thinking. By the late 1990s, he experienced a full-blown crisis of faith, brought on by emotional upheavals in his personal life as well as the gathering weight of the doubts he had long entertained.In this honest appraisal of his journey from believer to atheist, Loftus carefully explains the experiences and the reasoning process that led him to reject religious belief. The bulk of the book is his 'cumulative case' against Christianity. Here, he lays out the philosophical, scientific, and historical reasons that can be raised against Christian belief. From the implications of religious diversity, the authority of faith vs reason, and the problem of evil, to the contradictions between the Bible and the scientific worldview, the conflicts between traditional dogma and historical evidence, and much more, Loftus covers a great deal of intellectual terrain. For every issue, he succinctly summarises the various points of view and provides references for further reading.In conclusion, he describes the implications of life without belief in God, some liberating, some sobering. This frank critique of Christian belief from a former insider will interest freethinkers as well as anyone with doubts about the claims of religion.

Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming (Vintage)
$13.95
Amazon.com Guest Reviewer: Michael Crichton In his many science-themed bestsellers--including The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, Prey, and most recently, Next--Michael Crichton has covered everything from genetically engineered dinosaurs to time travel to nantechnology run amok. Having cast his own views on the dangers and hysteria surrounding global warming with State of Fear, he turns his pen toward the often controversial Bj������rn Lomborg and his latest book, Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming. Bj������rn Lomborg is the best-informed and most humane advocate for environmental change in the world today. In contrast to other figures that promote a single issue while ignoring others, Lomborg views the globe as a whole, studies all the problems we face, ranks them, and determines how best, and in what order, we should address them. His first book, The Skeptical Environmentalist, established the importance of a fact-based approach. With later books, Global Crises, Global Solutions and How to Spend $50 Billion to Make the World a Better Place, this mild-mannered Danish statistician has steadily gained new converts. Not surprisingly, Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming will further enhance Lomborg?s reputation for global analysis and thoughtful response. For anyone who wants an overview of the global warming debate from an objective source, this brief text is a perfect place to start. Lomborg is only interested in real problems, and he has no patience with media fear-mongering; he begins by dispatching the myth of the endangered polar bears, showing that this Disneyesque cartoon has no relevance to the real world where polar bear populations are in fact increasing. Lomborg considers the issue in detail, citing sources from Al Gore to the World Wildlife Fund, then demonstrating that polar bear populations have actually increased five fold since the 1960s. Lomborg then works his way through the concerns we hear so much about: higher temperatures, heat deaths, species extinctions, the cost of cutting carbon, the technology to do it. Lomborg believes firmly in climate change--despite his critics, he's no denier--but his fact-based approach, grounded in economic analyses, leads him again and again to a different view. He reviews published estimates of the cost of climate change, and the cost of addressing it, and concludes that "we actually end up paying more for a partial solution than the cost of the entire problem. That is a bad deal." In some of the most disturbing chapters, Lomborg recounts what leading climate figures have said about anyone who questions the orthodoxy, thus demonstrating the illiberal, antidemocratic tone of the current debate. Lomborg himself takes the larger view, explaining in detail why the tone of hysteria is inappropriate to addressing the problems we face. In the end, Lomborg?s concerns embrace the planet. He contrasts our concern for climate with other concerns such as HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, and providing clean water to the world. In the end, his ability to put climate in a global perspective is perhaps the book?s greatest value. Lomborg and Cool It are our best guides to our shared environmental future. --Michael Crichton (photo credit: Jonathan Exley)