DN Speak: 1/17/16

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Why Evangelicals Heart Donald Trump

Beyond the politics of resentment is the Calvinist notion that the frontrunner’s wealth marks him as God’s anointed...
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/why-evangelicals-heart-donald-trump

Jim Hightower: How Bernie Sanders' Unexpected Coalition Keeps Growing

The big difference is that grassroots people themselves are taking charge—not leaving it to establishment office holders and party operatives.
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/jim-hightower-how-bernie-sanders-unexpected-coalition-keeps-growing

Friday, January 22, 2016

Twin Study: Marijuana Use Has No Direct Effect on IQ

Researchers reported no dose-response relationship between cannabis use and IQ decline.
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/twin-study-marijuana-use-has-no-direct-effect-iq

Cigna temporarily banned from new Medicare plans

"Cigna has had a longstanding history of non-compliance with CMS requirements," the agency said. "Cigna has received numerous notices of non-compliance, warning letters, and corrective action plans from CMS over the past several years. A number of these notices were for the same violations discovered during the audit, demonstrating that Cigna has not corrected issues of non-compliance."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2016/01/22/cigna-medicare-sanctions/79160738/

Man's gun goes off in theater, hits woman

According to Renton police, a man who appeared intoxicated went to the showing of 13 Hours. Police say the man walked inside the theater with a gun and "accidentally" discharged his weapon, hitting a woman in the theater...
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/01/22/mans-gun-goes-off-theater-hits-woman/79156180/

Colbert Shreds Sarah Palin's Trump Endorsement—Offers Up His Own Palinesque Plugs

"First, let me just tase the part of my brain that understands sentence structure."
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/watch-colbert-shreds-sarah-palins-trump-endorsement-offers-his-own-palinesque

U.S. Lags Behind Other Countries In Reducing Stillbirths

In the U.S., the stillbirth rate is 3 per 1,000 births, putting it 22nd among 186 countries...
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/01/22/463954283/the-u-s-lags-behind-in-reducing-stillbirths-late-in-pregnancy

Danes Say Zoo Dissections Fit With Country's 'Very Honest' Parenting

"It's a natural part of living," he said. "We're eating meat almost every day and, I know, we don't eat lion, but to see how animals look inside, that's a part of growing up and getting wiser."
http://www.npr.org/2016/01/22/463920296/danes-say-zoo-dissections-fit-with-countrys-very-honest-parenting

How The Flint Water Crisis Could Send An Entire Generation To Prison

I talked to a 15-year-old [who] could name eight people — without thinking about it — who had been shot...
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/01/22/3741585/flint-juvenile-justice-catastrophe/

Police Officer Who Killed Unarmed, Naked Veteran Charged With Murder | ThinkProgress

‘Mental illness is not a crime’
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/01/21/3741508/grand-jury-anthony-hill/

As Flint Residents Struggle With Contaminated Water, Congress Tries To Strip Waterway Protections

Flint does show, of course, that water is precious, and water supplies can be endangered and agencies have a lot of work to do...
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/01/21/3741610/clean-water-rule-veto-upheld/

Aggressive Anti-Abortion Protesters Force D.C. School To Close For 2 Days

“Behind us is the future site of a Planned Parenthood megacenter,” shouts a man from a podium at the front of the crowd, pointing at the empty building next door. “Innocent children are going to die here. Innocent women are going to be bruised here.” He then led the group in prayer.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2016/01/21/3741597/dc-planned-parenthood-protest/

Texas Man Accidentally Shoots Himself In The Foot In Church

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/texas-man-accidental-shooting

What's The Real Reason Ted Cruz Doesn't Have Health Insurance?

Was his own negligence to blame?
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ted-cruz-health-insurance-questions

'Nightly Show' To Sarah Palin: 'Please Leave Us The F**k Alone' (VIDEO)

"Excuse me, but you can't just crawl out of your frozen igloo bullshit shack once every election cycle just so you can become nauseatingly relevant and spew recycled partisan crazy sauce all over everybody," Wilmore said. "And then use an issue as serious as PTSD, let alone pimp out your own son and his problems. None of our soldiers deserve to have these problems become partisan issues."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/nightly-show-sarah-palin-leave-us-alone

In China 'you might disappear at any time' | Guardian Docs - YouTube

Wang Yu was the most high profile of the lawyers arrested in July 2015 in a crackdown on rights campaigners in China.
https://youtu.be/ZiIdJTxIedA

Week In The News: Primary Poll Surprises, Shaky Markets, Iran Prisoner Swap (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Ten days to the Iowa caucuses: Palin endorses Trump. Ted Cruz battles the GOP establishment. Sanders surges in New Hampshire. Clinton turns up the heat. Obama says it’s a “good day” and “milestone” as many Iranian sanctions are lifted and five American prisoners are released. At home, markets wobble. Flint, Michigan gets an apology from Governor Snyder. This hour On Point, our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.
Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2016/01/22/election-trump-palin-flint-water

Friday News Roundup – Domestic (Diane Rehm Show, 2016-01-22)

The Flint, Michigan water crisis forces an official with the Environmental Protection Agency to resign. The E.P.A. also announces it will take over lead sampling of the city’s water. While a federal appeals court hands President Obama a temporary win on a key rule to limit carbon emissions, the Supreme Court agrees to review a case challenging his executive actions on immigration. Ted Cruz accuses the Republican establishment of unifying behind Donald Trump. On the Democratic side, a surging Bernie Sanders prepares to challenge Hillary Clinton on Super Tuesday and beyond. And people living on the east coast of the U.S. prepare for a monster snowstorm. A panel of journalists joins guest host Susan Page for analysis of the week’s top national news stories.
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2016-01-22/friday-news-roundup-domestic

Friday News Roundup – International (Diane Rehm Show, 2016-01-22)

Taliban attacks kill journalists in Afghanistan and students in Pakistan. In Iran sanctions are lifted and American prisoners are released. And the U.K. implicates Vladimir Putin in the poisoning death of a former Russian spy. A panel of journalists joins guest host Susan Page for analysis of the week’s top international news stories.
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2016-01-22/friday-news-roundup-international

Marijuana Reduces Alzheimers Symptoms, Scientists Say

A study has found that cannabis oil ingestion corresponded with decreased levels of aggression, irritability, apathy and delusions.
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/marijuana-reduces-alzheimers-symptoms-scientists-say

Governor Rick Snyder Completely Failed The People Of Flint

Recently, a class action lawsuit filed in Michigan claimed that the state Department of Environmental Quality in the city of Flint, had failed to treat the tap water with proper chemicals, causing unsafe levels of lead to end up in peoples drinking water. Joining us to talk about how this happened is investigative journalist with the ACLU, Curt Guyette.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/RnvblTqtu4I

Donald Trump exaggerates when he says China has 'total control' over North Korea

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/jan/21/donald-trump/donald-trump-exaggerates-when-he-says-china-has-to/

Catholic Church’s Hold on Schools at Issue in Changing Ireland

...Nikki Murphy’s son, Reuben, 4, was rejected by nine local schools in south Dublin last year because he was not baptized. Forced to delay Reuben’s formal education by a year, she is frantically seeking alternatives for next fall. But Ms. Murphy, who is 36 and describes herself as “nonreligious,” said she would not baptize her child simply to gain access...
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/world/europe/ireland-catholic-baptism-school.html

Ignore The Naysayers – Single Payer Healthcare Is A Great Idea

The media is telling us that Bernie Sanders’ plan for a single payer healthcare option is unattainable, but the facts of the case say otherwise. These naysayers clearly have something to gain by downplaying a plan that most Americans support.
https://youtu.be/xnrCyD5Qlqw

RWW News: David Daleiden: 2016 Will 'Break Down The Fortess' Of Planned Parenthood

David Daleiden of the Center for Medical Progress speaks at a protest in front of a Planned Parenthood construction site on January 21, 2016.
https://youtu.be/1Ps7j-K_fK8

RWW News: Pavone: 'The Troubles For Planned Parenthood Have Only Just Begun'

Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life speaks at a protest in front of a Planned Parenthood construction site on January 21, 2016.
https://youtu.be/b6LxTvnAq94

Top U.S. & World Headlines — January 22, 2016

https://youtu.be/Q1igyuGczIs

Fox on Flint: The Residents Sort of Did It to Themselves

Fox & Friends offers a different take on the water-supply crisis in Flint, MI: The city overspent and poisonous, toxic water that leads to irreparable damage to its population is sort of inevitable in that situation. Let's not be all PC about the infrastructure problems we choose to point out, America.
https://youtu.be/T5FXpSBYyuY

Carly Fiorina incorrect that U.S. has a 'record number of abortions year after year'

"I think we're being told to settle for a nation where record numbers of men are out of work, record numbers of women are living in poverty," Fiorina said. "We have record number of abortions year after year after year."
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/jan/20/carly-fiorina/carly-fiorina-incorrect-us-has-record-number-abort/

Getting lost, Teutoburger forest, Germany [OC] [5184 x 3456]

https://i.imgur.com/aVkwhSW.jpg

musictheory.net - Lessons

http://www.musictheory.net/lessons

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Republican Governor Knowingly Poisoned City Of Flint Michigan

It isn’t often that a state of emergency is declared over a disaster that is 100% man-made and intentional, but that’s exactly what has happened in the city of Flint, Michigan. As residents in the city struggle to find drinkable water, the National Guard has been deployed to help distribute bottled water to residents.

The crisis actually began about 18 months ago when Republican governor Rick Snyder made the decision to balance the city’s budget at the expense of the health and safety of residents of Flint. The governor and his appointed “budget experts” decided to save the city some money by switching their water supply from the city of Detroit’s supply to the Flint River, and according to Occupy Democrats, this river was known to be both highly polluted and carried an unusually high salt content. The high salinity of this water caused the city’s pipes to begin eroding, which then leached lead into the city’s water...
https://youtu.be/rANFeSn2ZSo

This State Bill Would Remove All Religious Education From Tennessee's School Curricula

When it comes to religion in public schools, conservative politicians have historically played pretty fast and loose with the separation of church and state. Recently, some suspect Islamophobia has been a motivator for Republican state Rep. Sheila Butt to uphold the constitutional mandate: In October, she introduced a bill to ban the teaching of all religions from Tennessee curricula up to the 10th grade...
http://mic.com/articles/132924/this-state-bill-would-remove-all-religious-education-from-tennessee-s-school-curricula#.PnUTPENeb

The 1% Economy: The World's Richest 62 People Now Have as Much as Poorest 3.6 Billion

A new report from Oxfam on global inequality finds the world’s richest 62 billionaires now own as much wealth as half the world. The wealth of the poorest half—3.6 billion people—has fallen by $1 trillion since 2010. At the same time, the wealth of the world’s richest 62 people has increased by more than half a trillion dollars. Oxfam faults a global financial system that has "supercharged the age-old ability of the rich and powerful to use their position to further concentrate their wealth." The report singles out deregulation, privatization and offshore tax havens that have let trillions of dollars go untaxed. The Oxfam report is timed to coincide with the meeting of global elites at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. We are joined by Raymond Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America...
https://youtu.be/QC2wh7x29Ow

Detroit Rocked by Teachers' "Sickout" Protesting Dire Conditions Under Emergency Management

On Wednesday, 88 of Detroit’s roughly 100 public schools were closed in the latest mass teacher "sickouts" protesting underfunding, black mold, rat infestations, crumbling buildings and inadequate staffing. Detroit Public Schools are under the control of unelected emergency manager Darnell Earley—none other than the unelected emergency manager who presided over the water contamination in Flint. We discuss the sickout and the state of Detroit’s schools with two guests: Victor Gibson, a retired Detroit public school teacher and active union member, and Russ Bellant, an education advocate and the former education director for the stationary engineers union, where he trained engineers working in the Detroit Public Schools...
https://youtu.be/ruuOKErzErY

The warmest year on record was 2015

Last year was the warmest ever by a sizable margin, while 15 of the last 16 years have all notched record temperatures...
https://youtu.be/ivZD7S-p1ZY

James Veitch: This is what happens when you reply to spam email

TED Talk (www.ted.com/talks). Comedian James Veitch does what you've always secretly wanted to do: reply to one of those spam emails. Hilarious. Freely available on the TED website, but so good I felt I had to publish it here.
https://youtu.be/4QsIQOevMLg

Top U.S. & World Headlines — January 21, 2016

https://youtu.be/VMhDg6A9SVA

Most Voters Aren’t Happy About The Hundreds Of New Restrictions On Abortion

Nearly two-thirds of participants said these state laws are going in the “wrong direction.”
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2016/01/20/3740987/abortion-trend-restrictions-voters/

The Future Of The Grid Is Here, In These Two Products | ThinkProgress

Enter electrical storage.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/01/20/3740643/storage-and-solar/

What is political 'dark money' — and is it bad?

Secret cash is influencing elections. Here’s how...
http://www.publicintegrity.org/node/19156

How secret donations influence US elections

The two most common vehicles for dark money are politically active nonprofits and corporate entities, such as limited liability companies. Certain politically active nonprofits — notably those formed under sections 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(6) of the tax code — are generally not required to publicly disclose their donors. And limited liability companies formed in states such as Delaware and Wyoming are essentially black boxes through which donors can make secret donations to super PACs or to intervene directly in election campaigns...
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2016/1/20/how-secret-donations-influence-us-elections.html

REALITY CHECK: Undocumented Immigrant Population Hits 13-Year Low

Currently 10.9 million immigrants live in the country illegally, according to the Washington Post, which got the report first. That is the first time the unauthorized immigrant population has dropped below 11 million since 2004 and it is at its lowest level since 2003. The report reveals that the number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. has been shrinking steadily since 2008...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/illegal-immigration-is-down-in-the-u-s

Lawyer: Man Threatened CAIR Offices After A Week Of Watching Fox News

La Mesa resident John David Weissinger pled guilty last year to making email and telephone threats to CAIR's San Diego and Washington, D.C. offices. His lawyer, Michael Malowney, attributed his behavior to alcohol abuse and to having spent a week watching Fox News coverage of the 2015 terrorist attacks at the Paris headquarters of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which left 11 dead...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/john-weissinger-cair-threats-fox-news

Nearly 10 Percent Of College Grads Think Judge Judy Is On SCOTUS

Sheindlin is a former New York state court judge best-known for the Emmy-winning court TV show "Judge Judy." She has also written several books, but alas she is not a Supreme Court justice...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/judge-judy-supreme-court-judge

Former Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw seeks new trial

Holtzclaw is expected to be sentenced tomorrow for sexually assaulting African-American women while on duty.
https://youtu.be/NtUVoExMpAc

The Most Mystifying Lines of Sarah Palin’s Endorsement Speech - NYTimes.com

“They stomp on our neck, and then they tell us, ‘Just chill, O.K., just relax.’ Well, look, we are mad, and we’ve been had. They need to get used to it.”...
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/us/politics/sarah-palin-endorsement-speech-donald-trump.html

"Video #400" by Old Fart Rants

"Like the Republicans and Tea Partiers haven’t embarrassed us enough already, what better topic for my 400th video than the return of the dumbest bitch on earth – Sarah Palin! Did you see her incoherent, word salad speech yesterday endorsing Donald Trump? Either she was drunk, or on meth, or she stopped in Flint Michigan for water, or Ben Carson has operated on her brain recently! She was bad back in 2008, but she’s beyond pathetic now. Meanwhile back in Alaska, her slut daughter Bristol, who gets paid hundreds of thousands of dollars as an abstinence spokesperson but has had 2 children out of wedlock, was busy Tweeting against Moose Mommy’s one time BFF but Donald Trump’s closest competitor Ted Cruz, while her brother, Track was being hauled off to jail for domestic violence against his girlfriend and making threats with a firearm while drunk. What role models for Christian family values!

And I loved when she said about Trump “Oh, I just hope you guys get to know him more and more as a person, and a family man” because he is a real family man – just ask any of his families! And you gotta hand it to the Donald for standing there listening to Quitty McGrifter’s nails on a chalkboard rambling babblings without busting out laughing or throwing up! If he could keep a straight face through all of that, maybe he is presidential material after all? I’d bet dollars to donuts that Trump paid the Ice Queen for her endorsement. I mean isn’t it kind of odd that she’d endorse a guy who just months ago bashed American hero and her “Country First” presidential running mate John McCain as being a sap for being captured as a POW in Viet Nam? And don’t forget, Ted Cruz said that he owes his win in the Senate elections directly to Sarah Palin’s influence. So how does it make sense for her to support Trump and trash the so called “establishment Republicans” like John McCain who she used to say was exactly what America needed? M.O.N.E.Y. I understand why Trump wants her endorsement – to hedge his bet to win Iowa and put Ted Cruz away for good.

But I think he already has Cruz on the ropes over the birther thing because many constitutional scholars have said he’s ineligible to run under an “originalist” interpretation of the Constitution – what the Founders actually meant when they wrote it, which clearly meant you have to be born in the United States or one of its territories to be a “natural born citizen.” Trump is right – one lawsuit against Cruz has already been filed, and Democrat Alan Grayson has promised to file one as well if Cruz gets the nomination. Game over and I hate to admit it but brilliantly played by Trump. But if Trump doesn’t dump Palin immediately after the Iowa caucuses he’s going to be sorry he ever appeared on a stage with this lying, criminal, quitter who has abused her kids by using them as props, committed crimes, and is a hideous narcissistic, pathological liar who now has an obvious drinking or drug problem. She’s so bad even Glenn Beck is ashamed of her now!

Her "endorsement" is only useful for the sad remnant of fools of the Christian Taliban, and if Trump taps her as his V.P. running mate he can kiss any chances of winning the general election goodbye – just like John McCain who unleashed this awful bitch on America 8 years ago. If there is a God, please make Trump name Palin as his running mate so we can say goodbye to the Republican Party and the Tea Tards for the foreseeable future, and really make America great again instead of the laughing stock of the world. Meanwhile the “family values” ½ term quitter/grifter was apparently too hung over to make a scheduled appearance this morning in Norwalk Iowa – probably Obama’s fault! Seems to me that Mama Grisly should stop playing pathetically over the hill reality show star and go back home to her trailer trash family in Alaska, bail her son out of jail, tell him to stop beating his girlfriend, and keep an eye on her guns and Bibles… and booze. Family values indeed!

https://youtu.be/4eBSqnIfptw

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

The future of the Supreme Court

Supreme Court Justice appointments are for life and can influence the landscape of politics and the nation for decades...
https://youtu.be/SBzOAP5jfGM

"Marco Rubio's Most Ridiculous Lie?"

--Presidential candidate Marco Rubio said the United States should not have made any concessions to Iran...
https://youtu.be/7KbzOGYaAj0

What Sarah Palin Really Wants From Her Donald Trump Endorsement

Does the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate want anything in return? Most likely, yes — Palin, who popularized the term “drill, baby, drill,” has said she’d like to be Trump’s Secretary of Energy. And Trump has said he’d be willing to give Palin a position in his cabinet, should he be elected president...
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/01/19/3740724/sarah-palin-donald-trump-endorsement/

Novelist Obliterates The Bundy Militia -- And Oregon’s Largest Newspaper -- In 194 Words | ThinkProgress

The Oregonian’s A1 headline on Sunday, Jan. 17, “Effort to free federal lands,” is inaccurate and irresponsible. The article that follows it is a mere mouthpiece for the scofflaws illegally occupying public buildings and land, repeating their lies and distortions of history and law.

Ammon Bundy and his bullyboys aren’t trying to free federal lands, but to hold them hostage. I can’t go to the Malheur refuge now, though as a citizen of the United States, I own it and have the freedom of it. That’s what public land is: land that belongs to the public — me, you, every law-abiding American. The people it doesn’t belong to and who don’t belong there are those who grabbed it by force of arms, flaunting their contempt for the local citizens.

Those citizens of Harney County have carefully hammered out agreements to manage the refuge in the best interest of landowners, scientists, visitors, tourists, livestock and wildlife. They’re suffering more every day, economically and otherwise, from this invasion by outsiders.

Instead of parroting the meaningless rants of a flock of Right-Winged Loonybirds infesting the refuge, why doesn’t The Oregonian talk to the people who live there?

Ursula K. Le Guin
Northwest Portland

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/01/19/3740829/ursula-k-le-guin-oregon-lte/

Lawmaker Introduces Bill That Would Force Journalists To Register With The State

Although the full text of the bill is not yet available, Pitts described his bill to the Post and Courier as a deliberate effort to troll supporters of gun safety regulation. Pitts says his bill is modeled after a “concealed weapons permitting law.” He added that it “strikes me as ironic” that reporters questioned the constitutionality of the press registry bill when members of the press have “no problem demonizing firearms.”
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/01/19/3740845/lawmaker-introduces-bill-that-would-force-journalists-to-register-with-the-state/

Ted Cruz Says Guaranteed Paid Family Leave Is Just ‘Free Stuff’

“There’s no doubt that all of us would like to see everyone have paid family leave,” the candidate said. “That would be a good thing. But here’s the problem. Politicians love to campaign on giving away free stuff. It’s very good politics.”
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/01/19/3740496/free-stuff-ted-cruz/

Four Years After The End Of The Iraq War, Iraqis Still Being Killed In Staggering Numbers

The Iraq War has technically been over for more than four years, but Iraqis are still dying in large numbers. According to a U.N. report released Tuesday, nearly 19,000 Iraqis died between January 2014 and October 2015 due to continued instability in the country...
http://thinkprogress.org/world/2016/01/19/3740671/four-years-after-the-end-of-the-iraq-war-iraqis-still-being-killed-in-staggering-numbers/

A Republican Congressman's Surprisingly Smart Plan To Keep Lawmakers Away From Their Donors | ThinkProgress

On Tuesday, Rep. David Jolly (R-FL) rolled out a proposal to, at the very least, mitigate the impact of fundraising on members of Congress: banning all members from personally soliciting campaign funds. Under Jolly’s proposed legislation, which he calls the “Stop Act,” lawmakers and candidates would still be allowed to attend fundraisers and communicate with donors, but they could not specifically make the ask for money...
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/01/19/3740666/a-republican-congressmans-surprisingly-smart-plan-to-keep-lawmakers-away-from-their-donors

Denmark Just Broke A World Record For Wind Power — Again

In 2015, Denmark produced almost half of its electricity from wind power, breaking a world record for the most wind production ever recorded — a world record set last year, by Denmark...
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/01/19/3740547/denmark-wind-power-2015-record/

Remember When Obama Released 6,000 Federal Prisoners? Here's How One Is Doing Now. | ThinkProgress

“They gave me a space, and a job,” he said. “It’s giving me something that I love to do.”
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/01/19/3736410/obama-prisoner-release-update/

WATCH: Real Women Share Their Abortion Stories | ThinkProgress

Hosted by the 1 in 3 Campaign — an advocacy group that gets its name from the statistic that one in three U.S. women will have an abortion in her lifetime — the event hopes to recenter the national conversation about reproductive rights. Rather than discussing abortion in purely political terms, the online speakout will focus on how abortion access affects real people’s lives...

How erupting underwater volcanoes ended 'Snowball Earth' and gave rise to life - CSMonitor.com

A new study has found that a period of rapid warming that gave rise to animal life may have been accelerated by deep-sea volcanoes.
http://m.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/0119/How-erupting-underwater-volcanoes-ended-Snowball-Earth-and-gave-rise-to-life

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Intersex and Identity (Dr. Sharon Preves) (repost)

Interview:

Part 1

Dr. Sharon Preves, sociologist and professor, discussed her research of intersex individuals. Sharon first defined terms, such as "intersex," "hermaphrodite," and "transgender," then explained how and why she became involved in this research. Sharon next explained the cause for negative stigma against intersex individuals, including the religious views of people who do not fit easily into the male/female binary. Sharon noted the strong drive that society has to pigeonhole everyone - even fetuses - into one of two genders. She discussed the evolution of outlying conditions in Western civilization: from sin, to crime, to medicalization. Sharon then explained the excessive intrusion of the medical world and its treatment of intersexuality as an emergency requiring "correction."

Info: https://gpodder.net/podcast/atheist-talk-audio/23925e874503a4f857fb9a7609f948b2
Listen: http://www.mnatheists.org/media/podcast/2013_05_04%20-%20Intersex%20and%20Identity%20Part%201.mp3

Part 2

Sharon Preves, professor at Hamline University, further detailed the medicalization of conditions that do not, normally, require medical intervention, including intersex infants and childbirth itself. Sharon compared the unnecessary interventions into intersexed individuals bodies with circumcision, and she then discussed the emotional ramifications on the patients. Many felt guilt, shame, and even fear. Some grew up convinced they had been born with a disease so terrible that no one - not even their parents or doctors - would discuss it openly. Sharon next cited recent gains in the rights of those born intersexed, and listed off ways they have found healing, such as through support groups. Sharon also provided the example of an intersex teenager who was instructed to pray that she become fully female.

Info: https://gpodder.net/podcast/atheist-talk-audio/23925e874503a4f857fb9a7609f95631
Listen: http://www.mnatheists.org/media/podcast/2013_05_04%20-%20Intersex%20and%20Identity%20Part%202.mp3

Richard Carrier: Acts as Historical Fiction

Dr. Richard Carrier surveys the literary evidence that Acts is not an attempt at recording what actually happened at the origin of Christianity, but is a mostly fabricated story invented as internal propaganda. He also surveys the clues that remain indicating the original story Acts reinvents did not have a real historical Jesus behind it.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/B5MUUP4l6l4

Head of Russian Orthodox Church blames the rise of Isis on the 'godless' world's acceptance of homosexuality

Patriarch Kirill claimed he was not surprised that 'honest' Muslims are flocking to Isis' quasi-religious state...
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/head-of-russian-orthodox-church-blames-the-rise-of-isis-on-the-godless-worlds-acceptance-of-a6818826.html

A 702 is not a retirement savings plan

"...It’s clear why the description of this account, currently being promoted in flyers and books by an organization called Palm Beach Research Group, is catching interest. The group calls it a way to “retire with an extra $4,098 per month, tax-free.” It says that this is an account used by “Washington insiders” and billionaires, name-dropping Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. The message: Don’t you want to be in that crowd? As it turns out, you probably don’t..."
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Saving-Money/2015/0918/A-702-is-not-a-retirement-savings-plan

$101 million Noah’s Ark rises in Kentucky — Jesus-riding dinosaurs and all

“They’re saying Kentucky taxpayers should pay for them to expand a religious ministry. That kind of argument would make Thomas Jefferson turn in his grave.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/01/noahs-ark-rises-in-kentucky-jesus-riding-dinosaurs-and-all/

Planned Parenthood Sues Anti-Abortion Group Behind Undercover Videos

The provider called the series of videos an "elaborate, illegal conspiracy in order to block women’s access to safe and legal abortion."...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/planned-parenthood-lawsuit-videos-center-medical-progress_us_5697ead3e4b0b4eb759d9a61

RWW News: Bush, Carson, & Cruz Pander To The Religious Right

Jeb Bush, Ben Carson and Ted Cruz try to outdo one another in pandering to the Religious Right during the "Free to Believe" event...
https://youtu.be/oW6ToVrTEOM

RWW News: Fiorina, Huckabee, Rubio, And Santorum Pander To The Religious Right

Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Marso Rubio and Rick Santorum try to outdo one another in pandering to the Religious Right during the "Free to Believe" event...
https://youtu.be/h2OHlHeHVqo

Flint residents want governor ousted over water crisis

Rick Snyder is feeling the heat as people scrambled Monday to get cases of water from the National Guard.
https://youtu.be/tBZASxAmP6g

Top U.S. & World Headlines — January 19, 2016

https://youtu.be/p1_LvhhIL5s

Supreme Court to Decide if Churches Are Eligible for State Grants to Renovate Their Property

Consider this: If the church wins this case, the ruling would essentially be saying that secular aspects of religious institutions could be funded with public money. So if Liberty University wanted to build a new gym on campus (that would, at least on paper, be open to the public), taxpayers could theoretically have to pay for it. If a church playground is deemed secular, then what about its other buildings that host more than just church services? What about lakes on the property that are used for baptisms but are said to be for the community. What’s the line between church space that’s used for religion and space that’s for “everyone” and therefore eligible for government-sponsored upgrades?...
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2016/01/18/supreme-court-to-decide-if-churches-are-eligible-for-state-grants-to-renovate-their-property/

Judgment Day: Intelligent Design On Trial (creationism vs evolution) (repost)

In this award winning documentary, NOVA captures the turmoil that tore apart the community of Dover, Pennsylvania in one of the latest battles over teaching evolution in public schools. Featuring trial reenactments based on court transcripts and interviews with key participants, including expert scientists and Dover parents, teachers, and town officials, "Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial" follows the celebrated federal case of Kitzmiller v. Dover School District.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/x2xyrel-2vI

A survey of 473 adult therapeutic cannabis users found that 87% of respondents gave up prescription medications, alcohol, or other drugs in favor of cannabis...
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/big-pharma-shaking-their-boots-80-cannabis-users-give-prescriptions-pills-pot

WATCH: Stephen Colbert's Fascinating Interview With Pyramid-Discovering 'Space Archaeologist' Sarah Parcak

Describing her work as if “Indiana Jones had a lovechild With Google Earth,” Parcak described finding the sites of 17 potential pyramids in Egypt, 3,100 missing settlements, and over a thousand lost tombs...
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/watch-stephen-colberts-fascinating-interview-pyramid-discovering-space

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