The nurses and the doctor have been in jail since 1999 and were first sentenced to death in 2004.… Read the rest
All entries by this author
School Rejects Boy Named Hell 
Jul 10th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It’s German, it means ‘bright,’ but a Catholic school in Melbourne would prefer not to.… Read the rest
ALD is Much More Than an Aggregator
Jul 10th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It’s both a daily reminder of the riches available in the publications of the world and a map to finding those riches.… Read the rest
Doctors Can be Religious Loonies Too
Jul 10th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Now it seems that there really was a doctors’ plot in London and Glasgow.… Read the rest
Grayling on the Lunatic Fringe of Human Thought
Jul 10th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
That is why we see scores or hundreds murdered daily for sectarian reasons.… Read the rest
Evangelical Blogger Gets 100,000 Readers
Jul 10th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Brody occupies a position of influence in the 2008 presidential campaign. That’s unfortunate.… Read the rest
Summer Educational Program to Explore What Lies “Beyond Belief”
Jul 10th, 2007 | By Nathan BuppAmherst, New York—The Center for Inquiry (CFI), a secular humanist think tank located in Amherst, New York, has announced that it is offering a unique educational experience this summer called “Beyond Belief.” Taking a cue from the recent flood of highly popular books on atheism and unbelief, CFI hopes to bring something new to the cultural conversation by contributing in a positive and constructive way. Running July 5 through July 22, the three-week session will explore topics such as the future of unbelief, does one need God to be good, and the constructive role of doubt and science in everyday life.
“Atheism and doubt have become popular fare in the marketplace of ideas,” said R. Joseph Hoffmann, the vice president … Read the rest
Eagleton on Rushdie and Other Apostates
Jul 9th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
They used to be so cool, now they’re a bunch of Islamophobes; tut tut.… Read the rest
Just a note
Jul 8th, 2007 6:32 pm | By Ophelia BensonI’m here. (Where? Here. Where I said I’d be. At the Center for Inquiry, in Amherst, outside Buffalo, New York.) Jeremy’s here, Julian’s here, Joe Hoffman is here, Paul Kurtz (of course) is here, Tom Flynn, Nathan Bupp, and others. It’s good fun. I’ll tell you more later.… Read the rest
Irshad Manji on What Drives Suicide Bombers
Jul 8th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Why airbrush the role that religion plays in the violence carried out under its banner?… Read the rest
Woman Arrested for Having Ugly Lawn
Jul 8th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
70-year-old woman busted for failing to water lawn. Next up: felony conviction for not combing hair.… Read the rest
Johnston on Epistemology in Gaza
Jul 4th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘They weren’t interested in any kind of truth, they were interested in their world view being put over.’… Read the rest
It Was Like Being Buried Alive
Jul 4th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘I literally dreamed many times of being free and always woke up back in that room.’… Read the rest
Joan Smith on What Political Islam Hates
Jul 4th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Free women and homosexuals, mostly.… Read the rest
A little peace and quiet
Jul 4th, 2007 11:26 am | By Ophelia BensonB&W is going to fall silent or near-silent for awhile – until July 23d to be precise. I’m off to this Beyond Belief thing. I’d love to maintain B&W in the meantime but spyware ate my laptop two years ago, so I can’t, although Jeremy has kindly offered to let me use his when he’s not, so maybe I will be able to do a little.
So long!… Read the rest
Good news for a change
Jul 3rd, 2007 7:23 pm | By Ophelia BensonSo I flick to the World Service at 7 and hear that Alan Johnston was released an hour ago . Various people around here cheered rather noisily. I may have been one of them.
Barely had they told us that than he was on the line to tell us about it. It was horrible, ‘as you may imagine’ – in solitary confinement all that time with people who at intervals talked of killing him. He said at the very end they beat him – as they took him to the car to free him, apparently, they had to pound on him. It wasn’t nice.
And as he points out, he’s not the only one.
But anyway – he’s out. Yay.… Read the rest
NY Times on Alan Johnston
Jul 3rd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He was been the focus of a worldwide campaign by colleagues — Palestinian, Israeli and foreign. … Read the rest
The Guardian on Alan Johnston
Jul 3rd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Mr Johnston, the only western correspondent working full-time in Gaza, went missing on March 12.… Read the rest
This Just In: Alan Johnston is Free
Jul 3rd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Out of the blue’ an hour ago. I’m listening to him talk live on the World Service now.… Read the rest
Believers in a Vindictive God
Jul 3rd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The bish and the bomber both follow a god who kills people at random to make a point.… Read the rest
