DN Speak: 10/26/14

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Jim Baggott and Massimo on Farewell to Reality (Rationally Speaking)

As part of our special mini-interviews series, Massimo talks to Jim Baggott, author of “Farewell to Reality: How Modern Physics Has Betrayed the Search for Scientific Truth.” Jim is one of an increasingly vocal number of critics of some directions taken lately by research in fundamental theoretical physics, and particularly of string theory. Massimo and Jim explore what it means for some physicists to call for a new era of “post-empirical” science.

Interview:
http://rationallyspeakingpodcast.org/show/rs116-jim-baggott-and-massimo-on-farewell-to-reality.html

Week In The News: Midterms, Ebola And Mayor Tom Menino (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

The nurse who would not stay quarantined, out front this week. And lots of questions about the handling and politics and coverage of Ebola. Ebola mania. Another quarter of strong US economic growth – also political as midterms loom. The president on a tight campaign trail, and simultaneously a big target of Republican complaint. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook comes out as gay and proud. A White House official calls Israel’s Netanyahu chicken “stuff”. A space launch explodes. So does Hawaiian lava. This hour On Point: Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/10/31/midterms-menino-ebola-tim-cook

Friday News Roundup – Domestic (Diane Rehm Show)

With just days before voters go to the polls, key midterm races are coming down to the wire. But Republicans are increasingly confident they will win control of the Senate. In several states, proposals restricting abortion are on the ballot. With the economy on firmer footing, the Federal Reserve ends the bond buying program known as quantitative easing. A nurse in Maine defies a state isolation order as the Centers for Disease Control rejects mandatory Ebola quarantines in the U.S. And Apple’s Tim Cook becomes the first openly gay C.E.O. of a Fortune 500 company. A panel of journalists joins guest host Susan Page for a conversation about the week’s top national stories.

Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-10-31/friday_news_roundup_domestic

Friday News Roundup – International (Diane Rehm Show)

The UN reports that 15,000 people from 80 different countries have joined with ISIS militants fighting in Syria and Iraq. Iraqi Kurdish fighters begin crossing from Turkey into Syria to fight against ISIS in Kobani. The WHO reports the number of new cases of Ebola in Liberia may be dropping, but the challenge of containing the spread of the disease in West Africa remains daunting. Israel has barred access to a sacred site in Jerusalem revered by both Muslims and Jews, and the last US Marines of pull out of a key base in Afghanistan: Please join us for the International hour of the Friday News Roundup.

Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-10-31/friday_news_roundup_international

Solar electricity on track to be as cheap or cheaper than average electricity-bill prices in 47 U.S. states by 2016

While You Were Getting Worked Up Over Oil Prices, This Just Happened to Solar

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Looking to Escape the High Cost of College? These 7 Countries Will Educate You for Free

The Washington Post's Rick Noack points out seven places where Americans can study for free or at very low cost – and in English! Students just have to be willing to leave the country...
... Read more

The Enormous, Secretive Effort To Purge Thousands Of Minorities From 27 States’ Voter Rolls

A voter purge is attempting to make the electorate a lot whiter. There must be another Election Day coming up.The post The ... Read more

NASA Bombshell: Global Groundwater Crisis Threatens Our Food Supplies And Our Security

We are rapidly depleting many of the world's most important aquifers. NASA reports, "Nearly all of these underlie the word's ... Read more

Obamacare’s Second Open Enrollment Period Is Coming Up, But Millions Of People Have No Idea

Uninsured Americans are in the dark about their coverage options.The post Obamacare's Second Open Enrollment Period Is ... Read more

Here’s How Oil Industry Members Reacted When Told To Use ‘Fear And Anger’ To Win Fracking Fight

"It's brilliant in its simplicity," said one audience member. "The way you're going is really neat," said another. "This has ... Read more

GOP To Iowans: Your Neighbors Will Know If You Don’t Vote Republicans

Beyond "vote shaming."The post GOP To Iowans: Your Neighbors Will Know If You Don't Vote Republicans appeared first on ... Read more

10 Most Insane Fear-Mongering GOP Lies in Time for Halloween

The GOP is ... Read more

Will There Be a Catholic Church Schism Under Pope Francis?

"... The other warning of schism, though veiled in regret, came from the conservative American journalist Ross Douthat, who wrote on Sunday that “[Conservative Catholics] might want to consider the possibility that they have a role to play, and that this pope may be preserved from error only if the church itself resists him.”...
... Read more

Autumn Swedish Style (Helsingborg) [OC] [3415 × 2561]

Friday, October 31, 2014

How Conservative Christianity Can Warp the Mind | Alternet

Some religious beliefs can create habitual thought patterns that actually alter brain function, making it difficult for people to heal or grow.

http://www.alternet.org/belief/how-conservative-christianity-can-warp-mind

Mitch McConnell Reveals New Strategy To Attack Obamacare

In anticipation of becoming the next Senate majority leader in January, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) opened the door to a legislative attack on Obamaca... Read more

This Is Just How Disingenuous 'Personhood' Amendments Are

On Nov. 4, North Dakota voters will consider whether to add a "personhood" amendment to their constitution. If this amendment, Measure 1, passes, Nort... Read more

Kentucky GOP Invokes 9/11, Spreads Misinformation In Campaign Mailers

"He wasn't a citizen, but he had a legal license," the ad warns above a large picture of 9/11 bomber Mohamed Atta's Florida ... Read more

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Daily Show "fixes" ads for Koch Brothers

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook

Poor Countries Tap Renewables at Twice the Pace of Rich

“Clean energy is the low-cost option in a lot of these countries,” Zindler said by telephone. “The technologies are cost-competitive right now. Not in the future, but right now.”...The boom in renewables is often made for economic reasons, Ethan Zindler, a Washington-based Bloomberg New Energy Finance analyst, said in an interview. An island nation like Jamaica, where wholesale power costs about $300 a megawatt-hour, could generate electricity from solar panels for about half as much. Similarly, wind power in Nicaragua may be half as expensive as traditional energy.

Read more

'The Daily Show' Makes Anti-Immigration Look Absolutely Ridiculous

Jon Stewart brought his "Daily Show" team to Texas this week, and sent correspondent Al Madrigal to speak with people on both sides of the immigration... Read more

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook

Chain Restaurant Salads With 1,000 Calories ... Or More

Oh, how deceptive a salad can be. One would think that ordering a dish in which vegetables are the main event would be a more healthful choice than say... Read more

"Good Abortions": 7 Women Speak Out About the Abortions Society Wishes They Never Had

"Half of all pregnancies among American women are unintended, and about 4 in 10 of those end in abortion. The numbers speak for themselves: Chances are good that we all know someone who has had, or will have, an abortion in her lifetime.

Yet as widespread as abortion is, we don't hear a proportionate number of women's stories. Or if we do, they are likely shared privately and in hushed tones. For those willing to share their stories publicly, like Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis, their abortions are often framed in the problematic "good" versus "bad" abortion narrative..."

http://mic.com/articles/102514/7-women-speak-out-about-the-abortions-society-wishes-they-never-had

Eternal Suffering: Brought to You by Gentle Jesus Meek & Mild

Short documentary on the history and abuse of the notion of hell to scare and manipulate people.
http://youtu.be/goeKDLLzBwE

Pope Francis Blesses The Exorcists

So much for that recent statement on science.
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has given a special blessing to a group of some 300 Catholic exorcists meeting in Rome this week ahead of All Saints Day a... Read more

Drying Amazon Could Be Major Carbon Concern.

Since 2000, rainfall has decreased by up to 25 percent across a vast swath of the southeastern Amazon, according to the new satellite analysis. Read more

Stupid Right Wing Tweets: Greta Van Susteren Edition

It didn't take long for Greta to blame Obama for Chris Christie's bullying.
... Read more

Harry Reid Warns Of Impeachment If Republicans Win The Senate

It's crunch time in the midterm elections, and Democrats are pulling out all the stops to hold on to their endangered Senate majority, including reviv... Read more

Superstorm Sandy Anniversary: ‘It’s (Still) Global Warming, Stupid’

In the 2 years since superstorm Sandy made landfall, climatologists have explained the many ways human-caused global warming ... Read more

The Terrible Ordeal One Texas Man Went Through Just To Learn He Wouldn’t Be Able To Vote

Texan Eric Kennie has voted in every single general election since his 18th birthday — his parents raised him to understand the ... Read more

Senator Botches Key Obamacare Stat By 900%

Johnson's anecdotes appear to be outliers at best and fabrications at worst. ... Read more

Ask Our Northern Neighbors Whether Higher Minimum Wages Kill Jobs

The evidence shows that higher minimum wages in Canada haven't hurt jobs. ... Read more

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Creationism conference at Michigan State ties Hitler policies to evolution, sparks faculty ire

A controversial event on creationism — which includes workshops with titles such as “Hitler’s Worldview” and “The Big Bang is FAKE” — is scheduled for Saturday at Michigan State University.

http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2014/10/controversial_creationism_conf.html

The Cognitive Science of Religion

"...The cognitive science of religion asks why religion is cross-culturally popular, which cognitive mechanisms ensure its popularity, how did they evolve, and which psychological traits dispose us to belief? Of principle concern is how religion became so pervasive when its associated behavior is a costly use of time and resources. Would natural selection favor such wasteful endeavor, or is our tendency to piety a byproduct of other adaptive traits? The following sections summarize key findings in the cognitive science of religion..."

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Cognitive-Science-of-Religion

Burger King and McDonald's Pay Fast Food Workers $20 an Hour in Denmark

Enough to pay their bills, save some money and even go out with friends. Why can't we do that here?
... Read more

Robert Reich: The GOP Has Empathy Deficit Disorder

A remarkable number of people who are supposed to be devoting their lives to representing others seem clueless about how their constituents actually live and what they need.
... Read more

Why the Term 'Biblical Marriage' Is Misleading

While same-sex marriage is not endorsed in the Bible, neither is a loving, mutually agreed upon union of a man and woman.
... Read more

Evangelical conference struggles with response to 'moral revolution ... at warp speed' on gay marriage

“I’m not worried about churches in our tradition conforming to the culture. I’m worried about them not effectively engaging the culture,” Moore said in an interview. “We have to be able to speak with conviction about what we believe. We have to speak to people.”

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20141028-evangelical-conference-struggles-with-response-to-moral-revolution-...-at-warp-speed-on-gay-marriage.ece

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Secularism grows as more U.S. Christians turn ‘churchless’

(RNS) If you’re dismayed that one in five Americans (20 percent) are “nones”—people who claim no particular religious identity—brace yourself.

http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2014-10/secularism-grows-more-us-christians-turn-churchless

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