Bush Plan Seeks Billions More for Iraq - "President Bush is sending Congress a $2.9 trillion budget that would provide billions of dollars for the war in Iraq, make his first-term tax cuts permanent and achieve a budget surplus three years after he leaves office."
Soldiers in Iraq view troop surge as a lost cause - ""To be honest, it's going to be like this for a long time to come, no matter what we do," said Hardy, 25, of Atlanta. "I think some people in America don't want to know about all this violence, about all the killings. The people back home are shielded from it; they get it sugar-coated.""
Press Wonders: Is White House Cooking Books on Iran Now? - "After being criticized for years for not persistently pressing claims of Iraqi WMDs before the war, reporters are proving more skeptical now about administration claims over the alleged Iran threat."
U.S. can't prove Iran link to Iraq strife - "Bush administration officials acknowledged Friday that they had yet to compile evidence strong enough to back up publicly their claims that Iran is fomenting violence against U.S. troops in Iraq."
Loss for Holocaust hoax site - "A FAR-RIGHT Christian group has been ordered to remove from its website a hate-filled newsletter that refers to the "Holocaust hoax" and claims Jews have "monopolistic control" over the world's media and film."
The Evangelical War on Science - "The "secular progressive" War on Christmas has nothing on the evangelical War on Science." -- Check out the video.
Losing My Religion - "However, I do feel an obligation to take an aggressive and even an evangelistic approach to debunking religious claims on some level, especially God's very existence. Most non-believers simply do not believe nor do they give it any thought. The believers out there who go to church and pray in order to find happiness, guidance and support are fine. But the fundamentalists who are intolerant to others who do not share their worldview, move me to action. There is a huge difference between a belief and a fact, and these people often confuse their beliefs with facts."
Will Canadian secularism spread south of the border? - "Canada's turn from being distinctly Christian to decidedly secular may hold lessons for its more religious neighbor, the United States."
Religious captivity in the secular state - "You’re an atheist. Would you want to give all your private details - bank accounts, date of birth, job applications, positions held, educational status, assets (if any), marital status, number of children, number of dependents and any other personal data to the Salvation Army? You’re a committed Buddhist. Would you choose to reveal your personal information to the Catholic Church? You’re a Methodist. Would you want the Anglicans to know all your private business? No? Then make sure you hang on to your job and don’t become unemployed. Put up with whatever conditions your employer imposes or, like every other Australian dependent upon CentreLink because out of work, you’ll be hooked up to a church agency and obliged to disclose everything."
French schools swamped by books challenging evolution - "Tens of thousands of French schools and universities have received copies of a Turkish book refuting Darwin's theory of evolution and describing it as "the true source of terrorism.""
An atheist has values that sound familiar - "The most common criticism about atheists is that without belief in God, we have no ethics or morals. A recent letter to the editor said, "No system of ethics ... can stand alone. To make [ethics] understandable to a child, it must be clothed in religious terms, such as having an omniscient, omnipotent father in Heaven." I completely disagree. ... That is why I want people to know I'm an atheist. I encourage other atheists and agnostics to make their views known. This won't change our reputations overnight. But every time someone says, "Well, I have a friend who's an atheist ..." it's a step in the direction of tolerance, and that's a value I hold dear."
State Constitutions that Discriminate Against Atheists - "Texas State Constitution ... "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being."" -- There are 8 other states listed.
Pope says traditional family in 'crisis' - "A debate is raging in predominantly Catholic, socially conservative, Italy as the government prepares to put forward a bill later this month to grant legal status to unmarried couples regardless of sexual orientation. The plan has been repeatedly attacked by the right-wing opposition as well as the Vatican, which has been accused of meddling in the nation's political affairs." -- It's called "traditional family" because that's what it is...a tradition.
Pope says compassion no excuse for euthanasia - "Pope Benedict on Sunday renewed his appeal to Catholics to reject abortion and euthanasia, saying life was God-given and could not be cut short under "the guise of human compassion"." -- But what about those who believe there is no God?
Would you pledge your virginity to your father? - "It’s like a wedding but with a twist: Young women exchange rings, take vows and enjoy a first dance…with their dads. “Purity balls” are the next big thing in the save-it-till-marriage movement. Smart or scary?"
White House Rejects Mandatory CO2 Caps - "Despite a strongly worded global warming report from the world's top climate scientists, the Bush administration expressed continued opposition Friday to mandatory reductions in heat-trapping "greenhouse" gases."
The Whole Solar System is Undergoing Global Warming. - "This is a fact that not many people know about, and quite a few people, would like that there was no evidence to back this fact, because some people would like the world to believe that human activity is the cause for global warming on Earth. I am not advocating that releasing harmful gases, and chemicals in the oceans and atmosphere are good, but after a few years of research, I have come to understand that global warming is happening in the Solar System, not just on Earth. Some people just want to listen to what some environmentalists are claiming, that global warming is happening because of human activity, and we are the cause for the extreme changes in climate we have been seeing lately getting worse and worse. I will let now the facts speak for themselves as to what is really happening."
Cervical cancer vaccine meeting roadblocks - "Pediatricians, in particular, are rebelling, fed up after years of declining insurance reimbursement for vaccines, an explosion of new vaccines and fast-escalating vaccine prices."
Texas governor orders anti-cancer vaccine for schoolgirls - "Bypassing the Legislature, Republican Gov. Rick Perry signed an order Friday making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls get vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer."
Thousands of new sea species found - "A French-led marine expedition team has discovered what is believed to be thousands of new species of molluscs and crustaceans around a Philippine island."
Over 100 fossilised eggs of dinosaur found in MP - "In a remarkable feat, three amateur explorers have stumbled upon more than 100 fossilised eggs of dinosaurs in Madhya Pradesh."
No Big Bang? Endless Universe Made Possible by New Model - "A new cosmological model demonstrates the universe can endlessly expand and contract, providing a rival to Big Bang theories and solving a thorny modern physics problem, according to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill physicists."
Indie Music Takes on the Majors - "Tommy Boy Records' Tom Silverman has said that independent record labels are responsible for 30 percent of music sales and 80 percent of all releases worldwide. If indie music were a major label, it would be the biggest in the world -- and in a way, that's what's about to happen."
Cost of making the penny pinches Mint - "The cost of minting a penny is now more expensive than the coin is worth, once again raising the possibility that it is headed toward extinction."
Nearly half of teens exposed to porn online - "About 4 in every 10 American youths age 10 to 17 report they've seen pornography while on the Internet, according to a study published Monday. Two-thirds of them say it was uninvited."
Sexpresso coffee shops take Seattle by storm - "Welcome to "sexpresso" - the latest coffee fad to hit America, in which the country's seemingly boundless fascination for Italian-style Java is combined with its equally boundless fascination for half-naked women."
Soldiers in Iraq view troop surge as a lost cause - ""To be honest, it's going to be like this for a long time to come, no matter what we do," said Hardy, 25, of Atlanta. "I think some people in America don't want to know about all this violence, about all the killings. The people back home are shielded from it; they get it sugar-coated.""
Press Wonders: Is White House Cooking Books on Iran Now? - "After being criticized for years for not persistently pressing claims of Iraqi WMDs before the war, reporters are proving more skeptical now about administration claims over the alleged Iran threat."
U.S. can't prove Iran link to Iraq strife - "Bush administration officials acknowledged Friday that they had yet to compile evidence strong enough to back up publicly their claims that Iran is fomenting violence against U.S. troops in Iraq."
Loss for Holocaust hoax site - "A FAR-RIGHT Christian group has been ordered to remove from its website a hate-filled newsletter that refers to the "Holocaust hoax" and claims Jews have "monopolistic control" over the world's media and film."
The Evangelical War on Science - "The "secular progressive" War on Christmas has nothing on the evangelical War on Science." -- Check out the video.
Losing My Religion - "However, I do feel an obligation to take an aggressive and even an evangelistic approach to debunking religious claims on some level, especially God's very existence. Most non-believers simply do not believe nor do they give it any thought. The believers out there who go to church and pray in order to find happiness, guidance and support are fine. But the fundamentalists who are intolerant to others who do not share their worldview, move me to action. There is a huge difference between a belief and a fact, and these people often confuse their beliefs with facts."
Will Canadian secularism spread south of the border? - "Canada's turn from being distinctly Christian to decidedly secular may hold lessons for its more religious neighbor, the United States."
Religious captivity in the secular state - "You’re an atheist. Would you want to give all your private details - bank accounts, date of birth, job applications, positions held, educational status, assets (if any), marital status, number of children, number of dependents and any other personal data to the Salvation Army? You’re a committed Buddhist. Would you choose to reveal your personal information to the Catholic Church? You’re a Methodist. Would you want the Anglicans to know all your private business? No? Then make sure you hang on to your job and don’t become unemployed. Put up with whatever conditions your employer imposes or, like every other Australian dependent upon CentreLink because out of work, you’ll be hooked up to a church agency and obliged to disclose everything."
French schools swamped by books challenging evolution - "Tens of thousands of French schools and universities have received copies of a Turkish book refuting Darwin's theory of evolution and describing it as "the true source of terrorism.""
An atheist has values that sound familiar - "The most common criticism about atheists is that without belief in God, we have no ethics or morals. A recent letter to the editor said, "No system of ethics ... can stand alone. To make [ethics] understandable to a child, it must be clothed in religious terms, such as having an omniscient, omnipotent father in Heaven." I completely disagree. ... That is why I want people to know I'm an atheist. I encourage other atheists and agnostics to make their views known. This won't change our reputations overnight. But every time someone says, "Well, I have a friend who's an atheist ..." it's a step in the direction of tolerance, and that's a value I hold dear."
State Constitutions that Discriminate Against Atheists - "Texas State Constitution ... "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being."" -- There are 8 other states listed.
Pope says traditional family in 'crisis' - "A debate is raging in predominantly Catholic, socially conservative, Italy as the government prepares to put forward a bill later this month to grant legal status to unmarried couples regardless of sexual orientation. The plan has been repeatedly attacked by the right-wing opposition as well as the Vatican, which has been accused of meddling in the nation's political affairs." -- It's called "traditional family" because that's what it is...a tradition.
Pope says compassion no excuse for euthanasia - "Pope Benedict on Sunday renewed his appeal to Catholics to reject abortion and euthanasia, saying life was God-given and could not be cut short under "the guise of human compassion"." -- But what about those who believe there is no God?
Would you pledge your virginity to your father? - "It’s like a wedding but with a twist: Young women exchange rings, take vows and enjoy a first dance…with their dads. “Purity balls” are the next big thing in the save-it-till-marriage movement. Smart or scary?"
White House Rejects Mandatory CO2 Caps - "Despite a strongly worded global warming report from the world's top climate scientists, the Bush administration expressed continued opposition Friday to mandatory reductions in heat-trapping "greenhouse" gases."
The Whole Solar System is Undergoing Global Warming. - "This is a fact that not many people know about, and quite a few people, would like that there was no evidence to back this fact, because some people would like the world to believe that human activity is the cause for global warming on Earth. I am not advocating that releasing harmful gases, and chemicals in the oceans and atmosphere are good, but after a few years of research, I have come to understand that global warming is happening in the Solar System, not just on Earth. Some people just want to listen to what some environmentalists are claiming, that global warming is happening because of human activity, and we are the cause for the extreme changes in climate we have been seeing lately getting worse and worse. I will let now the facts speak for themselves as to what is really happening."
Cervical cancer vaccine meeting roadblocks - "Pediatricians, in particular, are rebelling, fed up after years of declining insurance reimbursement for vaccines, an explosion of new vaccines and fast-escalating vaccine prices."
Texas governor orders anti-cancer vaccine for schoolgirls - "Bypassing the Legislature, Republican Gov. Rick Perry signed an order Friday making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls get vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer."
Thousands of new sea species found - "A French-led marine expedition team has discovered what is believed to be thousands of new species of molluscs and crustaceans around a Philippine island."
Over 100 fossilised eggs of dinosaur found in MP - "In a remarkable feat, three amateur explorers have stumbled upon more than 100 fossilised eggs of dinosaurs in Madhya Pradesh."
No Big Bang? Endless Universe Made Possible by New Model - "A new cosmological model demonstrates the universe can endlessly expand and contract, providing a rival to Big Bang theories and solving a thorny modern physics problem, according to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill physicists."
Indie Music Takes on the Majors - "Tommy Boy Records' Tom Silverman has said that independent record labels are responsible for 30 percent of music sales and 80 percent of all releases worldwide. If indie music were a major label, it would be the biggest in the world -- and in a way, that's what's about to happen."
Cost of making the penny pinches Mint - "The cost of minting a penny is now more expensive than the coin is worth, once again raising the possibility that it is headed toward extinction."
Nearly half of teens exposed to porn online - "About 4 in every 10 American youths age 10 to 17 report they've seen pornography while on the Internet, according to a study published Monday. Two-thirds of them say it was uninvited."
Sexpresso coffee shops take Seattle by storm - "Welcome to "sexpresso" - the latest coffee fad to hit America, in which the country's seemingly boundless fascination for Italian-style Java is combined with its equally boundless fascination for half-naked women."
Quote of the Day
"The world holds two classes of men - intelligent men without religion, and religious men without intelligence."
~ Abu'l-Ala-Al-Ma'arri (973-1057)
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