A View From The Climate Changed Future (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Here’s a story to chill your bones.  It is the year 2393,  almost 400 years from now.  And a Chinese historian is looking back on our century, the 21^st century, and trying to explain how the world saw climate change coming and did nothing.  How we denied and delayed as an unbelievable price tag of suffering and destruction gathered around us.  How that suffering finally came – with flood and heat and mass migration and chaos.  How Western civilization collapsed . This hour On Point:   a horror story from the future about climate change and the rest of our lives. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
https://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/07/29/climate-change-science-fiction-future

The Cost Of Our 'Do-Nothing' Congress (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Come this Friday, hundreds of US Congress men and women will be flying out of Washington.  Representatives and Senators, headed out, headed home, for a five week August recess.  And here’s the thing:  they’ve done almost nothing in Washington.  The label is “do-nothing” Congress.  Democrats use that label to attack.  Some Republicans wear it almost as a point of pride.  But in a world of so much change and challenge, can we afford inaction?  This hour On Point:  the “do-nothing” Congress tag, and the cost of standing still. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
https://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/07/29/congress-recess-debt-house-senate

A Win For Hobby Lobby, And What It Means (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

To the Greens of Oklahoma, it was just logical.  Yes, they were billionaires.  Yes, their Hobby Lobby chain employed thousands of people.  But why would they cover contraception that their religious belief found offensive?  To many others, the logic ran just the other way.  The Affordable Care Act offered health care to all.  Contraception included.  Why would a woman be subject to the religion of Boss Green? Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled for the Greens, for Hobby Lobby, for the religious rights of the company.  This hour On Point:  the high court, Hobby Lobby, and religion in the workplace. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/07/01/scotus-hobby-lobby-birth-control-obamacare

Understanding ISIS (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Until they came bursting into Mosul last month with black flags and pick-up trucks, ISIS was – to most Americans – just part of a chaotic jumble of fighters in Syria.  The next thing we knew, they had taken over a huge swath of Iraq, declared themselves the Islamic State, and announced a new caliphate in the heart of the Middle East.  This weekend the self-proclaimed caliph of the caliphate – Abu Bakr al Baghdadi – purportedly stepped out of the shadows and spoke to the world.  They’re too brutal for al Qaeda.  They literally crucify.  And right now they rule.  This hour On Point:  ISIS and the Islamic State. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/07/07/understanding-isis-iraq-syria

Atul Gawande: The Future Of American Healthcare (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

We are well into Obamacare now, and still fighting over it.  Well into panic over healthcare costs, and still struggling to really bring them down.  Well-schooled in how we ought to eat, exercise, live – and still overweight and pushing up the diabetes numbers.  Celebrated surgeon, writer, thinker Dr. Atul Gawande is watching it all.  Thinking it through.  When he’s not in the OR, he’s at the keyboard, helping shape the American conversation on health and healthcare.  This hour, in a special edition of On Point:  On Point Live! – with Dr. Atul Gawande. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/06/13/atul-gawande-healthcare-obamacare-on-point-live

http://youtu.be/1w8P5adkmdM

Can American Democracy Be Saved? (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

The latest Gallup poll finds Americans approval rating for Congress at an all-time low.  Four percent with a great deal of faith there.  The lowest for any American institution Gallup has polled on in 40 years.  In gridlock and polarization and standoff, legislation has ground nearly to a halt.  For the sake of democracy, of the country, this cannot go on say my guests today, former Senators Olympia Snowe, Republican and Tom Daschle, Democrat.  They think they’ve got a way out.  An answer to the standoff. This hour On Point:  Senators Snowe and Daschle on saving American democracy. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/07/10/bipartisanship-washington-dc-politics-congress

The Battle Over U.S. Corporate Tax Inversion (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

It’s a neat trick for big American companies to avoid a heap of American taxes:  stop being American.  American corporations are bailing out of American “citizenship.”  One day they are proudly based in the USA.  The next, they’re not.  They’re suddenly Irish or Dutch or Australian or Israeli.  And paying lower taxes on the same operations.  It’s technically called “inversion.”  Last week President Obama called it desertion.  It’s a big deal. This hour On Point:  American companies, bailing out on American taxes – and what to do about it.

Interview:
https://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/07/28/tax-avoidance-tax-inversion-corporate-taxes

Dying With Dignity

Dying With Dignity. After celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and hearing about many FFRF legal victories, we celebrate the birthday of atheist Broadway composer Richard Rodgers. Then we talk with Wanda Morris, CEO of Dying With Dignity Canada about the current progress and the religious opposition to end-of-life choices in Canada and the world.
 

Interview:

http://ffrf.org/news/radio/show-items/item/20863-freethought-radio-june-28-2014-broadcast

 

 

Christian Right-Winger Aligns With ISIS, Says Obama Helping Devil-Worshipers

My thesaurus is wearing thin on adjectives to describe hate-filled pseudo- Christians like Bryan Fischer, but my aggravation is going full-tilt over t... Read more

http://youtu.be/bkwEFjHxCFs

Unedited sunrise in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia [OC] [3872 x 2592]

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As Crazy As It Sounds, U.S. and NATO Appear Hungry For War in Ukraine

"...The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is desperate; it is itching for a war in battlefield Ukraine at any cost..." ... Read more

NYT Sunday Magazine Falls Hook, Line and Sinker For Libertarians' Big Propaganda Lie

"...On Sunday, the New York Times Magazine will be running a 7,100-word puff piece that portrays the Libertarian Party as today’s hot, new, sexy political trend that is enthralling rebellious Americans of all ages and is finally having its day in the sun...." ... Read more

Could This Grain Dethrone Quinoa as America's Favorite Superfood?

Meet West Africa's fonio.

 ... Read more

Another Win For Elizabeth Warren -- And For Us!

From Business Insider: Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) got her way on Tuesday when the Federal Reserve rejected the living will plans for most Wal... Read more

Paul Ryan: US competitiveness hindered by Obama environmental regulations

The Obama administration's regulations aimed at combating climate change are an excuse to expand government and raise taxes, ... Read more

Colbert Agrees With Trump On Ebola: Good Samaritans Have It Coming

Stephen Colbert discussed Donald Trump, Ebola and how "the plague has spread so far" during Thursday night's episode of "The Colbert Report." Read Mo... Read more

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,The Colbert Report on Facebook,Video Archive

Check out the awesome grass in Lofoten Islands in Norway by Daniel Korzhonov [1300x936]

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Colorado Provides Free Birth Control: Teen Birthrate Drops 40%, Teen Abortions Down 35%

"By showing the effectiveness of long-acting, reversible contraceptives, we're providing the evidence needed for health plans ... to cover family planning services," said a spokesman for the Colorado health department.  Read more

Rainbow and lenticulars in Iceland Photo by Alex Nail [1200x800]

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China Will Install More Solar This Year Than The U.S. Ever Has

"...According to new numbers released by the Chinese government, China added 3.3 gigawatts of solar capacity in the first six months of the year ending June 30, marking a 100 percent increase over the same period last year. That brings China’s total solar supply to 23 gigawatts — 13 shy of the country’s goal of installing 35 by the end of 2015...."
Read more

A Discovery About Women's Sexual Desire That Will Make Conservative Heads Spin

The conservative media need not worry about women's libidos in equal relationships after all.

 ... Read more

Want Teens to Pay Attention? Tell Them They’re Being Manipulated

What anti-smoking campaigns can teach us about how to help kids navigate life online.

 ... Read more

6 Holocaust Survivors Who Fight Against Israel's Treatment of Palestinians

The lesson of the Holocaust should be "never again" for anyone, including Palestinians.

... Read more

Can You Guess What Country Is Ranked the Most Peaceful in the World?

While current events may suggest otherwise, the Global Peace Index reports that this is "the most peaceful century in human history."

 ... Read more

Florida Church Cancels Gay Man’s Funeral the Night Before Service

“Based on our preaching of the scripture, we would have been in error to allow the service in our church,” the pastor said.

 ... Read more

The Right’s Impeachment Trap: How Pundits Blame Obama for GOP Extremism

Somebody broke politics, but it wasn’t Barack Obama.

 ... Read more

Florida Replaces Gerrymandered Congressional Maps With Nearly Identical Gerrymandered Maps

"If you can control who votes and where they vote, you control the power." The post Florida Replaces Gerrymandered ... Read more

You’re 40 Times More Likely To Die From A Colonoscopy Than From An Abortion

So why are states regulating abortion more stringently?The post You're 40 Times More Likely To Die From A Colonoscopy ... Read more

Armed Right-Wing Militias Amassing Along Texas Border With State Lawmaker’s Blessing

It's the Bundy Ranch all over again in Texas.The post Armed Right-Wing Militias Amassing Along Texas Border With State ... Read more

The 10 Craziest Arguments Two States Are Using To Defeat Marriage Equality

Utah and Oklahoma both want the Supreme Court to uphold their bans on same-sex marriage; here are their actual concerns.The ... Read more

31% of Americans have no retirement savings at all

A big part of the problem: many low- and middle-income households "have little financial cushion at all" and often lack even basic emergency savings, the Fed survey found.
Read more

Humanists replace billboard for the second time | Local & Regional | KLEW CBS 3 - News, Weather and Sports - Lewiston, ID

The organization, according to it's website, promotes the idea that you can be good without a belief in God.
http://www.klewtv.com/news/local/69923882.html?mobile=y

Peluso favors teaching creationism alongside evolution | Tampa Bay Times

"I think creationism and evolution should be taught side by side and I don't care what classroom," he said in response to a question at a public forum held by the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club in St. Petersburg.

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook/peluso-favors-teaching-creationism-alongside-evolution/2191956

Mobile County Commission won't hear on displays for atheists, Pagans, keeps 'In God We Trust' | AL.com

"Atheists comprise about 10 percent of the citizens of the county, a group larger than every non-Christian demographic combined," he said. "We have an equal interest in representation and treatment by this governing body."

http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2014/08/sparks_fly_in_the_name_of_god.html

Values Voters: Evangelicals, Religious Values, and Government

Conservative evangelical Christians often use the label 'values voters' to describe those who vote on the basis of religious values. At least, that's what they would like everyone to think - the label sounds nice and broad, but it incorrectly assumes that all religious believers not only have the same values, but also the same ideas about how those values should be reflected in public policy.

http://atheism.about.com/od/religiousright/fl/Values-Voters-Evangelicals-Religious-Values-and-Government.htm

Light Pollution And ‘The End Of Night’ (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Evening falls, and then night, and we look up into that nighttime sky, in all its glory, and see… well, there was a time when we all saw a slew of stars and planets and galaxies.
These days, many, most, are likely to look up and see reflected man-made light from street lights and gas stations, shopping centers and parking lots.  Blazing away.  Banishing the dark.
We’ve lost the dark – the true dark – says my guest today, Paul Bogard.  And with it, true night.  And, he says, there are consequences.
This hour, On Point:  our vanishing darkness and the end of night./Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/08/16/end-of-night

Why We Lie (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Humans lie.  Humans cheat.  We don’t like to think of ourselves as liars and cheaters.  Most of us resist getting flagrant there.  And yet, we all know how that little fudge factor can creep in.  The little cheat.  The little lie.  And sometimes big ones. Why do we do it?  When do we do it?  And what restrains us from doing it a whole lot more?  Behavioral economist Dan Ariely has been looking deeply into the land of lies.  He’s got some new insight on how we try to do right, when we fail to do right. This hour, On Point:  Why we lie.  Why we cheat. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/07/16/science-of-lying

Warren Mosler - Soft Currency Economics - Need for Larger Deficits and Lower Taxes

"Speech by Warren Mosler, author of Soft Currency Economics and The 7 Deadly Innocent Frauds of Economic Policy, explaining that capitalism is driven by spending and an hour of productivity lost by a person willing and able to work but unable to find a job is an hour of economic productivity that lost forever. It can never be recovered. he discusses the need to lower taxes and increase fiscal spending. Those that discuss the need for austerity have no real understanding of capitalism and how monetary policy operates..."

http://youtu.be/1AyT9zftNrE

Week In The News: US Action In Iraq, Ceasefire Broken, Ebola Spreads (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

American airstrikes and humanitarian aid, on in Iraq today.  Ordered by the President whose number one push was to get the US out of Iraq.  Gaza conflict, back on after a 72-hour ceasefire.  Russian troops massed again on the border of Ukraine.  Ebola spreading in Africa, and being treated in the USA.  A top US general, shot in Afghanistan.  A record hack on Internet passwords.  A record fine on corporate America.  What a week.  We’ve had African leaders in Washington.  A water ban in Toledo. This hour, On Point: our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/08/08/week-in-the-news-ceasefire-ebola-russia

Friday News Roundup - Domestic (Diane Rehm Show)

President Barack Obama signs the VA reform bill. Republican primaries are held in five states. And former White House Press Secretary James Brady dies at 73. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.
 

Interview:

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-08-08/friday-news-roundup-domestic

 

 

Friday News Roundup - International (Diane Rehm Show)

A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories: The U.S. begins airstrikes in northern Iraq against Islamic militants. U.S. food aid is dropped to refugees after Sunni radicals capture a strategic dam in Mosul. Israel and Hamas resume attacks after a three-day cease fire in Gaza. Presidential rivals in Afghanistan sign a unity government agreement. The World Health Organization declares a global emergency as Ebola continues to spread in West Africa.
 

Interview:

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-08-08/friday-news-roundup-international

 

 

White House Gets In Tiff With Florida Over Obamacare Premium Increases

The White House seemed none too pleased this week when the Florida insurance regulator announced that insurance premiums under Obamacare would go up a... Read more

Link between vitamin D and dementia risk confirmed:

"...Vitamin D deficiency is associated with a substantially increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in older people, according to the most robust study of its kind ever conducted..."
Read more

16 year old took this picture. Quite amazing i must say.

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Police officer: Obama doesn't follow the Constitution so I don't have to either

"...Because if he doesn't follow the Constitution we don't have to..."
Read more

Study: White People Support Harsher Criminal Laws If They Think More Black People Are Arrested

Informing white people that African Americans are significantly over-represented in the prison population "may actually bolster ... Read more

Bank Of America’s $17 Billion Mortgage Crisis Settlement Could Be A Total Bust

"If you let a thief buy his way out of jail, you should really make sure the check doesn't bounce," a foreclosure activist ... Read more

North Carolina Governor Perpetuates Claim That Unaccompanied Children May Spread Disease

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory is just the latest politician to say that unaccompanied children may have communicable ... Read more

Tennessee Drug Tests Welfare Applicants, Discovers Less Than One Percent Use Drugs

That's a positive drug use rate of 0.12 percent, compared to an 8 percent illegal drug use rate for the state generally.The ... Read more

States Refusing To Expand Medicaid Will Forfeit More Than $400 Billion Over The Next Decade

If they stopped resisting Obamacare, they wouldn't miss out on that money.The post States Refusing To Expand Medicaid Will ... Read more

The New Hidden Soda Sweetener, Pt 1 - The Addictive New Ingredient Hiding in Your Food | The Dr. Oz Show

http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/addictive-new-ingredient-hiding-your-food

Mercury Levels In The Ocean Are Now 3 Times Higher Than Before The Industrial Revolution

The study also determined where the mercury was coming from: human activities, including burning fossil fuels like coal, and ... Read more

Humanists Raise Funds for Unaccompanied Illegal Minors’ Legal Representation | CNS News

"...Foundation Beyond Belief, the nation’s largest humanist charity organization, launched a campaign last month to raise money for the legal representation of “child refugees who have fled poverty and violence to reach the Southern border of the United States in recent months.”..."
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/melanie-hunter/humanists-raise-funds-unaccompanied-illegal-minors-legal-representation

Restaurant drops 'praying in public' discount after legal threat - News - The News & Advance

Mary’s Gourmet Diner has announced it will no longer offer occasional discounts to people who pray before eating, citing the threat of legal action.

http://www.newsadvance.com/work_it_lynchburg/news/restaurant-drops-praying-in-public-discount-after-legal-threat/article_74c7bb0a-1e18-11e4-84d4-0017a43b2370.html?mode=jqm

‘Christian’ Radio Host: Ebola Will ‘Solve America’s Problems Of Atheism And Homosexuality’

“Now this Ebola epidemic can become a global pandemic and that’s another name for plague. It may be the great attitude adjustment that I believe is coming… Ebola could solve America’s problems with atheism, homosexuality, sexual promiscuity, pornography and abortion.”

“If Ebola becomes a global plague, you better make sure the blood of Jesus is upon you, you better make sure you have been marked by the angels so that you are protected by God. If not, you may be a candidate to meet the Grim Reaper.”

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/08/07/christian-radio-host-ebola-will-solve-americas-problems-of-atheism-and-homosexuality/

Why Aren’t More Americans Atheists? - Nick Spencer - POLITICO Magazine

"...This political analysis of atheism also helps us understand the New Atheist spasm of recent years. In the last decades of the 20th century, history veered off script. The world stopped secularising, and some religious groups, most famously evangelicals in America and Shias in Iran—two groups not usually bracketed together—found a political voice that had heretofore been muted. The results were often troubling and sometimes grotesque, and all of a sudden the wells of moral indignation were overflowing once more. Today, atheism is resurgent, in America and elsewhere, confidently predicting God’s imminent death and uncritically retelling the creation myth of atheism’s progress on science’s back..."

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/08/why-arent-more-americans-atheists-109732.html#.U-O05mK9KSN