DN Speak

Monday, April 27, 2015

America’s Fracking Boom Spreads (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

The meltdown in Iraq right now hardly makes the Middle East look like a calm energy source. And the President’s big push for lower emissions at home will not be met by solar and wind alone. Far from it. This country is poised to go after a lot more domestic natural gas. And for better or worse, that means a lot more fracking. Call it mega-fracking. Many Americans have not taken onboard just how mightily this industry is gearing up for further vast growth, from well-head to transport to processing and pipelines. This hour On Point: future projection – fracking in overdrive. / Tom Ashbrook
Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/06/12/natural-gas-fracking-energy

The Science Of Being A Dad (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Father’s Day, coming up. Maybe it’s pancakes and a hug for Dad. For a long time now, the issues around Mom have had more attention. Dads were off working. Moms juggled the universe. Including work. But a raft of scientific studies have been steadily boring into the question of exactly how and where dads – fathers – have their impact in child-rearing and the home. In genetic legacies. In dad-style play and speech. In the onset of puberty, the family frame of mind, the biological impact of simple presence. This hour On Point: The science of fatherhood. How it works. The imprint it leaves. / Tom Ashbrook
Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/06/12/fathers-day-being-a-dad

"Conversion, Deconversion and Religious Indoctrination" Atheists Talk #78, Sunday August 8, 2010

Conversion is the process through which a person's orientation on religion changes. How do people turn from and to new religious groups, ways of life, systems of belief and modes of relating to a deity or a the nature of reality. Dr. Grant Steves will be with me in the studio to discuss faith, conversion and deconversion with a dollop of religious indoctrination.

Dr. Grant Steves is a member of the Minnesota Atheists. He has a doctorate in Theology, and is an atheist. Mike Haubrich is a director on the board of the Minnesota Atheists, a former Catholic and deconverted evangelical Christian.

Interview:
http://mnatheists.org/news-and-media/podcast/476-conversion-deconversion-and-religious-indoctrination-atheists-talk-78-sunday-august-8-2010

Fox's Jeanine Pirro Puts Her Clinton Derangement Syndrome On Full Display

If anyone was wondering if Fox's Jeanine Pirro was going to be able to seamlessly shift from her Obama Derangement Syndrome to full blown Clinton Dera... Read more

Ron Paul Stars In Extremists' New Movie

The Oathkeepers caught themselves a big fish when they interviewed Ron Paul for their latest film encouraging viewers to jump on the militia movement.... Read more

https://youtu.be/G_2JOKweoUc

Ted Cruz: 'Liberal Fascism' Threatens 'Religious Freedom'

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Saturday criticized Democrats for attacking religious freedom and alienating Christians in the U.S. "Today's Democratic Party... Read more

VIDEO: Police Celebrate, Joke After Allegedly Beating Man At Traffic Stop

Video obtained by a Detroit television station and published Sunday appeared to show police fist-bumping and imitating a man they'd allegedly beaten d... Read more

Cruz Vows To Do 'Everything Humanly Possible' To Sink Iran Nuclear Deal

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Republican luminaries and presidential hopefuls reiterated their support for Israel and skepticism about President Obama's proposed n... Read more

Fox Priest: A President Who Doesn't Fear 'Eternal Consequences' Is Hard To Trust

Fox News contributor Rev. Jonathan Morris said on Sunday, during an appearance on "Fox & Friends," that an atheist President would be hard to trust be... Read more

The 6 Wildest Comments From Iowa's GOP Cattle Call

Opposition to gay marriage and support for controversial religious freedom laws were the prime topics at the latest Republican Iowa Faith and Freedom Summit over the weekend...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/iowa-faith-and-freedom-summit-gay-marriage

75 Percent Of The World’s Extremely Hot Days Can Be Attributed To Climate Change

Climate change is already contributing to heat waves and torrential downpours, and these types of events will only worsen as ... Read more

29 Revealing Photos From This Weekend’s Anti-Gay March For Marriage

With about 6,000 in attendance, the 2015 "March for Marriage" was rife with religious rhetoric and very little concern for ... Read more

Bobby Jindal just splintered the GOP: The unholy alliance between Fox News and the 1 percent can no longer stand

"Wall Street and religious right were a winning team — for the rich. Now evangelicals want their share. Look out!"
http://www.salon.com/2015/04/26/bobby_jindal_just_splintered_the_gop_the_unholy_alliance_between_fox_news_and_the_1_percent_can_no_longer_stand/

Whine Festival: Second-Tier Religious Right Leaders Still Don’t Like Marriage Equality

A bunch of Religious Right zealots don't speak for God.The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral ... Read more

Ph.D students earning a degree in depression

"The largest source of anxiety for me is my job outlook. It is tremendously uncertain and thus fear-inducing," one anonymous graduate student said in their survey response...
Read more

"Darwin and the Holocaust:" Dr. Hector Avalos on Atheists Talk #87, Sunday, October 10, 2010

Dr. Hector Avalos is a Professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. He has been a great resource in analyzing and debunking the claims of Intelligent Design creationism. He sorts through the nonsense of poor scholarship and and misunderstanding of history in claims that the study of evolution has been responsible for evils in the world since Darwin's publication of On the Origins of the Species and The Descent of Man.

Dr. Avalos has written two books on religion, Fighting Words and The End of Biblical Studies. He has contributed two chapters to John Loftus' new book The Chrisitan Delusion. Avalos' chapter 8 "Yahweh is a moral monster" deals with the moral reprehensibility of the Yahweh character in The Bible, and his chapter 14 "Atheism was not responsible for the Holocaust" explains how a history of Christian anti-Judaism in Europe (including a terrifying screed by Martin Luther) far better explain the Holocaust than anythning that Charles Darwin may have inspired.
Interview:
http://mnatheists.org/news-and-media/podcast/501-qdarwin-and-the-holocaustq-dr-hector-avalos-on-atheists-talk-87-sunday-october-10-2010

"Koran Curious" CJ Werleman on Atheists Talk #132, September 11, 2011

On September 11, 2001 terrorists hi-jacked four planes and slammed into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center towers in New York City. This show will be on the tenth anniversary of that event, another in a series of events that "changed everything." It did bring more attention to Islam in the United States, in the form of bigotry and fear for people who have no understanding of this religion. It is a religion of peace, as much as Christianity and other religions. Islam is the invention of the prophet Muhammad, and is based largely on his interpretation of the Bible and the Gospels and re-interpreted for the Arabic world he sough to unite.

In our effort to promote the understanding of the religions we don't accept, we have invited CJ Werleman back on the show for a second interview. CJ has written a book to give some background and information on the Koran and Islam. The book is written in two parts. The first section is a biography of Muhammad. It follows his rise from a caravan merchant to the leader of the religion that dominates the Arab culture and has spread throughout the rest of the world. The second section contains excerpts from the Koran.
Interview:
http://mnatheists.org/news-and-media/podcast/644-koran-curious-cj-werleman-on-atheists-talk-132-september-11-2011

‘There Are Not Two Sides': Atheists Seek to Stop Teacher from Presenting Alternative to Evolution

...The organizations state that they were contacted by a family who takes issue that Pettenger presents both evolution and creation, they believe that only one side should be taught to students and that religion should be left out of the classroom. The letter outlines that Pettenger showed his students the Bill Nye/Ken Ham debate and had students provide summaries of creation beliefs from websites that disagree with evolutionary theory...
http://christiannews.net/2015/04/25/there-are-not-two-sides-atheists-seek-to-stop-teacher-from-presenting-alternative-to-evolution/

New study uncovers tobacco industry's attempts to tackle 'threat' of Islam to smoking

Researchers have found evidence of attempts by the tobacco industry to reinterpret Islamic teaching to make smoking acceptable to Muslims and to help develop markets in countries with large Muslim populations.
http://www.healthcanal.com/substance-abuse/62827-new-study-uncovers-tobacco-industry-s-attempts-to-tackle-threat-of-islam-to-smoking.html

Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups are on the increase

“They say, ‘We love our own people,’ but the reality seems to be that ‘we hate everybody else,’” Shelton said. “They say, ‘We’re just watching out for good white people,’ but it’s at the expense of everyone else.”...A cross lighting, he said, is “a Christian ceremony.”
“It’s very touching,” he said. “It’s almost like a revival at a church. You kind of come away feeling on fire for Christ, and you want to go out and spread the word.”...
http://lakeexpo.com/news/top_stories/ku-klux-klan-and-other-white-supremacist-groups-are-on/article_9120092a-eaa4-11e4-852f-47c45b68ef9f.html

Same-sex couples brace for Supreme Court decision

"It makes me angry," Haddad said. "If I am parenting equally in all ways, love and care and financially, I should be considered the other parent, especially if the child sees me as the other parent."
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/04/25/gay-couples-await-supreme-court-decision/26372481/

Should IRS crack down on politics in churches?

...The Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative group based in Arizona, sued the IRS this week to learn more about the agency’s election year plans. The lawsuit alleges the IRS is refusing to disclose details of an agreement it made with the Freedom from Religion Foundation, an atheist group, to enforce a law that would strip a church of its tax-exempt status if it were involved in obvious political activity...
http://www.kearneyhub.com/opinions/nationalview/should-irs-crack-down-on-politics-in-churches/article_34b7dae6-ea9f-11e4-b1ce-172c0bd4f637.html

Christie is Why I'm Voting For Hillary

GOP Systems & Policies like this are why I'm probably voting for Hillary Clinton.
http://youtu.be/xROLAPZXPpI

At last, Supreme Court hears same-sex marriage cases. Will history be made? (+video)

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear arguments on whether the Constitution requires state governments to license and recognize same-sex marriages... Read more

President Obama complete remarks at 2015 White House Correspondents' Dinner (C-SPAN)

https://youtu.be/NM6d06ALBVA

President Obama’s Top Ten Jokes From The 2015 White House Correspondents’ Dinner (VIDEO)

I think it's safe to say President Obama is, by far, one of the funniest presidents in history. Read more

If This Video Doesn’t Make You Support Marriage Equality, Nothing Will (VIDEO)

If you can watch this and not at least think about supporting marriage equality, there is no hope for you. Read more
"This vote is not just about Marriage Equality; it’s about the everyday homophobia and discrimination that is reinforced by a State which sees its LGBT citizens as lesser than others. "
https://youtu.be/Ug055ZyMjtM

3 Massive Issues That Prove The GOP Is Under Heavy Neo-Confederate Influence

We know the GOP is the party of the South, but are they also, really, the party of the neo-Confederates? Read more

How to Talk to Your Elderly Parent About the Dangers of Falling

Watching an elderly parent's health decline is never easy, but for many adult children like Patty Cicione of Norton, Mass., having conversations about... Read more

Chris Wallace Grills Author Of 'Clinton Cash’: ‘You Don’t Have A Single Piece Of Evidence’

Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday pointed out to conservative author Peter Schweizer that his new book failed to connect the dots between speaking... Read more

Man Punks Right Wing Media Bigs with Bogus Reid Story

A Las Vegas man claims that he concocted a bogus story about Harry Reid's brother beating up Reid to see whether he could get right-wing media outlets... Read more

It Will Catch Up with Him

At the end of last week we ran several stories on this fundraising dinner Ted Cruz in Manhattan (yes, he was there looking for money) hosted by two pr... Read more

Article: Putin accuses US of supporting separatists in Russia

The documentary showed Putin interviewed at the Kremlin in the dimly-lit St. Alexander's Hall. Putin said in the interview that Russian intelligence agencies had "intercepted direct contacts" between the separatists and U.S. intelligence officials in Azerbaijan during the early 2000s, proving that Washington was helping the insurgents...

http://flip.it/x6WPc

Obama Finally Gets Angry At Climate Science Deniers And It’s Hilarious

At the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner Saturday night in DC, President Obama used devastating humor to ... Read more

A Buckley Comes Out

If you had asked me a few years ago if I supported the freedom to marry, I'd have been one of many young Republicans at the time who'd have given you ... Read more

Scholars Who Think Gays Cause Abortions

On April 2, a group of 100 conservative lawyers and university professors filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court arguing, in part, that marriage... Read more

Why Are Gays Supporting Cruz? Israel.

If you've ever been to Fire Island Pines, one of the leading gay utopias on the planet, you know that there isn't much to do. There's only one commerc... Read more

Sunday, April 26, 2015

How the Trans Pacific Partnership Signals the Death of the Republic | Alternet

"The deal's proponents cannot see they are selling out U.S. sovereignty to foreign and multinational corporations..."http://www.alternet.org/economy/how-trans-pacific-partnership-signals-death-republic

Finally, a U.S. Bishop Is Punished

The resignation of Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri, last week is a watershed moment in the history of the Catholic Church: t... Read more

5 Wacky Conspiracy Theories From the Right About Hillary Clinton

The former secretary of state's critics have a whole new batch of molehills to try and make into mountains.
... Read more

Christian Right Bigots Destroyed LGBT Lives for Decades -- Now They Claim to be Victims?

Sorry guys, you are not victims. You never were.
... Read more

Why Do We Let New Atheists and Religious Zealots Dominate the Conversation About Religion? | Alternet

Note: I recommend reading the comments after this article.
The current argument leaves no room for the nuanced perspective.
http://www.alternet.org/belief/why-do-we-let-new-atheists-and-religious-zealots-dominate-conversation-about-religion

5 Ways It's Become a Crime to Be Poor in America, Punishable by Further Impoverishment

New report details perverse policies that are driving more people into hopeless, inescapable poverty.
... Read more

My First Male Mammogram

The person who collects my contact and insurance information at the local breast health center seems vaguely apologetic when she tells me that the mai... Read more

5 Most Insane Right-Wing Moments This Week: Calling on Jesus to Save Women from "Lesbianism"

And Megyn Kelly gets tough on college students. ... Read more

Why This Pastor Who Tried To Assassinate Hitler Has Become A Hero To The Anti-LGBT Movement

“Because of the trends and cultural shifts that we have witnessed in culture over the past 40 years, we have all known that this day would likely come and Christians would be put at odds with the culture and the courts,” Scarborough reportedly said. “I believe we are there. We are approaching a Bonhoeffer moment in America.”
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2015/04/14/3646532/conservatives-comparing-anti-lgbt-crusade-pastors-attempt-assassinate-hitler/