DN Speak: 9/29/13

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Is a Catholic hospital going to honor your medical directive?

Did you know that Catholic-owned hospitals reserve the right to ignore your written legal medical directive for end-of-life care decisions in favor of their own religious teachings and the opinions of their faith leaders? (It doesn't matter whether you are Catholic or not; their rules apply to all patients in hospitals owned by the Catholic church.)

Why Catholic Hospitals Should Scare You

Catholic Directive May Thwart End-Of-Life Wishes

A Catholic Guide to End-of-Life Decisions (Note the discussion on the "redemptive value" of suffering pain.)

Sample form for Advance Medical Directive, with instructions and caveats, from a Catholic Hospital

Hospitals Ordered To Follow End-Of-Life Care Wishes ... but Catholic leaders are suing the Obama Administration, saying it is an infringement of their religious freedom to follow the same laws as everyone else.

Obamacare or Clintoncare?

The most groundbreaking scientist you've never heard of - Addison Anderson

The True Cost of Obamacare

Blackmail (Independent Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders)

Beck: Common Core Is Insidious And Pure Evil

The physics of sperm vs. the physics of sperm whales - Aatish Bhatia

The 32 Republicans Behind the Shutdown

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters This post has been amended to clarify the context of a comment by Rep. Dave Schweikert. Friday was the fourth day of the gov... Read more

Obama's Weekly Address Paints Shutdown's 'Heartbreaking' Picture

By Mark Felsenthal WASHINGTON, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Saying the U.S. government shutdown was having a "heartbreaking" ... Read more

'WE GOT HAMMERED'

WASHINGTON -- Democrats have not done a good job explaining how they have compromised in the government shutdown fight, ... Read more

This is what happens when I sign up for something and they let me put anything I want as my "title".

TIL in order to get a driving license in Denmark new drivers must...

TIL in order to get a driving license in Denmark new drivers must undergo lessons in traffic related first aid, driving theory, and have experience in practical driving maneuvers, driving in traffic, and lessons on an advanced slippery track where you learn advanced skid control techniques.

Enrolling in health care "is like any other human activity, it takes time to figure out how to do it right." The post No, The ... Read more

Thom Debunks the WIC Myth

Reading literary fiction improves people's ability to recognize other people's mental states

Reading literary fiction improves people's ability to recognize other people's mental states, while popular fiction and nonfiction do not, a study says. That may be because literary fiction tends to focus on the psychology and inner lives of the characters.

A high-profile case of a Belgian transsexual who chose to be killed by medical euthanasia after a sex-change operation turned him into a "monster" has... Read more

Breakfast is served: Free meal programs aim to fight child hunger

Editor's note: This story is one in a series on education issues featured at the 2013 Education Nation summit in New York City on Oct. 6-8. To learn m... Read more

Robertson: Tithers Don't Have Health, Financial Problems

How art can help you analyze - Amy E. Herman

Is this the Beginning or the end of the Tea Party?

15 Things Christians Say to Atheists (And Shouldn't)

Friday, October 4, 2013

TIL a 2007 study by Harvard researchers found 62% of bankruptcies filed in the U.S. were for medical reasons. Of those, 78% had medical insurance.

http://izzybike.eu/

Julia Sweeney - Letting go of God

(Repost)

This YouTube video is audio only. Don't expect the picture to change.

Matt Cherry on IHS and Blair Scott on Operation Foxhole Atheists - Atheists Talk #020 May 25, 2008

"...Matt Cherry from the Insitute for Humanist Studies speaking about religious and non religious rights and humanism, and from Operation Foxhole Atheists, Blair Scott, talking about discrimination atheists and other freethinkers face in the military."

Interview:
Download / Listen:
http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/MFHwsDHZu6c/Atheists_Talk-0020-5_25_2008.mp3

Lois Schadewald on Pseudoscience and Greg Laden on Academic Freedom - Atheists Talk #017 May 4, 2008

"Cynthia Egli talks with Lois Schadewald about pseudo science, including perpetual motion machines, and the Flat Earth Society which are mentioned in "Worlds of Their Own." Greg Laden steps in to talk with Mike Haubrich about legislation which is hoping around the country, proposing "Academic Freedom," that would require the teaching of Creationism in public schools..."

Interview:
Download / Listen:

http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/YLLxFyX0RG0/Atheists_Talk-0017-5_04_2008.mp3

Rob Boston from Americans United on Tax Earmarks for Religion - Atheists Talk #016 Apr 27, 2008

Interview:
Download / Listen:
http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/5lLtqQ18wbQ/Atheists_Talk-0016-4_27_2008.mp3

"Hold onto your Constitutional Rights, people! Rob Boston exposes the slippery slope of providing federal funds to religious organizations. Steve Petersen and August Berkshire discuss the National Day of Prayer and the National Day of Reason...."

Atheist Shoes Revisited, David Bonney on Atheists Talk #234, September 1, 2013

Interview:
Download / Listen:
http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/6261pGUBRqs/Atheists_Talk-0234-20130901.mp3

"More than a year ago, we interviewed David Bonney, founder of Atheist Shoes, about his Kickstarter project and the shoes he made to help people declare their lack of belief. In the meantime, he has continued to make the news--and make new kinds of atheist shoes... we catch up and find out what he's been up to."

"Why Are You Atheists So Angry?" Greta Christina on Atheists Talk #235, September 8th, 2013

"In early 2012, Greta Christina published a book that instantly connected with its target audience. In this book, Greta provides an answer to a question that so many of us nonbelievers have been asked: "Why are youso angry?" Actually, she provides 99 answers.

"In Why Are You Atheists So Angry? 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless, author and atheist activist Greta Christina doesn't waste time trying to explain that we're not angry, that many of us live happy and fulfilled lives without having to believe in supernatural beings. Okay, she does say that. But she also embraces the anger; she unapologetically and categorically states that gods and religious do make many of us angry, and for extremely good reasons."

Interview:
Download / Listen:
http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/vcjcfrL3UJs/Atheists_Talk-0235-20130908.mp3

Week In The News: Shutdown Showdown, U.N. Speeches And Obamacare (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/10/04/week-in-the-news-shutdown-showdown-un-speeches-and-obamacare

It has been the week of shutdown, with no clear relief in sight, an unsettling soundtrack of gunfire, and a whole lot more risk ahead. Republicans handed the reins to hardcore Tea Party opponents of the Affordable Care Act – and there we’re stuck. Democrats say they won’t negotiate with hostage takers. The country, looking like a hostage. While Washington fought, an historic health reform rolled out. Lots of glitches. But it lives. The woman who crashed into Capitol Hill barriers in her car does not. Up next On Point: Shutdown. A shooting. Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.

– Tom Ashbrook

Friday News Roundup - Domestic (Diane Rehm Show)

Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-10-04/friday-news-roundup-domestic

A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories, including: The House Republican impasse over the Affordable Care Act shuts down the government. Health care exchanges roll out with strong interest and technical glitches. And the Justice Department sues North Carolina over its new voter ID law.

Friday News Roundup - International (Diane Rehm Show)

Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-10-04/friday-news-roundup-international

A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories, including: President Barack Obama shortens a trip to Asia because of the U.S. government shutdown. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urges the world to keep pressure on Iran. And an international team begins work on dismantling Syria's chemical weapons.

Scumbag Neugebauer

Catholic Church and NOM Responsible for 60 Percent of Funding to Fight Marriage Equality | Advocate.com

http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2012/10/18/catholic-church-and-nom-responsible-60-percent-funding-fight

The Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus: "top funder of discrimination"

"The Roman Catholic Church and its affiliate, the Knights of Columbus, played a leading role in funding anti-LGBT equality efforts in the four states where marriage equality was on the ballot this fall. The Church hierarchy invested nearly $2 million in the failed attempts to write discrimination into the Minnesota constitution and stem marriage equality in Maine, Maryland, and Washington. Dioceses from across the country supported these efforts financially, though it’s doubtful that the parishioners fueling these contributions had any idea that their money was being used to fund discrimination."

http://www.hrc.org/nomexposed/section/the-catholic-hierarchys-devotion-to-fighting-marriage-equality

Shutdown jeopardizes nutrition program for poor

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Jacob Quick is a fat and happy 4-month-old with a big and expensive appetite. Like millions of other poor women, Jacob's mother relie... Read more

Obama Mocks Accidental Truth By Republican Stutzman

Boehner Won't Allow Debt Default As Wall Street Wouldn't Be Happy

Secrets of the iOS 7 keyboard

iOS 7 packs a lot of changes: new icons, new app interfaces, and new features, such as Control Center. But you may not have ... Read more

MIT inventor unleashes hundreds of self-assembling cube swarmbots "Small cubes with no exterior moving parts can propel themselves forward, jump on top of each other, and snap together to form arbitrary shapes."

The arrival of virtual net-metering means people who may not be able to install solar individually can benefit from community ... Read more

Bank Contractors Have Broken Into Hundreds Of Homes Since 2008

Sloppy property management practices produce break-ins -- and lawsuits -- by the hundreds.The post Bank Contractors Have Broken ... Read more

Some Doctors Are Still Charging Patients For The Preventative Care That’s Free Under Obamacare

Preventative health services are free under Obamacare. But some doctors don't realize it.The post Some Doctors Are Still ... Read more

Despite Website Glitches, These People Have Successfully Enrolled In Obamacare Coverage

Technological issues didn't prevent everyone from signing up for Obamacare so far this week.The post Despite Website Glitches, ... Read more

McConnell, Paul Shutdown Talk Caught on Hot Mic - 'We're gonna win this,' Paul says

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/mitch-mcconnell-rand-paul-government-shutdown-97795.html

Oceans Careening Toward Mass Extinction - Thanks to a whole raft of issues 'unprecedented in Earth's known history'

http://www.newser.com/story/175269/oceans-careening-toward-mass-extinction.html

Summary: History of the Catholic Church's changing position on abortion

History of the Catholic Church's changing position on abortion

St. Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, and Canon Law in the 12th century: Abortion is a sin but not murder because it is not the killing of an actual human being, unless it is late term. Females can be aborted later than males.

1591, Pope says early abortions are not grounds for penalty.

1917, Canon Law begins to consider all abortions equally wrong.

1995, Pope John Paul II declares abortion at any time is murder.

(References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_abortion and http://liberalslikechrist.org/Catholic/abortionteaching.html)

This Quote Sums Up Everything That's Wrong With The GOP

"We're not going to be disrespected," Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) told The Washington Examiner. "We have to get something out of this. And I don't know what that even is."

House Republicans are continuing to play hardball in negotiations over the spending bill that precipitated the government ... Read more

McConnell Will Ask Supreme Court To Scrap Campaign Limits Entirely

WASHINGTON -- On Oct. 8, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will argue to the Supreme Court that all campaign contribution limits ... Read more

Obama Says No Social Security Checks If Debt Ceiling Reached

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama said Thursday that while it's bad members of Congress have allowed a government ... Read more

Cantor Stands Firm Against Bill To Reopen Government

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said Thursday that a bill to reopen the government must chip away at Obamacare, ... Read more

Obama Mocks GOP Rep, Says He'd 'Get Fired'

President Barack Obama on Thursday capitalized on an earlier remark by Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) that Republicans had to ... Read more

GOP Rep Castigates Park Ranger For Memorial Closure He Voted For

Day two of Government Shutdown 2013 offered America plenty of surreal moments, from the brief and ridiculous re-emergence of ... Read more

Obama Pins Shutdown Blame On Boehner

BY ALAN FRAM, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama laid the blame for the government's partial ... Read more

House GOP Pleads For Funding For Kids With Cancer After Canceling Research For Kids With Cancer

WASHINGTON -- The politics behind the government shutdown reached a new level of absurdity on Thursday as a group of ... Read more

SHIFTING BLAME: Republicans Hope You Forget It's Their Fault

WASHINGTON -- If you follow any Republican lawmakers on social media, you may have noticed a popular theme on Wednesday: Blame ... Read more

It's kind of funny to me, honestly

'How can somebody in poverty not be eligible for subsidies?' Millions of poor not covered by health law

A sweeping national effort to extend health coverage to millions of Americans will leave out two-thirds of the poor blacks and single mothers and more... Read more

Just vote

Just vote

We're now three days into a shutdown of the federal government. Real Americans are being hurt, and our economy is paying the price. Reports have come out detailing how hundreds of thousands of people don't know when their next paycheck will come. Millions of Americans, including veterans and seniors, are at risk of losing the benefits they've paid for, earned, and rely on.
For all that, we're exactly where we were Monday night: If Speaker Boehner dropped his demands to sabotage Obamacare and instead put a routine budget funding the government to a simple yes-or-no vote, it would pass -- just as it did in the Senate. In fact, since the shutdown began, enough House Republicans now publicly say they'll support a bill like this that we know it would get a bipartisan majority.
We don't need to wait another day: it's time for the House to just vote -- without further delay.
We're asking everyone to let us know how the government shutdown is affecting them. Will you take a moment now to make your voice heard?
As the President said earlier this morning, this shutdown is a crisis manufactured by a small faction of one party in one chamber of one branch of our government. Republicans have tried and failed more than 40 times to prevent Obamacare from coming online, but they won't even schedule one vote to reopen the government they were elected to run.
Keeping the government open isn't a compromise, it's their job.
The President is willing, if not eager, to negotiate over how to enact policies that will strengthen the middle class, further cut the deficit, and even improve the Affordable Care Act. But he's been clear that he won't negotiate when Republicans are playing political games that hurt our economy.
Speaker Boehner could end this shutdown today -- he just needs to put the interests of the American people before a failed partisan agenda.
Please take a moment to tell us how the government shutdown is affecting you.
Thank you,
David
David Simas
Deputy Senior Advisor
The White House
@Simas44

The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111