Daily Archives: March 20, 2009

A “Defamation of Religion” Ban? Philosopher AC Grayling Takes on the PC Speech Police at the United Nations

Today in the Guardian: Facts speak for themselves. Omid Reza Mir Sayafi, 29, a journalist and blogger, has taken his own life in Evin prison in Iran, where he was serving a two-year sentence for “insulting Ayatollahs Khomeini and Khamenei”, … Continue reading

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Happiness: Don’t Worry About the Quality, Focus on the Quantity? Gretchen Rubin Tries to Live a Happier Life by Counting Her Moments—Literally

At Slate.com, Gretchen Rubin has a way for increasing her happiness that works for her: [T]he fact is, if you want something to count in your life, it helps to figure out a way to count it. To put it another way, … Continue reading

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Andrew Sullivan Sasses Sarah Palin for Sassing Barack Obama Over His Special Olympics Joke

Today at the Daily Dish: The woman who used a Down Syndrome infant as a campaign prop attacks a presidential joke: “I hope President Obama’s comments do not reflect how he truly feels about the special needs community.” Why am I … Continue reading

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Philosopher Julian Baggini on Strident, Evangelical Atheism

Philosopher (and atheist) Julian Baggini does a thoughtful “take down” of strident, evangelical atheism of the Richard Dawkins variety here. Money quote: It is only because of historical accident that atheism is not widely recognised as a world-view in its own right. … Continue reading

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Bearing Witness to the Holocaust: The Story of Jadwiga Hassa

Jadwiga Hassa, a Christian woman who was part of the resistance against the Nazis in Poland, was arrested by the Gestapo and ultimately ended up in Ravensbrueck concentration camp. The U.S. Holocaust Museum photo archive tells her story this way: She … Continue reading

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Onward Christian Fascists? An Example of Christian and Fascist Syncretism in Nazi Germany, May, 1936

At the U.S. Holocaust Museum photo archive is a sobering front page of the anti-Semitic newspaper, Der Stuermer, from May, 1936, in which Christianity and fascist messages are blended. Here’s the Holocaust Museum’s catalog description of the image: Front page of the … Continue reading

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Keep Your Blinders on at All Times!

Chinese Buddhist Huang Po (circa 850 CE): The foolish reject what they see and not what they think; the wise reject what they think and not what they see. [Source: The Quotable Atheist, 156, Nation Books, 2007] English scientist James … Continue reading

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“The Key is the Starting Point”: Michael Shermer, of Skeptic Magazine, Interviews Dr. Georgia Purdom of the Creation Museum in Kentucky

Michael Shermer is the founding editor of Skeptic magazine. In the below clip, Shermer visits the young earth Creation Museum in Kentucky, and has a sit down in the cafeteria with Dr. Georgia Purdom. Dr. Purdom got her PhD in … Continue reading

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A Lover Not a Fighter: Obama Reaches Out to Iran

This blew me away. The tone is so refreshing—and different—from the previous administration:

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Obama Apologizes for Special Olympics Joke: “He expressed his disappointment and he apologized in a way that was very moving,” Said Tim Shriver, Special Olympics Chairman

So reports the Reno Gazette-Journal: Appearing on “The Tonight Show” Thursday, the president told host Jay Leno he’d been practicing at the White House’s bowling alley but wasn’t happy with his score of 129. Then he remarked: “It was like … Continue reading

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