09 February 2014

Link round-up for 9 February 2014

Unruly cat?  The Chinese can help.

This is me (found via Squatlo Rant).  And Bill Allyn speaks for me too.

Worthy advice.

Lisa McIntire probably won't accept this credit-card offer.

Yep, that's a big-ass spider (found via Mendip).

A childless couple's vacation pictures draw a weird response.

This was America, just fifty years ago.

Watch out!  Republicans are using fake Democratic websites to raise money (found via Fair and Unbalanced).

Tar sands or.....

The distribution of most- and least-religious states is about what you'd expect.

Free lunches, only for some.

In the Nye-Ham creationism debate, a poll at a Christian website gives the win to Nye, 92% to 8% (found via Lady Atheist).  Here are some messages from creationists.

Charming restaurant you got there.

The deficit under five Presidents -- the record is clear.

An Illinois Catholic bishop whines that the Church is "under persecution" as its power to enforce its taboos on public life is being curbed (found via Republic of Gilead).  But it still has far too much power over women's health care.

The latest teabagger loon threat to overthrow the government will succeed, because prayer.

Devout Catholics lionize a priest who excluded and humiliated a lesbian on the occasion of her mother's funeral (see comments).

The media distort the reality of abortion.

Conservatives still have a drink of their own (found via Squatlo Rant).

Mormonism makes the war on wanking literal with a ludicrous new video.

Obamacare is starting to have real effects in Kentucky.

Against abortion?  Support contraception.

Top bitcoin exchange MtGox freezes withdrawals "temporarily" -- $38 million has vanished and the company is in big trouble.  One bitcointard staged an expensive but futile protest.  The company that sells those "mining" computers is also failing to fill orders.  And Russia has joined the list of countries banning bitcoins.

A Republican Governor tries moderation and gets teabagged.

There's an irony in one of the objections to that multi-language "America the Beautiful" ad.

This is promising.

Bush still gets the blame for the bad economy.

An abortion-clinic escort speaks out (found via Republic of Gilead) -- I used to do this and it sounds like nothing has changed.

Will the US follow China's lead in dealing with water shortages?

Deregulation contributes to the global obesity problem.

The UN bluntly condemns the Catholic Church's shielding of child abusers.  The Church responds by bitching about interference and even persecution.

A British judge issues a summons to the head of the Mormon Church, for an interesting reason.

Scotland has legalized gay marriage.

A new study shows the Netherlands would be better off if it left the EU.

Most German and Swiss Catholics reject the Church's sexual taboos.

Spaniards protest a Church-driven threat to abortion rights.

A Ukrainian opposition journalist is found beaten and dumped in a ditch.

The Olympic opening snowflake-ring flub was censored from Russian TV (really? in the internet age, they think they can stop people from knowing about it?).  Real Russian gays are verboten (except dead ones), but ersatz lesbians are OK, and the gift shop looks just fabulous.  The overzealous surveillance is drawing unfortunate comparisons, while facilities are still a problem, including refreshments, and toilets which can be hard to leave.  And if these chairs are for the Olympic judges, what's the sport?

Victims of Putin's Folly include many stray dogs.

Iranian author Azar Nafisi talks about literature and freedom.

AIPAC abandons the effort to sabotage the Iran nuclear deal.

Saudi Arabia now defines almost all opposition to the regime as "terrorism".

East Asia could learn something from World War I.

Here are some recent Islamic contributions to science.

Rabbits and myxoma illustrate rapid evolution (note: gruesome imagery).

Tim McGaha looks at some recent triumphs in Solar System exploration.

Neanderthal DNA may have influenced some human traits.

6 Comments:

Blogger Ranch Chimp said...

I still need to come back and browse more of these link's, but wanted to tell ya before I forget, that when I seen the contribution's to "science" thing by Islam you wrote on the link, I actually took it serious and said "... WTF ...?", but then when I seen it started to laugh {: )

That Progressive Eruptions thing about not to buy Negro records like back 50 year's ago ... I thought ... " ... oh shit, I done f'd up ... " ... no I never knew about that, but Elvis fell into that category too, because they protested his record's and compared him to a Negro. But the reason, is because my first record's I owned (which also had some influenece on my like of upbeat tempo's and such in music) were 45 rpm record's of James Brown, and it was exactly 50 year's ago ... imagine that ... umm, umm, umm ... time sure flies I reckon {: )

Yeah ... I heard that PDX got hammered the other day with snow, they showed folk's off of downtown Portland actually skiing on the news! Wonder what that ole boy with the bagpipes on the 1- wheel cycle was doin in that? {: ) Can you believe there's another f'n cold front (3rd) coming down again?! Geeeezz! My neighbour Bill (from the South Bronx) goes to PDX this morning for 2/ 3 weeks (lucky dawg)to wifi wire some hotel room's in your town, but I gave him a lil rundown on Portland since he never been there .... Great Town!

Just a few thing's to bring up at first, Thanx fer da linx. As MacArthur said in the Philippines ... "I shall return"

09 February, 2014 05:01  
Blogger Shaw Kenawe said...

Well I'm not going NEAR that "big-ass" spider link, but I did copy the Putie Cutie pic for inclusion at my blog.

Thank you again for all the research that goes into these links.

Olympic judges chair @toilet: Speed pooping?

09 February, 2014 07:57  
Blogger Infidel753 said...

Ranch: Religion meddling in science never comes out well. I wonder if the Saudi national airline ever had problems being required to believe the Earth is flat.

I don't know what today's conservatives think of black music, but they sure don't seem to like having a black President.

The snow here actually isn't too bad, just an inch or two deep. Driving in it goes OK. I haven't tried unicycling.

Shaw: The big-ass spider is actually kind of funny, but not for all tastes, I suppose.

I suspect that Putin picture is punishable by death in Russia, but luckily we're not in Russia.

There seems to be no end to amazing toilet pictures from Sochi. What were they thinking?

09 February, 2014 08:09  
Blogger Robert the Skeptic said...

I agree with the Jerry A. Coyne article when he says: "...debates are not the place to resolve scientific issues, and only give credibility to creationists." Prior to the debate I got into a discussion with other non-believers on Reddit about this issue. Richard Dawkins has made a similar point to not debate creationists for this very reason. Studies have shown that facts do not change people's minds but instead cause them to intrench their beliefs further. Scientists now need to make very public statements that they will not debate Climate Change, Creationism or the existence of Big Foot or unicorns. This needs to get hammered relentlessly that Creationism does not rise to the level of being worth discussing.

Regarding the "slut" credit card offer, it's too bad Lisa didn't return the application and see if BofA would have gone so far as to issue a credit card in that name. I have been getting credit card offers for over a decade in the name of some jumble of my wife's and my name. I return them to sender with "no person exists" but to no avail. And people gripe that government is inept and inefficient!

09 February, 2014 14:04  
Blogger Infidel753 said...

I'm with Dawkins on that too. Debating these issues just gives uninformed people the impression that there's still a debatable issue when there isn't.

One would hope that filled-out credit-card applications are reviewed by a human at some point. Eventually it's going to dawn on these huge anonymous companies that use unreviewed mailing lists that the practice makes them vulnerable to mistakes (or sabotage).

10 February, 2014 11:22  
Blogger Murr Brewster said...

Once again I come here to find out what I should be reading. So very nice of you to do all that legwork for me. Mwah.

11 February, 2014 11:12  

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