Expiring on Netflix 3/10/2014: The Last Emperor

Recounting the last years of China's Ching Dynasty through flashbacks and flash-forwards, this Oscar-winning epic charts the life of Pu Yi (John Lone) -- who ascended the throne at age 3 -- from coddled aristocrat to enlightened insurgent to ordinary citizen. Co-starring Peter O'Toole as Pu Yi's Scottish tutor and directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, the lavish drama collected nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/The_Last_Emperor/70089029?trkid=13641790

RWW News: David Barton's Bizarre Definition Of 'Theocracy'

David Barton says that they cannot have a theocracy so long as you still have elections.

http://youtu.be/JKf45QfGyJs

The Politics of American Fundamentalism

http://youtu.be/OPucC2-Ebac

Listen to what the people at CPAC are being told

God created America, and you know it.-- Mike Hukabee


 Oliver North tells CPAC that the GOP's fight against LGBT equality and abortion rights is just like the fight against slavery.


Ralph Reed compares President Obama to George Wallace. His statement about the nuns is false -- they are not being asked to pay for anything -- and the rest of what he says is distortion.


Dinesh D'Souza seems to think that Obama is responsible for the entire system of taxation.


Billionaire mega-donor Foster Friess calls Rick Santorum the most persecuted man in the room.


CPAC panel on climate change compares environmental regulation to Stalinism and World War II bombings.


CPAC panel on climate change laughs over the effects of climate change.

Drones And The Kill List Now (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

In drone news:  the White House is reported this week to be debating whether or not to launch a strike from the sky on an American linked to Al Qaeda.  It’s a “kill list” question, and whether Americans belong on it.  They’ve been there before.  In Pakistan, Kareem Khan has “disappeared.”  His brother and son were killed by a US drone. He was due to testify before European officials on US policy.  In Washington, a report that the NSA is targeting drone strikes off cell phone locations.  Light up your cell, they’ll light you up.  This hour On Point:  keeping up with American drones.

Interview:  http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/02/12/drone-strike-pakistan-us-policy

The Genius Of Duke Ellington (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Duke Ellington had a touch so elegant and a band so great, he raised the roof on American jazz and invited in multitudes.  From the Cotton Club to Carnegie Hall, he could set a mood indigo or set the hall hopping.  Miles Davis said all musicians should get down on their knees and thank Duke Ellington.  A new biography gets inside the music and behind the suave demeanor to the great showman and enigmatic man.  Up next On Point:  exploring Duke Ellington. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview: http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/10/22/the-genius-of-duke-ellington

Week In The News: Ukraine, CPAC, Obamacare, SAT (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Russia and Crimea and Ukraine over all this week.  Moscow pushing.  Putin defiant.  Washington, the White House, talking diplomacy with Ukraine’s freedom nakedly on the line.  Back home, conservatives rally in D.C.  Hear Christie, Rubio, Cruz, Trump, Palin.  In the U.S. Senate, a big push to take on sexual assault in the U.S. military is turned back.  In the House, Republican Darrell Issa shuts down a colleague.  Is called “un-American.”  He’s apologized.  We’ve got another Obamacare delay.  A big SAT revamp.  This hour On Point: our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:  http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/03/07/crimea-cpac-obamacare-sat

Friday News Roundup - Domestic (Diane Rehm Show)

Political fallout on Capitol Hill over the Ukraine crisis. The White House releases its $4 trillion budget for 2015. And the College Board announces major changes to the SAT. A panel of journalists join guest host Tom Gjelten for analysis of the week's top national news stories.
 

Interview:  http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-03-07/friday-news-roundup-domestic

 

 

 

Friday News Roundup - International (Diane Rehm Show)

The U.S. orders sanctions following Russia's actions in Crimea. Protests in Venezuela mark the anniversary of former President Hugo Chavez's death. And President Barack Obama meets with Israel's prime minister. A panel of journalists join guest host Tom Gjelten for analysis of the week's top international news stories.

Interview:  http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-03-07/friday-news-roundup-international

Christ a Fiction

"...So, then, Christ may be said to be a fiction in the four senses that 1) it is quite possible that there was no historical Jesus. 2) Even if there was, he is lost to us, the result being that there is no historical Jesus available to us. And 3) the Jesus who "walks with me and talks with me and tells me I am his own" is an imaginative visualization and in the nature of the case can be nothing more than a fiction. And finally, 4) "Christ" as a corporate logo for this and that religious institution is a euphemistic fiction, not unlike Ronald McDonald, Mickey Mouse, or Joe Camel, the purpose of which is to get you to swallow a whole raft of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors by an act of simple faith, short-circuiting the dangerous process of thinking the issues out to your own conclusions..."
http://infidels.org/library/modern/robert_price/fiction.html

Governor Christie's New Scandal: Verizon's Fiber-Optic-"Digital Bridge" Gate.

It is now clear that while Governor Christie is embroiled in 'bridgegate', which is about clogging and blocking of traffic movement over a bridge, ano... Read more

Einstein's Lost Theory Describes a Universe Without a Big Bang

In 1917, a year after Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity was published---but still two years before he would become the international cele... Read more

George Soros: you're no Koch Brother - Infographic

Some conservatives argue that liberals have no right to complain about the involvement of the billionaire Koch brothers in funding conservative causes because, they assert, George Soros does the same thing for liberal causes. So here's is a side by side comparison. Are conservatives right to criticize George Soros?  Source: http://other98.com/soros-vs-koch-infographic/

Premature Birth Tragedy Inspires Obama Camp Vets To Seek Funds for Obamacare Outreach

"...Many people had asked how they could help after Elijah's death, Bird wrote in his Facebook post. So he and Hoover are requesting donations to Enroll America, the non-profit group that has coordinated a national effort to enroll people in health coverage under Obamacare..."
Read More...

Holder's Sister-In-Law Blocked By The Segregationist Jindal Compared Him To

When Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) made a thinly veiled reference comparing Eric Holder to George Wallace before a group of conservatives, it may no... Read more

It Looks Like Obamacare Is Finally Making Progress With The Uninsured

In the end, Obamacare is going to be judged by whether it has successfully reduced the number of uninsured Americans. But with a few weeks to go befor... Read more

CPAC Panelist: It Is 'A Liberal Lie' That States Ban Gay Marriage

"Conservative radio host Michael Medved said Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference that no state has ever banned gay marriage and any claim to the contrary is "a liberal lie."

"There has never been a state in this country that has ever banned gay marriage," Medved said during a panel titled "Can Libertarians and Social Conservatives Ever Get Along?" after another panelist referenced historical discrimination against LGBT couples. "That is a liberal lie."...

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/cpac-gay-marriage-ban-liberal-lie

Democratic Senators Plan All Night Talk-A-Thon On Climate Change

Democratic senators intend to occupy the Senate floor from Monday night at 10 P.M. ET through Tuesday morning at 9 A.M., taking turns speaking to urge... Read more

DOJ Trolls Jindal With Civil Rights Book Gift After Segregation Remark

The Justice Department is responding to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's thinly- veiled comparison of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to a segregationi... Read more

World Science U

Education for everyone at all levels of interest and knowledge. Learn More.

http://www.worldscienceu.com/

Meet The PACs Exploiting Conservative Rage For Fun And Profit

Though its website has been defunct since late last year, Afghanistan & Iraq Veterans for Congress PAC reported ... Read more

Paul Ryan's CPAC Speech Swiped Plot From Book - He says Wisconsin official 'improperly sourced' it

(Newser) – How do you make cutting funding to school lunches sound heartwarming? Paul Ryan seemed to pull off the feat yesterday in his CPAC speech, by telling the story he said Eloise Anderson—Scott Walker's Secretary of Children and Families—had related to him, about a poor boy who received free lunch at school through a government program...

http://www.newser.com/story/183414/paul-ryans-cpac-speech-swiped-plot-from-book.html

Who's Defending The Billionaire Brothers Buying Our Democracy?

*Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid stepped up his war of rhetoric against conservative billionaires and liberal boogymen Koch brothers Tuesday, saying on the senate floor that his Republican colleagues were "addicted to Koch" Reid's play on words — Charles and David Koch share a homophonous name with a recreational drug — came less than a week after Reid called the brothers "un-American" for funding anti-Obamacare attack ads...* How did Fox News pundits and Republican politicians respond? The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

http://youtu.be/4e3WHH4tlJE

18 Outrageous Things CPAC's Right-Wingers Have Said in Public | Alternet

With the right-wing confab starting, here are some golden oldies -- like comparing gay people to alcoholics.

http://www.alternet.org/18-outrageous-things-cpacs-right-wingers-have-said-public

The Propaganda and Nonsense Masking America's Noxious Role in the World

The New York Times and John Kerry are massive hypocrites on Ukraine and Venezuela. ... Read more

5 Most Absurd Christian Right Claims of Persecution | Alternet

Paperwork? Johnny Weir’s outfit? What's fueling the Christian Right's persecution fantasies?

http://www.alternet.org/belief/5-most-absurd-christian-right-claims-persecution

Poultry Farmers To Fight Back On California Cage-Free Egg Law

Poultry Farmers To Fight Back On California Cage-Free Egg Law by Frank Morris March 07, 2014 3:14 AM fromKCUR Listen to the Story Morning Edition... Read more

xkcd: Land Mammals

Human impact on life on the planet
http://xkcd.com/1338/

Oh SNAP! The data show that raising minimum wage reduces tax expenditures.

New research from the Center for American Progress adds to the commonsense case to raise the minimum wage.The post Oh SNAP! ... Read more

Putrid Poll: Dubious Family Research Council Survey Finds Most Americans Want Politics In The Pulpit

Neither Americans United nor anyone else is telling pastors that they can't discuss politics or ... Read more

Paul Ryan: Free School Lunch Means Poor Parents Don't Care About Kids

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said Thursday that liberals don't understand disadvantaged students would rather have parents who care for them than a free lunc... Read more

China, tired of America criticising theirs and other countries' human rights record, releases white paper of the American human rights record

"...The State Department of the United States, which posed as "the world judge of human rights," made arbitrary attacks and irresponsible remarks on the human rights situation in almost 200 countries and regions again in its just-released Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013. However, the U.S. carefully concealed and avoided mentioning its own human rights problems. In fact, there were still serious human rights problems in the U.S in 2013, with the situation in many fields even deteriorating..."
Read more

Chris Christie Panders To Conservative Activists With False Abortion Claim

Christie Claims that no Democrat who opposes abortion has ever spoken at a Democratic convention. Ever?The post Chris Christie ... Read more

GOP Trashes Obama For Health Law Fix They Demanded

Republicans have consistently touted fixes to the ACA that will allow people to remain on their health plans. Apparently, ... Read more

House Passes Bill That Would Curb EPA’s Power To Limit Carbon Emissions

The NRDC called the passage of the bill in the House "a major weakening of the Clean Air Act." Prospects are weaker in the ... Read more

Elizabeth Warren: Let’s Tax Millionaires To Lower Student Loan Interest Rates

"Do we invest in students, or millionaires?" she asked. The post Elizabeth Warren: Let's Tax Millionaires To Lower ... Read more

Army’s Top Sexual Assault Prosecutor Suspended For Alleged Sexual Assault

This is at least the third instance in the last year where a military official charged with preventing or handling sexual ... Read more

Exploiting The Ukraine Crisis To Push The Keystone Pipeline

The latest Republican talking point to exploit the situation in Ukraine is to call for approval of the Keystone Pipeline and fracking so that we can supply energy resources to Europe to loosen Russia's stranglehold. This point was made by the likes of Sarah Palin, Bill O'Reilly, Paul Ryan, and Sean Hannity. The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

http://youtu.be/PGD7eu0YQdA

RWW News: Scalise: Reagan Was The Greatest, Obama And Kerry The Worst

Rep. Steve Scalise seems to have a high opinion of Ronald Reagan.

RWW News: Behold Wayne LaPierre's Nightmare Vision Of America

NRA's Wayne LaPierre tells CPAC that Americans need all the weapons they can get because there are killers and rapers around every corner.

RWW News: Bolton Declares That Conservatives Will Never Let Benghazi Go Away

John Bolton tells CPAC that conservatives are never going to let the issue of Benghazi go away.

Six In Ten Small Business Owners Want A $10.10 Minimum Wage

A new poll of firms with less than 100 employees finds major support for raising the minimum wage to $10.10.The post Six In Ten ... Read more

Catholic Conference of Kansas promotes bill called discriminatory

...[T]he Catholic Conference also wants protections for non-clergy. HB 2453 would have shielded business owners, private employees and government employees who declined to serve couples on religious grounds, provisions which were opposed by gay rights activists as discriminatory..."

http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/sarahposner/7653/kansas_tries_to_figure_out_its_own_religious_freedom_laws/

As Fox-TV re-creates ‘Cosmos’ series, Carl Sagan’s following grows

"Humanists are especially eager. They claim Sagan as their own, and see in the “Cosmos” series — a multipart journey to the outer reaches of our universe — and in his dozen books a vibrant strain of their own philosophy. That philosophy favors reason over religion and holds human beings as both good and responsible for the Earth’s plight..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/as-fox-tv-re-creates-cosmos-series-carl-sagans-following-grows/2014/03/05/c600dd4a-a4a0-11e3-b865-38b254d92063_story.html

Why are they so afraid of freedom of speech?

Why are they so afraid of freedom of speech? BenBaz Aziz, free after Kuwait blasphemy charge, writes for Atheist Ireland.

http://www.atheist.ie/2014/03/why-are-they-so-afraid-of-freedom-of-speech-benbaz-aziz/

The Problem With 'Religious Privilege'

"Atheists in America face some measure of discrimination, and we want a way to talk about that discrimination so that it's taken seriously. But our approach thus far is setting us back, and may even be putting us in conflict with identity groups -- indeed, religious identities -- who could and ought to be alongside us in a struggle towards pluralistic understanding..."

www.huffingtonpost.com/walker-bristol/the-problem-with-religiou_b_4892980.html

Antiscience bill passes the Oklahoma House

Oklahoma's House Bill 1674 (PDF), which would, if enacted, deprive administrators of the ability to prevent teachers from miseducating students about "scientific controversies," passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on a 79-6 vote on March 3, 2014. 

http://ncse.com/news/2014/03/antiscience-bill-passes-oklahoma-house-0015438

Sin: Making Sense Out of Nonsense -- Herb Silverman

Love the sinner, hate the sin? That doesn’t work for atheists. But even we can make sense of sin.

http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2014/03/05/making-sense-out-of-nonsense/31173

Why Hollywood Thinks Atheism Is Bad for Business

Matthew McConaughey's Oscars speech is far from the only sign that God is alive and well in the film industry. Read more

To Clean Drinking Water, All You Need Is A Stick

To Clean Drinking Water, All You Need Is A Stick by Joe Palca March 05, 2014 4:30 PM Listen to the Story All Things Considered 2 min 59 sec * ... Read more

Phonies, Frauds and Liars: Why GOP’s Poverty Strategy Is Even More Cynical Than You Think | Alternet

Paul Ryan and friends won’t expand the earned income tax cut or hike the minimum wage, even if it helps the economy.

http://www.alternet.org/phonies-frauds-and-liars-why-gops-poverty-strategy-even-more-cynical-you-think

 

Linda LaScola and Andy Thomson discuss "Caught in the Pulpit:Leaving Belief Behind"

Linda LaScola discusses the book she co-authored with Daniel Dennett, Caught in the Pulpit: Leaving Belief Behind, with Andy Thomson, Trustee, Richard Dawkins Foundation.

Interview:

http://youtu.be/Cc_UyfW8DEw

http://youtu.be/z7TCW_BGG1o

First look: Cosmos rebooted with Neil deGrasse Tyson

We've seen the first episode, and we came away impressed.     Read more

The Common Core's Unsung Benefit: It Teaches Good Citizenship

The Common Core has started to take political flak from the right and the left. Conservatives worry about the overreach of federal incentives, while u... Read more

Bernie Sanders: I Would Be A Better President Than Hillary Clinton

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has at least one candidate in mind to take on Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race -- himself. In an interview wi... Read more

Keystone Supporter Ed Schultz Now Opposes The Pipeline, Tells President Obama To Go To Nebraska

"Mr. President, say no to this project. I turn this night on this program, I was wrong."The post Keystone Supporter Ed Schultz ... Read more

Protecting your iCloud keychain from snooping

Frequent Macworld contributor Rich Mogull has pored over Apple's recently released security documents and summarized the ... Read more

Pope Signals Church Could Support Civil Unions In Some Cases

Pope Francis signaled that the Catholic Church could support some civil unions, particularly in order to guarantee property rights or medical care for... Read more

The Texas Tea Party Didn't Win, But It Got The GOP To Move To The Right

"...Overshadowed by both international and domestic developments and beset by terrible weather, Texas held the first major state primaries of the 2014 cycle yesterday. In the absence of a lot of red-hot congressional contests, the Lone Star event will mostly be interpreted as a barometer of this or that national trend, with varying degrees of accuracy..."

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/the-texas-tea-party-didn-t-win-but-it-got-the-gop-to-move-to-the-right