Citing Concern For The Poor, GOP Senators Ask Obama To Ax EPA Climate Rule

The Senators accused the President of trying to "dictate policies that restrict when American families can do the laundry."The ... Read more

Thorny abortion debate looms in Chile - Yahoo News

...The Roman Catholic Church, a key political player for decades in Chile that is now losing followers and influence, was outraged by the president's remarks...

http://news.yahoo.com/thorny-abortion-debate-looms-chile-212327365.html

ACLU questions Thomas Walker High graduation hymn, other First Amendment issues | Kingsport Times-News

The first point raised by the civil liberties group centered on the hymn "Till We Meet Again at Jesus' Feet" being included in Thomas Walker's graduation program.
"They are taught the lyrics and practice them at school, and are expected to have the hymn memorized by graduation," Glenberg continued. "This violates the First Amendment."

http://www.timesnews.net/article/9077714/aclu-questions-thomas-walker-high-about-singing-of-hymn-at-graduation-other-first-amendment-concerns

Racism Lives On Under the Cover of 'Religious Freedom' - Emma Green - The Atlantic

A small portion of the population believes people should have the right not to serve black people—and even more believe the same thing about Jews, atheists, gays, and lesbians.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/06/american-racism-lives-on-under-the-cover-of-religious-freedom/372083/

Catholic sexuality survey finds dissension - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Many Roman Catholics don't know church teachings on the family and sexuality, they don't follow some of the ones they do know, and they question the church's moral standing to tell them what to do, Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik acknowledged in a summary of an unprecedented survey that drew more than 3,000 responses.

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2014/02/28/Catholic-sexuality-survey-finds-dissension/stories/201402280087

Conservatives Go From Zero To Impeachment In Record Time On Bergdahl

It was really only a matter of time before conservatives began invoking the "I-word" over President Obama's decision to release five Taliban detainees... Read more

School lunch in Sweden

Read more

Mayor Proposes ‘Compassionate Disruption’ Law To Criminalize Homelessness

Homeless advocates are up in arms at Mayor Kirk Caldwell's efforts to confiscate homeless people's possessions and make it ... Read more

Major Companies Distance Themselves From U.S. Chamber Campaign Against Obama’s Climate Plan

But leading climate-friendly members of Chamber don't want to be associated with its anti-climate report.The post Major ... Read more

Sorry Rand Paul, Not Only Is The EPA Carbon Rule Legal, It’s Mandated By Law

"The Democrats tried to pass [cap and trade] and they didn't have enough votes so now they're going to try to do this through ... Read more

Not Left Behind

Regardless of the details surrounding the case, an American soldier held in captivity by enemy combatants has returned to U.S ... Read more

9 Questions Billionaires Disparagingly Ask About the People They Exploit

How the 1% willfully misunderstands the 99%.

 ... Read more

Orlando Sentinel - In Northern Ireland, Protestants and Catholics unite against minorities

ABERDEEN, Scotland — For the rest of the world, Northern Ireland already has a notorious reputation for religious intolerance and sectarian hatred. This well-worn yarn tells of ancient enmities dividing Irish Catholics and Ulster Protestants. Despite the 1998 peace accord to end 30 years of violent conflict, Northern Ireland remains a deeply divided society, and the appearance of intense residential segregation, separate schooling and low levels of mixed marriage are a serious problem.

http://touch.orlandosentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-80379026/

Noam Chomsky: A Surveillance State Beyond Imagination Is Being Created in One of the Freest Countries in the World

A White House lawyer seems determined to demolish our civil liberties.

 ... Read more

Lawmakers Rush To Scuttle Obama's New EPA Regulations

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a sweeping initiative to curb pollutants blamed for global warming, the Obama administration unveiled a plan Monday aimed at cutt... Read more

Tea Party Group Files Ethics Complaint Against Harry Reid Over Koch-Bashing

The Tea Party Patriots on Monday filed an ethics complaint against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) for his breathless criticism of the Koch b... Read more

This has been my wallpaper for months...

...and I still find myself staring at it after all this time..Read more

Scientists use supercomputers to show, for the first time, that climate change will cause more intense summer storms in Britain.

Intense rainfall with the potential to cause serious flash flooding will become a common occurrence.

Read more

Illinois Passes Landmark Progressive Voting Reform

The Land of Lincoln will boost its turnout by up to 14 percentage points with one simple bill.The post Illinois Passes Landmark ... Read more

8 Things You Should Know About The Biggest Thing A President’s Ever Done On Climate Change

Currently, there are no national limits on the carbon pollution that power plants emit into the atmosphere. With Monday's ... Read more

One Doctor Exposes The Lie At The Heart Of Abortion Opponents’ Strategy

"People will resort to illegal abortions. Should we do any experiment for this? I don't think so."The post One Doctor Exposes ... Read more

Why The Five Taliban Detainees Had To Be Released Soon, No Matter What

Conservative attacks on the deal that secured Sgt. Bergdahl's release ignore the facts of the winding down war in ... Read more

40 Percent Of Parents Are Skipping Or Delaying Their Kids’ Vaccines For No Good Reason

There aren't any benefits to delaying shots -- but there are some serious risks.The post 40 Percent Of Parents Are Skipping Or ... Read more

The 6 Most Ridiculous Responses To Obama’s New Climate Rules

"With radicals like this in power, who needs enemies?"The post The 6 Most Ridiculous Responses To Obama's New Climate ... Read more

Anti-Evolution GOP Candidate for SC Superintendent of Education Wants Intelligent Design Taught in Schools

There are plenty of candidates vying to become the Republican nominee for state superintendent of education in South Carolina — and if Tuesday’s debate was any indication, many of them don’t give a damn about science.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/05/31/anti-evolution-gop-candidate-for-sc-superintendent-of-education-wants-intelligent-design-taught-in-schools/

'Thou shalt not': Catholic teachers challenge morality clause - CNN.com

If you want to teach at a Catholic school in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, regardless of your religion, you must be willing to sign a detailed morality clause that critics say focuses on "pelvic issues."

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/30/living/catholic-teachers-morality/index.html

Pakistan clerics issue decree says so-called 'honour killings' are un-Islamic and sign of ignorance

"[A] daughter is a gift by Allah. And the feeling of being dishonoured by your daughter is forbidden in Islam," the edict, issued on Friday, reads.
"Killing one's daughter and humiliating them is a sign of ignorance."
The council's secretary general, Zahid Mehmood Qasim, told Al Jazeera on Sunday that the decree "should serve as a reminder to those who kill their kin on the name of protecting 'honour'."
He said the woman, who was murdered by relatives for marrying the man she loved instead of a cousin selected for her, did not deserve death.
"The act falls outside the ambit of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, the Quran and Sunnah [Islamic way of life]," he said.
Read more

8 Outrageous Right-Wing Statements This Week: Defending Gun Rights for Psychopaths Edition

'Your dead kids don’t trump my right to have a gun.'

 ... Read more

If You Thought Oligarchy and Aristocracy Were Bad, You'll Really Hate Kochocracy

The lords of a vast oil empire are buying up our entire democracy with a fraction of their fortune.

 ... Read more

The Money Behind the Gun Madness

It's pure greed that's funding our disastrous gun culture.

... Read more

America’s Middle-Class Defeat: How Canada Shamed the Wealthiest Nation on Earth

Want to understand what's causing the decay of the American dream? Take some lessons from our friends to the north.

 ... Read more

The enchanting Milford Sound in southern New Zealand. Photo by Iurie Belegurschi [1280 × 853].

Read more

How Jesus Became God with Dr. Bart Ehrman (The Humanist Hour #98)

In this episode, Bo interviews Dr. Bart Ehrman, the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of the recent book, How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee.
From Amazon:

The claim at the heart of the Christian faith is that Jesus of Nazareth was, and is, God. But this is not what the original disciples believed during Jesus’s lifetime—and it is not what Jesus claimed about himself. How Jesus Became God tells the story of an idea that shaped Christianity, and of the evolution of a belief that looked very different in the fourth century than it did in the first.

A master explainer of Christian history, texts, and traditions, Ehrman reveals how an apocalyptic prophet from the backwaters of rural Galilee crucified for crimes against the state came to be thought of as equal with the one God Almighty, Creator of all things. But how did he move from being a Jewish prophet to being God? In a book that took eight years to research and write, Ehrman sketches Jesus’s transformation from a human prophet to the Son of God exalted to divine status at his resurrection. Only when some of Jesus’s followers had visions of him after his death—alive again—did anyone come to think that he, the prophet from Galilee, had become God. And what they meant by that was not at all what people mean today.

Written for secular historians of religion and believers alike, How Jesus Became God will engage anyone interested in the historical developments that led to the affirmation at the heart of Christianity: Jesus was, and is, God.

Dr. Ehrman came to UNC in 1988 after four years of teaching at Rutgers University. At UNC he has served as both the Director of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies.

Interview:
http://thehumanist.com/multimedia/podcast/the-humanist-hour-98-how-jesus-became-god-with-dr-bart-ehrman

Coming out Atheist, with Greta Christina (Point of Inquiry)

This week Point of Inquiry welcomes the well-known atheist blogger, speaker, and author Greta Christina to talk about her new book, Coming Out Atheist: How to Do It, How to Help Each Other and Why, a no nonsense guide to leveling with everyone in your life about your non-belief.
Greta is a woman at home with difficult conversations. Her previous books include Why Are You Atheists So Angry: 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless, and Bending: Dirty Kinky Stories about Pain, Power, Religion, Unicorns & More. Plus, she edited a book called, Paying For It: A Guide By Sex Workers for Their Clients. 
So, if the thought of telling your grandmother that you don't believe in God makes you queasy, Greta can help. As an out-and-proud atheist, bisexual, and retired sex worker, she's had a lot of practice being forthright about who she is. 
Lindsay and Greta talk about how coming out can improve your life and strengthen the secular community. They also discuss the distinctive challenges facing women and people of color looking for a way out of the atheist closet. 

Interview:
http://www.pointofinquiry.org/coming_out_atheist_-_greta_christina/

Talking Nerdy (And Ethically) with Cara Santa Maria (Point of Inquiry)

Our guest this week is Cara Santa Maria, contributor to Al Jazeera America's science show TechKnow, and the host of the podcast Talk Nerdy. This neuroscientist, science educator, producer, writer, and television personality has brought her intelligence and insights to the Huffington Post as its former senior science editor, was the co-host and producer of TakePart Live on Pivot TV, and has appeared countless times on CNN, FOX, BBC, among many others.
Point of Inquiry’s Josh Zepps sat down with Santa Maria for a conversation about growing up Mormon in Texas (and the associated postmortem planetary inheritance), the scourge of false equivalency in modern journalism, and the appeal of “woo” from the metaphysical to the pseudoscientific. And just what are our prospects for scientific advancement, and who will benefit most? This is an episode full of fun and eye-opening insights.

Interview:
http://www.pointofinquiry.org/talking_nerdy_and_ethically_with_cara_santa_maria/

Science Denialism with Donald Prothero (Point of Inquiry)

Our guest this week is Donald Prothero, paleontologist, geologist, and author of the new book Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten our Future. He's an expert on the effect of past climate change on the fossil record, as well as the co-author of Abominable Science, a skeptical look at  cryptozoology and cryptozoologists with Daniel Loxton.
Science Denialism is a many-headed hydra that rears up when people don't want to believe what science tells us. In this day and age, science has enough cachet that educated people don't openly reject it when it tells them things they don't want to hear. Instead, they imitate the trappings of science to advance a political agenda. 
There was "Big Tobacco" making up fake science and slandering critics to convince the world that smoking is good for you, then there were the apologists for nuclear proliferation, spreading bunk science about the survivability of nuclear war. When the courts decided that teaching Genesis in science class was unconstitutional, fundamentalists got busy manufacturing pseudoscience in the form of Young Earth Creationism and later Intelligent Design. Vaccines have slashed childhood death rates worldwide but some people still aren't prepared to accept this fact, and prefer to fixate on pseudo-scientific conspiracy theories. Perhaps the most dangerous example of science denialism is the fossil fuel industry funded campaign to convince the public that climate change isn't real.
Host Lindsay Beyerstein discusses all this and more with Donald Prothero.

Interview:
http://www.pointofinquiry.org/science_denialism_with_donald_prothero/

The Plight Of The Middle Class In The Post-Recession Job Market (Diane Rehm Show)

The U.S. middle class is no longer the world’s richest. Recent analysis shows that while wealthy Americans still outpace their peers in other advanced countries, our middle class is falling behind. That news comes at a time when nearly 40 percent of our nation’s unemployed have been out of work for six months or more. And a federal minimum wage law -- which many say would indirectly benefit higher wage earners -- has stalled. Some economists believe once the U.S. economy takes off again, the middle class will make a recovery. But others are not as optimistic. Diane and her guests discuss the plight of the middle class in a post-recession job market.
 

Interview:

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-05-01/plight-middle-class-post-recession-job-market

 

 

The Battle For Political Control Of State Governments (Diane Rehm Show)

For half a century, Democrats dominated state legislatures. Now Republicans do. They control the legislatures in 26 of the nation's 50 states. And the odds are good that this fall Republicans will build on the major gains they made in 2010. Having control of both the House and Senate in a state of course allows the party in power to push forward its agenda. Democrats are worried. They are already working to boost voter turnout in November, but it's an uphill battle. A discussion on what Republican control of more state legislatures could mean for environmental, economic and social policies -- and how Democrats plan to fight back.

Interview:

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-05-06/battle-political-control-state-governments

Rana Dasgupta: "Capital: The Eruption of Delhi" (Diane Rehm Show)

The largest election ever held in history is happening right now in India. More than 800 million people are registered to vote in the world’s most populous democracy. India has been going through dramatic political and social changes since it opened up its economy 20 years ago. It now has a sizable and growing middle class. The transformation has been particularly striking in Delhi, the nation’s capital. Slums were ripped down to make way for posh shopping malls and apartment buildings. In a new book, "Capital: The Eruption of Delhi," Rana Dasgupta tells the stories of the billionaires, politicians and slum activists bound by the change gripping one of the world’s largest cities.
 

Interview:

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-05-08/rana-dasgupta-capital-eruption-delhi

Primary Results And Prospects For A Republican Takeover Of The Senate (Diane Rehm Show)

Results from primary contests in six states yesterday suggest that Democrats will have a hard time keeping control of the Senate come November. In two key states, Kentucky and Georgia, Republican voters turned down bids from the more right-leaning Tea Party candidates. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky prevailed over a well-funded candidate who claimed McConnell had been too willing to compromise. In Georgia, two of the less conservative Republican Senate candidates will face a run-off in July. On the Democratic side voters in Pennsylvania chose businessman Tom Wolf as their nominee for governor. Please join us to discuss yesterday’s primary results and what they could mean for the midterm elections in November.
 

Interview:

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-05-21/primary-results-and-prospects-republican-takeover-senate

 

 

Think Tanks, Influence and Independence (Diane Rehm Show)

The role of think tanks in shaping public policy dates back nearly a century to when the Brookings Institution set up shop in the nation’s capital. The idea was to create a “university without students” that could provide research to lawmakers. Today, there are more than 1,800 think tanks in the United States, 400 in Washington alone. They range from liberal to conservative, scholarly to activist. Recently, outside groups have started to demand a higher level of transparency when it comes to where think tanks get their money. They say citizens deserve to know who is bankrolling the ideas that shape our democracy. A conversation about think tanks, influence and independence.
 

Interview:

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-05-21/think-tanks-influence-and-independence

 

 

A Wake-Up Call On Antibiotic Resistance (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

It’s a frightening scenario. A deadly bacterial infection spreads across the globe and our antibiotics are powerless to fight it. Superbugs no longer the stuff of movies. A new report warns the rise of antibiotic-resistant bugs have become a Global Health Threat.  We could be facing a post-antibiotic future in which common infections and minor injuries kill again. Fighting this is challenging. The crisis has spread to your doctor’s office and many of America’s farms. This hour, On Point: the rise of superbugs and what we can do to roll back the threat.

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/05/05/antibiotic-resistance-superbugs-who-cdc

E.O. Wilson On Humanity, Survival And Nature (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Imagine wandering into a house overrun with fang-toothed spiders. Riding a helicopter deep into an unexplored gorge of granite and limestone to find new species.  World-famous naturalist and biologist E.O. Wilson did all that — in his 80s.  In one of Africa’s most biologically diverse nature preserves in Mozambique.  And he says the wilfife there has powerful lessons for us humans.   This hour, On Point, two-time Pulitzer Prize winning biologist  E.O. Wilson on what he learned about mankind in Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park.

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/05/05/e-o-wilson-on-humanity-survival-and-nature

The Big Business Of Big Data Collection (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Big Data and intelligence.  That’s not just an NSA issue. Private companies have been quietly storing your personal information too. And it isn’t just what you are searching for on the Web or what you buy. There are operations trolling Twitter for your product preferences. Others capturing your license number .  A White House report warns about private data collection run amok. And officials are calling for new regulations to govern how private companies use your data.  This hour On Point: Who’s vacuuming up your data, and why. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/05/07/big-data-nsa-data-collection-privacy

Net Neutrality And The End Of The Equal Internet (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

“Net neutrality” has long been a holy of holies in the Internet world.  The idea – and by in large the fact – that everyone on the web competed on the same field, the same plane, at more or less the same speed.  That there were not fast lanes for established giants and slow lanes for newcomers.  That innovators could, therefore, come onto the internet and give fat cats a run for their money.  A new push by the Federal Communications Commission to reset the rules has the Internet world in uproar.  It’s all hitting the fan right now.  This hour On Point:  the firestorm over net neutrality and the web. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/05/08/net-neutrality-fcc-internet

How Paleo-Americans Emerged From The Ice Age (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Nine thousand years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age, sea levels were 300 feet below where they stand today.  You could walk from Europe to England.  From Siberia to Alaska.  You could walk across Lake Huron, in the American Great Lakes.  And there, on what is now the lake floor, archaeologists are now finding amazing sites of human life in the age of sabre tooth tiger and mastodon.  Preserved underwater.  With the story of Paleo-Americans.  The Paleo-Indians who hunted and moved across the land.  This hour On Point:  from the lake floor, Paleo-American life emerges. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/05/16/ice-age-paleo-hunting-lake-huron

Modi’s India (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

A huge landslide election win in India last week for the opposition party of Narendra Modi, India’s Hindu nationalist party.  It’s opposition no more.  In an historic vote, India turned out the Congress Party that has ruled for nearly all its decades of independence.  And it voted in a charismatic, super pro-business political leader who has vowed to rev up the economy, build a hundred new cities, cover India in high-speed rail, put it nose to nose with the economic dynamism of China.  India’s non-Hindus may well worry.  But it’s “game on” for Narendra Modi.  This hour On Point:  Modi’s India. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/05/19/narenda-modi-who-won-indias-election

Antarctic Melt And Calls For Action (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

The latest news from Antarctica is deeply sobering, and will be for a long time.  A great ice sheet there, melting.  That melt, unstoppable.  Painful sea rise will follow.  Climate change is deeply implicated.  And there are more dominoes poised to fall.  More glaciers and ice sheets poised to melt on a warming planet.  Climate scientist James Hansen says if we ever needed an urgent prompt to action, this is it.  He wants a carbon tax, that would kick up the price of fossil fuels, discourage their use, encourage alternatives.  This hour On Point:  a hellish melt, and the fresh call for a carbon tax.

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/05/20/antarctic-melt-carbon-tax

Evan Osnos On China’s ‘Age Of Ambition’ (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Plenty of news out of still-rising China lately.  Chinese leaders doing deals with Vladimir Putin as Putin defies the West.  Chinese sea power pushing an oil rig into waters claimed by Vietnam.  Chinese military on FBI wanted posters for hacking American companies’ intellectual property.  China’s unprecedented, light speed rise to wealth and growing power has the whole world’s attention.  New Yorker writer Evan Osnos is just back from eight years in China and out with a deep analysis of Chinese dreams and ambitions.  This hour On Point:  Deep China, with the New Yorker’s Evan Osnos.

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/05/21/evan-osnos-china-russia-economy

American Drones Moving In At Home (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Big and lethal American drones have changed the equation of global power projection in the last decade.  Raised big moral and legal and strategic questions in skies around the world.  Now, a swarm of smaller drones is chomping at the bit to flood America’s skies.  The FAA is still working out the rules, but some aren’t waiting.  We had a near-miss with an airliner just reported in Florida.  They’re calling it the Wild West up there.  And it’s just begun.  This hour On Point:  drones in American skies, present and future.  And we’ll talk with former White House security guru Richard Clarke about American drones abroad.

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/05/21/drone-sales-commercial-domestic

Jobs And The Class Of 2014 (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

These are graduation days all over – college, community college, high school – and, for most, the very next agenda item is a job.  The years of the Great Recession were brutal for new grads.  And long.  What about now?  The Class of 2014 is reported to be the most optimistic in years about its job prospects.  Are they right about that?  We hope so. But it’s still a challenge out there.  So where and what are the jobs now?  Who’s getting them, and how?  What are the hot fields?  Hot cities?  Regions?  Countries?  This hour On Point:  jobs, and the Class of 2014. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/05/22/employment-jobs-class-of-2014-graduates

RS105 - Greta Christina on Coming Out Atheist (Rationally Speaking)

Atheist activist and author Greta Christina appears on this episode of Rationally Speaking, to discuss her new book, "Coming Out Atheist: How to Do It, How to Help Each Other, And Why." A spirited debate ensues, in which Greta, Julia and Massimo disagree over the boundaries of the "atheist movement," and the role of social justice in it. Other topics include: The cognitive biases that can make it hard to get a clear picture of whether people regret "coming out" as atheists; Plus, Greta's argument for why atheist community-building shouldn't model itself after religious communities.

Interview:
 http://rationallyspeakingpodcast.org/show/rs105-greta-christina-on-coming-out-atheist.html

Massively Open Online Courses -- RS107 - MOOCs (Rationally Speaking)

Does the future belong to MOOCs? Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs for short, have been hailed as the next wave in secondary education, poised to replace brick-and-mortar colleges with their expensive infrastructure and sky-high tuition. In this episode of Rationally Speaking, Julia and Massimo discuss how to measure MOOCs' effectiveness, separating the hype from the genuine promise.

http://rationallyspeakingpodcast.org/show/rs107-moocs.html