Hawking: “No place for God”

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There is no place for God in theories on the creation of the Universe, Professor Stephen Hawking has said. He had previously argued belief in a creator was not incompatible with science but in a new book, he concludes the Big Bang was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics. The Grand Design, part serialized in the London Times, says there is no need to invoke God to set the Universe going. Alex Gallafent has more. Download MP3

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Tribal tradition, an oral language and the Bible

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In 1973 Sue and Peter Westrum and their baby went to live among an indigenous tribe, the Berik, in Indonesian New Guinea. Their aim was to learn the oral Berik language, develop a script for it, and then translate the Bible into Berik. They spent more than 20 years there. It was a time of great transformation for the Berik people, their beliefs and their language.
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Street names, Bible translators and locavore language

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When it comes to naming a street, you can go with the bland: Bella Vista Ave. Or not: Mugabe St. In the Palestinian city of Ramallah, some recently named streets celebrate “fallen matyrs”. Israel too, memorializes its “freedom fighters” from the early 20th century. Also, a conversation with the head of the world’s largest Bible translation organization. The group wants to translate the Bible into every language by 2025. Finally, language journalist Michael Erard declares why henceforth he will use only words that are locally grown and sustainably packaged. Download MP3

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Tech Updates on Iran and China, the Codex Sinaiticus, and Hal and the Big 5

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On this week’s podcast, one of the world’s oldest bibles finds a new home online. Also, technology updates on the post-election violence in Iran, and the violence in western China. And we’ll end with a story of global online musical cooperation. Rock on.

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