DN Speak: 8/17/14

Friday, August 22, 2014

Priest claims to be receiving text messages from the Devil...

...after performing exorcism on Polish girl… causing Satan to possess her mobile phone

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2709227/Priest-claims-receiving-text-messages-Devil-performing-exorcism-Polish-girl-causing-Satan-possess-mobile-phone.html

Bill Nye Fights Back

How a mild-mannered children’s celebrity plans to save science in America—or go down swinging.

http://www.popsci.com/article/science/bill-nye-fights-back

Victor Dominocielo: Believe What You Want; Just Don’t Call It Science

"...Likewise, when you make a scientific claim, the correct and proper response is to attempt to prove you wrong. It’s nothing personal; it’s just the best process for looking at all sides of an issue and gathering evidence..."

http://www.noozhawk.com/article/victor_dominocielo_just_dont_call_it_science

School Vouchers Ruled Unconstitutional In North Carolina

"This legislation unconstitutionally:

1) appropriates to private schools grades K-12, by use of funds which apparently have gone to the university system budget but which should be used exclusively for establishing and maintaining the uniform system of free public schools;
2) appropriates education funds in a manner that does not accomplish a public purpose;
3) appropriates educational funds outside the supervision and administration of the state board of education;
4) creates a non-uniform system of education;
5) appropriates taxpayer funds to educational institutions that have no standards, curriculum and requirements for teachers and principals to be certified;
6) fails to guard and maintain the rights of the people who privilege the education by siphoning money from the public schools in favor of private schools; and
7) allows funding of non-public schools that discriminate on account of religion...." Read more

Mountains of Vietnam from a cliff in Paksan, Laos (5202x3465)

http://i.imgur.com/GUCXuBk.jpg

Here's What's Going On With Obamacare Premium Increases

Health insurance premiums are going to skyrocket under Obamacare next year, maybe even double! No, wait -- they're only increasing a little, and less ... Read more

I Am a 15-Year-Old Immigrant Who Came to America Because Gangs Murdered My Family. All I Want to Do Is Stay and Learn

"When my father was murdered by gangs in El Salvador when I was seven, I thought nothing could get worse." ... Read more

Ferguson Has Calm Night After Attorney General Visits 'Fractured' Community

Eric Holder says he personally understands mistrust of police while on visit to assess investigation into Michael Brown’s death ... Read more

Exile Excitement: Some Fundamentalists Seek Escape From Decadent Society

The neo-Puritans just can’t take all the secularism, false religions and general gayness that’s rippling through American culture right now.
... Read more

Mitch McConnell Promises More Government Shutdowns If GOP Wins Senate Majority

The Kentucky Republican added that Obama "needs to be challenged, and the best way to do that is through the funding process." Read more

Did You Know The FBI Has Been Raiding Charter Schools?

A pattern of charter school corruption so egregious, the FBI has had to intervene.

... Read more

http://youtu.be/zMGnNyejcnQ

TIL that the 'fact' that 50% of marriages end in divorce is the result of poor scholarship.

In reality, only 30% of first marriages end in divorce and only 20% end in divorce if the partners are educated and over 25 when wed.
Read more

California Is ‘Woefully Unprepared’ For Sea Level Rise, Says A New Report

California likely faces three feet of sea level rise by the end of the century, along with billions in damage to its economy, ... Read more

At Least 10 Percent Of Fracking Fluid Is Toxic

For another third we have no idea.The post At Least 10 Percent Of Fracking Fluid Is Toxic appeared first on ThinkProgress. Read more

Lawmakers, Homeowners Fight Rules Saying Solar Is Too Ugly To Install

"What if I want a solar panel shaped like the Starship Enterprise?"The post Lawmakers, Homeowners Fight Rules Saying Solar Is ... Read more

The Growing GOP Push To Shut Down The Government Again

The comments come a day after Mitch McConnell hinted that more shutdowns could be on the way. The post The Growing GOP Push To ... Read more

Thursday, August 21, 2014

How Religion Turned Texas Red

"...Protestants in Texas, particularly Southern Baptists, he argues, had traditionally held to three big religious tenets: evil was a real and present danger, self-help was essential, and liberty of conscience was of the utmost importance..."

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/20/how-texas-got-to-be-big-red.html

TIL that Sweden pays high school students $187 per month to attend school.

There are three different kinds of study allowance (studiehjälp). Read more

13 Republican Climate Deniers Who Want to Be President

The Flat-Earthers, Born-Again Flat-Earthers, Do-Nothings, and Dodgers of the GOP.

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/08/meet-climate-deniers-who-want-be-president

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

We’re Talking About Depression All Wrong

The suicide of beloved comedian Robin Williams has launched a collective dialogue about mental illness. Many have poignantly noted the ways depression... Read more

Microsoft Ditches ALEC In Latest Blow To Conservative Group

Microsoft said on Tuesday that it will end its involvement with the American Legislative Exchange Council, the conservative advocacy group, reportedly... Read more

McConnell Promises Government Shutdown Wars In A GOP Majority

The government shutdown battles are poised to make a comeback if Republicans win control of the Senate this fall... Read more

ACLU Demands Removal Of Officer Who Told Protestor: 'I Will Kill You'

The American Civil Liberties Union chapter in Missouri is demanding that the state's highway patrol identify and remove a... Read more

Michigan Is Taking The Radioactive Fracking Waste That Other States Rejected

Other states have rejected radioactive fracking waste due to stricter regulations. The post Michigan Is Taking The Radioactive ... Read more

Doctors Outraged By Claims That Health Officials Ignored Residents Sickened By Drilling

Doctors and other health professionals called for an independent investigation into the claims, and reform of the Pennsylvania ... Read more

U.K. Ad Council Rules ‘Clean Coal’ Isn’t Clean, Bars Peabody Energy From ‘Misleading’ Public

The U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority has barred Peabody Energy from using the term "clean coal" to imply coal is ... Read more

Oklahoma Gets Hit With 20 Earthquakes In One Day

More than 2,500 small earthquakes have hit Oklahoma in the past five years, and scientists have linked nearly all of them to ... Read more

After Promising The End Of Government Shutdowns, Mitch McConnell Threatens Another Government Shutdown

Is McConnell re-embracing the government shutdown?The post After Promising The End Of Government Shutdowns, Mitch McConnell ... Read more

Robert Reich: American Democracy Is Diseased

New study shows Americans have never felt more powerless.

How to Break Free from Organized Religion

"...Does freedom from religion apply to those who feel the need to break free of organized religion? How do you walk away from, as well as feel internally free, from a religion you regard today as having lost its way?
Or, worse, has gone mad? If and when you have felt incarcerated like a prisoner inside a religion, how do you break free?..."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-mcswain/freedom-from-religion-how_b_5689179.html

VIDEO: John Oliver's Brilliant Rant on Why Police Must Have Their Military 'Toys' Taken Away

'If they can go a whole month without killing an unarmed black man, they can have their f*cking toys back.'
... Read more

http://youtu.be/KUdHIatS36A

The Whine Of The Never Satisfied: Religious Right Complains Because GOP Isn’t Theocratic Enough

The most gifted politician in the world wouldn’t be able to perfume a political concept – theocratic government – that is festering with rot from within and that has shown itself, repeatedly throughout history, to be incompatible with democracy, freedom and fundamental human rights.
... Read more

Israel bars Amnesty, Human Rights Watch workers from Gaza

"Israel has been refusing to allow employees of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to enter the Gaza Strip in order to conduct their own independent investigations into the fighting, using various bureaucratic excuses..."Read more

Mining Spill Near U.S. Border Closes 88 Schools, Leaves Thousands Of Mexicans Without Water

A toxic wastewater spill from a large copper mine in northern Mexico is keeping 88 schools closed starting Monday due to ... Read more

Paul Ryan: Looting Is Lawless And So Is President Obama

Everyone on the couch was swooning over the failed Vice Presidential Candidate and alleged policy wonk, Paul Ryan this morning. He asserted, like any ... Read more

The Obamacare Headline That The GOP Doesn't Want You To See

The headlines were all too predictable when Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield announced in June that it would request an average 12.5 percent premium incr... Read more

Jet Stream Changes Driving Extreme Weather Linked Again To Global Warming, Arctic Ice Loss

In recent years you may have noticed a quantum jump in record-smashing extreme weather events and suspected that it's linked to ... Read more

At Least 5 Children Murdered After Deported Back to Honduras

Yet, the U.S. continues to send kids back.

Globally, Last Month Was The Fourth Hottest July On Record

NOAA also ranks this January-July period as the third-warmest such period on record.The post Globally, Last Month Was The ... Read more

1 In 6 Food Charities Could Close Down Soon, And 5 Other Disturbing Facts From A New Hunger Report

Statistics from a massive new report add some upsetting details to the story of American hunger.The post 1 In 6 Food Charities ... Read more

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

More U.S.-Made Wind Turbines Are Being Sold Overseas As Congress Fails To Support Wind Power

"Importers ... [said] it was hard to justify sales efforts in the United States without consistent policy support at the ... Read more

The Percentage Of Americans Who Can't Afford Food Hasn't Budged Since The Recession Peaked

On a recent night last week, dinner for Jill Taormina and her family was Totino's Pizza Rolls with a side of canned pears. There was no other food on ... Read more

225 Jewish Survivors of Nazi Genocide Condemn the Massacre of Palestinians

225 Jewish survivors and descendents of Jewish survivors of the Nazi genocide have signed a letter condemning Israel’s massacre in Gaza and calling for an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people. In the letter, they also speak out against the abuse of their histories to promote the dehumanization of Palestinians.

Read more

Prayer: What Is It Good For?

"...The 1969 protest song "War" asks "What is it good for?" and answers "Absolutely nothing!" If I substituted "Prayer" for "War," I would qualify my answer with "Almost nothing."...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/herb-silverman/prayer-what-is-it-good-fo_b_5678466.html

Monday, August 18, 2014

Now streaming: Atheist TV

Atheist TV is a project of American Atheists, launched in 2014, to provide a counter-balance to the myriad of religious programming available on television. By partnering with content creators within the atheist community, AtheistTV is a place for atheists to find quality content that is not available elsewhere and goes where no one else has: into the living rooms of millions of Americans.

Featuring content from the Richard Dawkins Foundation (including interviews, speeches, and educational programming), the Atheist Community of Austin (producers of The Atheist Experience), American Atheists, the Reason Rally, and stand up comedians, AtheistTV brings hundreds of hours of programming to one place. As the channel matures, AtheistTV will begin producing and airing original content exclusive to AtheistTV. We are already working with Emmy-nominated producer Liz Bronstein, executive producer of Whale Wars, and Paul Provenza, executive producer of The Aristocrats and Showtime's The Green Room with Paul Provenza.

Watch via the URL below or on Roku. If you are using an iOS device, you can send the stream via AirPlay to your Apple TV.

http://www.atheists.org/atheistTV/live

[OC] Three and a half great powers: How the US, EU, China and Russia stack up on military and economic measures of power

Alabama Lawmaker: Proposed 10 Commandments Monument Has ‘Nothing To Do With Religion’

"The Ten Commandments is a historical document (in this context) and it has nothing to do with religion," Count Commissioner ... Read more

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Week In The News: Ferguson, Iraq And Remembering Robin Williams (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Explosive anger, sorrow and maybe a little catharsis this week over deadly force in Ferguson, Missouri and shocking scenes of the gross militarization of American police. This story’s not over. In Iraq, US special forces on the ground, sizing up a crisis. More US bombing, and a new Iraqi leader. From Russia, a convoy on the move to Ukraine. In Africa, Ebola now moving on an unprecedented scale. We’re in new territory. And at home, a national outpouring over the death of Robin Williams. This hour On Point: Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
https://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/08/15/ferguson-iraq-ukraine-robin-williams-death

Friday News Roundup - Domestic (Diane Rehm Show)

Protests continue in Missouri over the shooting death of Michael Brown. A federal appeals court clears the way for same-sex marriages in Virginia. And the nation mourns the deaths of actors Robin Williams and Lauren Bacall. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.

Interview:

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-08-15/friday-news-roundup-domestic

Friday News Roundup - International (Diane Rehm Show)

American airstrikes and Kurdish fighters break the siege on Mount Sinjar in Iraq. Negotiators for Israel and Gaza continue to work for a lasting truce. And Ebola deaths in Africa surpass 1,000. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.

Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-08-15/friday-news-roundup-international

moving sign

***************************************************************