DN Speak

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

The Social Doctrine of the Church

Pope Francis Tuesday on the rights of the poor: "If I talk about this, some will think that the pope is communist. They don't understand that love for... Read more

Obama Seeks To Calm Ebola Panic: We Will Defeat It 'Based On The Science'

President Barack Obama on Tuesday told Americans that the United States will defeat the Ebola virus and prevent an outbreak at home by acting "based o... Read more

Sarah Palin: Despite The 'Haters' I May Run For Office Again

Sarah Palin said on Tuesday that despite the "haters," she may consider another run for political office. Read More -> ... Read more

McConnell: 'No One Thinks' A GOP Senate Could Repeal Obamacare

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) downplayed the prospects of repealing Obamacare if Republicans win control of the Senate next week, whic... Read more

Three Airlines In Australia Just Inadvertently Demonstrated That Carbon Taxes Work

When the tax passed, all three airlines said they'd have to hike their ticket prices. Now that Australia has repealed the ... Read more

"Big Lying Liar" Chris Christie

"I want to zoom in on something Chris Christie said yesterday. Because it's such an obvious lie about such an important topic that it deserves attentio..." Read more

Scientists Discover Huge ‘Bathtub Ring’ Of Oil On Sea Floor From BP Spill

Scientists have discovered yet another unforeseen effect of BP's historic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.The post Scientists ... Read more

Georgians Occupy Secretary of State’s Office To Protest Voter Suppression: ‘Let Us Vote’

"We are here to stop an election from being stolen," said Georgia NAACP President Francys Johnson. The post Georgians Occupy ... Read more

Cigarette Plant Will Be Turned Into A Factory For Solar And Wind Farm Batteries

Deep in tobacco country, the once booming Phillip Morris cigarette plant in Concord, North Carolina has been reborn into a ... Read more

Oil Industry Spending Big In North Dakota To Oppose Saving Money For Conservation

Measure 5 is the "fiscally conservative way to conserve," but the oil industry still wants to quash it. The post Oil Industry ... Read more

God is Not a Magician With A Magic Wand

On Monday, when Pope Francis addressed prelates and scientists attending a plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, he yet again challen... Read more

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

Every interview on FOX.

'The Dictator' (Beautiful Panoramic of a sunset in the Icelandic Highlands). Photo by Max Rive. [OS] [1600×686].

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Sugar

Sugar. It's in everything!
Is it good for us? Well, the sugar industry thinks so.

Read more

Shigar, Skardu, Pakistan [1000x667] by Yasir Nisar

Probably the most biodiverse area in the world. Grassland, sandy desert, rocky cliffs and snowcapped mountains all in one frame.
Read more

How to Have a Conversation With Well-Meaning People

We all have our family of origin, and then we have our family of friends. It's one of the great perks of adulthood -- you get to pick a second family ... Read more

With Just A Hug, Obama Destroys Republican Fear-Mongering Over Ebola

"A strong leader leads by example!" "Obama's nothing but a big wuss!" "Obama's terrified wussiness will embolden our enemies!" Okay then, Conservative... Read more

The Project 2017: GOP ACA Replacement They Don't Want You To See

During his debate with Alison Lundergan Grimes, Mitch McConnell stumbled around with his answer to what he would do with the Affordable Care Act. Whil... Read more

How Cheap Wind Energy Threatens To Upend The Kansas Governor’s Race And Upset The Koch Brothers

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback once supported wind energy, but that was before petrochemical billionaires and Kansas natives ... Read more

How Stock Market Rallies Are Screwing Over Average Americans

The wealthiest are able to capitalize on market lows and are more likely to benefit from highs, increasing inequality.The post ... Read more

Kansas Governor Is Forcing Disabled People Off Medicaid

People with disabilities are losing life-sustaining services after Kansas became the first state to privatize Medicaid.The post ... Read more

Spring Heat Wave In Australia Breaks Records Across The Country

Temperatures reached as high as 108.6°F this weekend. The post Spring Heat Wave In Australia Breaks Records Across The Country ... Read more

New Study: Global Warming Has Doubled The Risk Of Extreme Winters In Europe

By melting Arctic sea ice cover, global warming actually shifts air circulation in the northern hemisphere, causing cold Arctic ... Read more

Washington Post Runs Pro-ALEC, Anti-Science Op-Ed From Inhofe Ally Carly Fiorina

The Washington Post claims it wants to improve the climate change dialogue. If so, it should never have published Carly ... Read more

Monday, October 27, 2014

Atheist Target Alabama School After Baptism On Football Field After A Practice

"...A separate social media message from Hall that was posted to Facebook is also cited in the FFRF. He wrote, “Man I love that God allows me to do what I do! Baptized players today after practice.” This post also includes photos of the baptisms..."

http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/atheist-target-alabama-school-after-baptism-on-football-field-after-a-practice-94000/

Godless millennials could end the political power of the religious right

"...Millennials view religious demands for the oppression of LGBT people to be a bizarre and offensive anachronism. And as the major denominations vocally assert that opposing equal rights for LGBT people is a nonnegotiable condition of membership in the Church of Not-Gay, young people are driven away in greater and greater numbers..."

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/26/millennials-godless-politics-religous-conservatives

The Church Isn’t Too Good at Introspection

"...There’s one causal factor, however, that goes virtually unmentioned in all these articles, even though the data suggests it’s the most important. As Pew’s 2009 Faith in Flux study found, over thirty million Americans are ex-Catholics, and of those: “Two-thirds of former Catholics who have become unaffiliated… say they left their childhood faith because they stopped believing in its teachings”...

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/daylightatheism/2013/02/the-church-isnt-too-good-at-introspection/

the Matterhorn from the less visited Italian side in Valle d'Aosta. [OC] [2399x1928]

free laundry service for homeless people, thanks to two 20 year olds

Two 20 year old guys from Brisbane, Australia have taken it upon themselves to create a charity (Orange Sky Laundry) and build a van that offers a free mobile laundry service to the Australian Homeless. They've now officially been washing clothes for a month. Read more

Hillary Clinton Tells The Truth At Coakley Campaign Rally: Right Wing Heads Explode

Hillary Clinton was out campaigning for Massachusetts Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley in downtown Boston this Friday, and some remar... Read more

Tens Of Thousands Of Voter Registrations Have Mysteriously Vanished In Georgia

A court could decide any day now whether tens of thousands of Georgia voters can cast a ballot this November, a choice that could sway the outcome of the state’s neck-and-neck races for Governor and Senator. ... Read more

Holy Wingnuts! This Week's Wacky Religious Rants About Gays and Atheists

The religious right is losing ground quickly ... and this is forcing them to resort to dishonest tactics.
... Read more

Allies of Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback Viciously Attack LGBT Rights As Marriage Ruling Nears

Another sign of why Brownback is one of the nation's most extremist Republicans.
... Read more

Katha Pollitt: Ending a Pregnancy Is a Common, Normal Event in Women's Lives—Let's Talk About It That Way

We need to see abortion as an urgent practical decision that is just as moral as the decision to have a child.
... Read more

5 Craziest Right-Wing Moments this Week: Christian Celeb’s Bonkers Ideas about Halloween

Fox Newser Kimberly Guilfoyle: Young women should not vote or serve on juries. ... Read more

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Katha Pollitt: “Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights” (Diane Rehm Show)

One in three American women will terminate a pregnancy by age 45. Yet, few issues remain as contentious as abortion. Even those who support it qualify their position by saying it’s “a bad thing” or “an agonizing decision.” In a new book, feminist writer Katha Pollitt argues it doesn’t have to be this way. “Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights,” is an impassioned attempt to re-frame the debate. She claims that abortion opponents have gained ground in part because the “pro-choice” movement has failed to make its case. She calls abortion a “moral right” and a “social good,” saying it should be seen as a normal part of a woman’s reproductive life.

Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-10-08/katha-pollitt-pro-reclaiming-abortion-rights

Leon Panetta: “Worthy Fights: A Memoir Of Leadership In War And Peace” (Diane Rehm Show)

Leon Panetta has held high-level posts under three presidents: Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. He spent more than a dozen years in Congress, and served as defense secretary, CIA director and White House chief of staff. He has witnessed the inner workings of the U.S. government, as well as the wider world from a height few reach. In a new memoir, Panetta does not hold back in his critique of many familiar names who have been in the national spotlight. He criticizes Obama for what he considers to be leadership failures, and he addresses challenges the nation faces at home and abroad.

Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-10-14/leon-panetta-worthy-fights-memoir-leadership-war-and-peace

"Fighting the Pledge in Schools", David Niose on Atheists Talk #286, October 19, 2014

David Niose is the past president of the American Humanist Association and legal director for the Appignani Humanist Legal Center. In 2012 and 2013 he argued in that a Massachusets law requiring teachers to lead the Pledge of Allegiance was unconstitutional under the Massachusets constitution. In May 2014, the Massachusets Supreme Judicial Court finally ruled against the interests of atheist students in the matter, but Niose remains interested in the topic.

This Sunday, he joins Scott Lohman to talk about the case; his upcoming book, Fighting Back the Right: Reclaiming America from the Attack on Reason; and the AHA 2015 National Conference.

Interview:
http://mnatheists.org/news-and-media/podcast/1006-fighting-the-pledge-in-schools-david-niose-on-atheists-talk-286-october-19-2014

"Accessible Philosophy for Everyone", Dan Fincke on Atheists Talk #278, August 10, 2014

Philosophy is a process of thinking critically that has been used by humans since before the Greeks used it to try to figure out how the world works and how best to live within it. It is the foundation of science, morality, and ethics and a means to satisfy our curiosity in a logical fashion. Recently a few well-known physicists have said that philosophy is unnecessary because now we have the means in our technological age to answer questions that metaphysicists attempted to resolve without fancy tools. Philosophy and science, however, are mutually dependent on each other.

Dan Fincke is a professor who has moved out of the university setting to teach philosophy online through Hangouts, making the vast field accessible to busy and curious and yearning people worldwide. He joins us to talk about all the whys and hows of his classes.

Interview:
http://mnatheists.org/news-and-media/podcast/992-dan-fincke-accessible-philosophy

mp3:
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Ask a Mortician: Caitlin Doughty on the Death Industry’s Dirty Secrets (Point of Inquiry)

Point of Inquiry welcomes Caitlin Doughty, creator of the cult classic web series Ask A Mortician, which gives unvarnished answers to questions about dead bodies and the death industry. Caitlin has tackled topics ranging from "What to say to a grieving person?" to "How could my titanium hip implant end up as part of a road sign in the Midwest?"

Caitlin is the author of the new book Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: and Other Lessons from the Crematory, the story of her stint as a crematory operator in Los Angeles. She went on to become a licensed mortician to launch a one-woman crusade to change our culture's attitudes about death.

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

The Sober Truth (FFRF)

Debunking the bad science behind twelve-step programs and the rehab industry.

Interview:
http://ffrf.libsyn.com/the-sober-truth

Week In The News: Terror In Canada, Midterm Horse Races, Remembering Ben Bradlee (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Gunfire in the halls of Canada’s parliament this week. And Ebola in New York. Canadians say “terrorism.” New York’s mayor says “no reason for alarm.” And again, we’re watching. We’ve got a leaked autopsy report from Ferguson, Missouri. Michael Brown. Close range. In the car. We’ve Turkey pushing the US to build a buffer zone with Syria. Billionaire millions pouring into the midterms. White House guard dogs taking down another fence jumper. Millions of airbags recalled. Watergate’s Ben Bradlee is gone. This hour On Point: Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines. / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/10/24/canada-terrorism-midterms-ben-bradlee

Friday News Roundup – Domestic (Diane Rehm Show)

A doctor in New York City has been diagnosed with Ebola after returning from treating patients in Guinea. Federal health officials announce they will begin monitoring travelers from West Africa for 21 days after their arrival in the U.S. for signs of the virus. A massive airbag recall that could affect nearly eight million U.S. cars is announced this week, with at least two deaths blamed on the defect. This year is projected to have the most expensive midterm election ever, set to cost nearly $4 billion. And legendary Washington post editor Ben Bradlee dies at age 93. The domestic hour of the Friday news roundup.

Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-10-24/friday-news-roundup-domestic

Friday News Roundup – International (Diane Rehm Show)

Canadian authorities said they still had no clear motive for a shooting rampage at Parliament. But a picture has emerged of the gunman as a troubled man who was frustrated by delays in his plans to go to Syria. Iraqis expressed relief that four former Blackwater security guards were convicted in a deadly Baghdad shooting. Hong Kong officials met with students for the first time since pro-democracy protests began. And the governor of the Mexican state where 43 students disappeared has resigned. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week’s top international news stories.

Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-10-24/friday-news-roundup-international