All entries by this author

Catholic Group Tries to Prosecute Parade *

Jul 24th, 2008 | Filed by

Catholic ‘civil rights’ group accuses organizers of gay pride parade of ‘inciting religious hatred.’… Read the rest



Aberystwyth Cleric Defends ‘Life of Brian’ Ban *

Jul 24th, 2008 | Filed by

Hasn’t seen it, says it was unpleasant then and still is, therefore should be banned.… Read the rest



Olivia Judson on Recent Evolutionary Change *

Jul 24th, 2008 | Filed by

Start with the evolution of beak size in finches in the Galápagos archipelago.… Read the rest



Michael Shermer on a Habit of Human Cognition *

Jul 24th, 2008 | Filed by

We have evolved brains that pay attention to anecdotes because false positives are usually harmless.… Read the rest



Universal or selective?

Jul 23rd, 2008 5:34 pm | By

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) begins with a preamble, the first clause of which says

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world…

The Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (CDHRI) also begins with a preamble; its first clause is quite different:

Reaffirming the civilizing and historical role of the Islamic Ummah which God made the best nation that has given mankind a universal and well-balanced civilization in which harmony is established between this life and the hereafter and knowledge is combined with faith; and the role that this Ummah should play to guide

Read the rest


Getting a Laugh From ‘World Youth Day’ *

Jul 23rd, 2008 | Filed by

The walls had collapsed. I was standing out in the open. It was very liberating. … Read the rest



Man, 64, Will Wait to Poke Bride, 10 *

Jul 23rd, 2008 | Filed by

He’s paid the SR100,000 but will wait until she’s 15. Lucky girl.… Read the rest



Hitchens Gets Himself Waterboarded *

Jul 23rd, 2008 | Filed by

Waterboarding used to be something that Americans were being trained to resist, not to inflict… Read the rest



Interview With Barbara Ehrenreich *

Jul 23rd, 2008 | Filed by

You could have sunny economic indicators but the population is so divided there’s not an average.… Read the rest



Karadzic as Dabic, Spiritual Explorer *

Jul 23rd, 2008 | Filed by

He was an expert in ‘human quantum energy’ and ‘a researcher in psychology and bio-energy.’… Read the rest



How special

Jul 22nd, 2008 3:30 pm | By

And then there’s Prince Charles’s surprise colleague.

Captured war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic was living in Serbia’s capital Belgrade and practising alternative medicine, Serb officials say. He was sporting a long white beard…

Good good; glad he looked the part. And so appropriate…’alternative medicine’ – yes that’s one of those ironic euphemisms that murdering bastards go in for, isn’t it, like Sonderbehandlung. Killing people wholesale is special handling all right, and it’s also alternative medicine, very alternative indeed. Very droll, Rado.

“He was involved with alternative medicine, earning his money from practising alternative medicine… he was working in a private practice.”…He even gave public lectures and was a regular contributor to Healthy Life magazine, editor Goran Kojic said.

Okay … Read the rest



Allah stop playing with your food

Jul 22nd, 2008 2:59 pm | By

Let’s see – fish? Check. Barrel? Check. Shooter? Check.

But what else can I do?

Diners have been flocking to a restaurant in northern Nigeria to see pieces of meat which the owner says are inscribed with the name of Allah. What looks like the Arabic word for God and the name of the prophet Muhammad were discovered in pieces of beef by a diner in Birnin Kebbi. He was about to eat it, when he suddenly noticed the words in the gristle, the restaurant owner said.

Ah, in the gristle – that’s a nice touch. I remember gristle from my childhood – I was always spitting it out, and having to be instructed in the polite way to … Read the rest



Why No Marx in Econ, No Freud in Psych? *

Jul 22nd, 2008 | Filed by

Because of ‘antihistorical imperatives’? Or for the same kind of reason Galen is not taught in med school?… Read the rest



Allah Autographs a Piece of Meat in Nigeria *

Jul 22nd, 2008 | Filed by

Diner was about to eat it, when he suddenly noticed the words in the gristle.… Read the rest



Pope Says No to EU Party Invitation *

Jul 22nd, 2008 | Filed by

Vatican is alarmed at putative ‘drift towards militant secularism.’ Cause and effect? Who knows.… Read the rest



‘Faith Leaders’ Exaggerate Hostility to Gays *

Jul 22nd, 2008 | Filed by

Report says believers are ‘significantly more moderate’ on homosexuality than is often alleged on their behalf. … Read the rest



Karadzic Was Practicing ‘Alternative Medicine’ *

Jul 22nd, 2008 | Filed by

What else is there to say?… Read the rest



Politicians and Diplomats Should Support ICC *

Jul 21st, 2008 | Filed by

To say diplomats and politicians alone should decide what to do about Sudan risks maintaining status quo.… Read the rest



DR Congo: Civilians Still Being Killed *

Jul 21st, 2008 | Filed by

Killing and rape in North Kivu continues at a horrifying rate despite signing of peace accord.… Read the rest



Pope Warns of ‘Spiritual Desert’ *

Jul 21st, 2008 | Filed by

This was shortly after apologizing for all that priestly groping.… Read the rest