14 August 2010

Link roundup for 14 August 2010

Ordering a vegetarian meal at a British airport may red-flag you as a terrorist (found via Mendip).

Businesswomen strike back against religious harassment.

Google isn't cool any more -- there's more to its evil than threats against net neutrality.

The trend towards public acceptance of gay marriage seems to be accelerating; one poll now shows support over 50%. Andrew Sullivan explains why court victories, so far from provoking a backlash, have helped public opinion along by exposing the weakness of opponents' case. George Takei comments (sent by Ranch Chimp).

Conservative legal doctrine on "standing" could ironically stymie the supporters of Proposition 8.

The Catholic Church has a new set of talking points on marriage.

Arisha Michelle Hatch has some powerful reflections on racism and gay equality.

Green Eagle has another wingnut wrapup.

Rand Paul is evasive on the "Aqua Buddha" story. More here.

Politics Plus and Jack Jodell clarify the issues surrounding the Bush tax cuts.

The Village Voice looks at right-wing revolutionaries (found via Green Eagle, who proudly points to a home-state example).

Unemployment varies dramatically by level of education.

I think the proposal for a gay bar near the Ground Zero mosque (or "institute" or whatever) is a good one. If the Muslims respond with bigoted outrage, it will remove all doubt about who the bad guys are; if they don't, it will show that the mosque is probably nothing to worry about.

Many family-values-preaching right-wingers are hypocrites. Newt Gingrich is merely more blatant about it.

Les Francis explains why this year's elections won't be a re-run of 1994.

Republicans' generic-ballot polling advantage is mostly confined to the South.

Obama could learn a political lesson from the British Conservative party, and it's not too late. Frank Rich has a slightly different take (found via Demwit).

Johann Hari celebrates the collapse of religion in Britain, but warns of the continuing threat posed by religious schools. Four Dinners comments here and I respond (see end of thread).

Austria, too, is seeing large-scale abandonment of religion.

Eastern Europe is recovering its history, but much remains to be done.

Islamotards hope that a new giant clock in Mecca will challenge GMT as the global time standard. PZ Myers has a few choice words.

Scientists at the University of South Florida say the government tried to suppress their findings on oil plumes in the Gulf of Mexico. Mother Jones has more on BP's secrets.

Having rejected evolution and anthropogenic global warming, the crackpot right is now targeting Einstein's theory of relativity. More at Politics Plus and Progressive Eruptions.

The approval of a new contraceptive shows that the FDA is getting back on track after the politicization of the Bush years.

"Biochar" could help fight global warming.

The US military is pushing to develop computers 1,000 times more powerful than today's best by 2018 (found via Mendip).

Alexandre Erler explains why the "tedium of immortality" is a non-issue.

6 Comments:

Blogger B.J. said...

I break out in hives if I have to put in two links. Just want to thank you for this service to your readers. BJ

14 August, 2010 06:36  
Blogger Shaw Kenawe said...

I always look forward to this link roundup. Lots of good stuff to investigate. Thanks for the link-up.

Here's one about water striders--fascinating insects.

I imagine Quentin Tarantino could make a terrifying movie about this creature, substituting humans for the insect. I thought humans were depraved, but this bug is awesome in its determination to propagate.

14 August, 2010 07:10  
Blogger Ranch Chimp said...

Good Morning Mr.Infidel ... and Thank You for the breakfast compilation of link's here. A few comment's I had.

First of all "Practical Ethic's (Univ@Oxford) Wsa one Hell of of a read I thought, because it's so interesting of the theories that people have over life extension. If you look just several hundred year's back, folk's probably thought "nightmare" of the idea of having biological replacement's part's, heart transplant's, 100 year old folk's and a endless list of what they may see as horror's, or at least something their not comfortable with, and of course the societies of past were not designed around that type of thinking. It's almost genetic psychologically of our society as well today of preparing for death. Then folk's who may live in oppression or poverty extreme cant imagine an exrension of that, or there is 100's of opinion's you can conjure up. Most in a future society that is "designed" differently will not have the same thought's of this as folk's now, the whole society and mainstream thought will "change", for whatever is to come. I once wrote that when a person read's the ancient old testament biblical text's or Genesis, creation, etc, etc ... if you look at it closely ... it is NOT the writing of some external diety, but a reflection of humankind and their quest to figure out their purpose, or at least make one .... and the idea of eternal life in peace, etc ... is something that is also deeply rooted in the human conscious as they evolved mentally, and to seperate themselves from other "species/ animal's". Yet religious or not ... many embrace the desire to live longer than they naturally do, and grab to extend their life regardless of how religious they may be, even thanking "god" for surviving some tragedy, when it is their fellow human's who actually saved them, through medical achievement's. What folk's have longed for whether they see it or not, in whatever writing's is longevity, eternal happiness, and all the other treat's. Our species has went the extra mile to achieve all these thing's since the record, and will not stop until they achieve it, at some higher level of existence more superior to what we have now, or something stop's them. The vision's of heaven or utopia that folk's read and dream of our their inner deep desire's, and because of this quest, being with their loved one's for eternity, and a world of peace, etc., and will be eventually achieved in some form. As we evolve, folk's will adjust to change, just not overnight, and societies will change and adapt as well. Instead of writing about it or reading about it, they will actually make a reality of it and live it.

Thanx Guy .....

14 August, 2010 08:07  
Blogger Ranch Chimp said...

Something else I'd like to comment, but couldnt yesterday running late for work, if I may.

I found the piece on Biochar( New Republic), a nice read ... sometime back a few month's ago they had a great documentary piece on this, on one of them science channel's, NationalGeo, or one of them.

The gay bar for muslim men ...from Dissenting Justice ... loved it! Since it's next door to "51", could they call it perhap's something like "52 Pick Up"(?) But like Mr.Tim Waters brought up the other day ... we can show that were better by allowing a mosque (there's an islamic worship centre there anywayz) ... although my sympathy went to those who were familia of the 9/11 victim's, I also think alot of those who opposed may have been just anti muslim ... I mean .. I lived in Brooklyn, and know the area well ... had to be the most racist city I have ever lived in actually, and very culturally segregated, moreso than Manhattan. But back to the bar ... this can allow islamic men who feared to "cum" out of the closet, to connect, and share, and who know's ... maybe even elect one day ... a gay or lesbian Imam, perhap's even same sex marriage's ... who know's ... just look at what christianity has became over the centuries, from a horrid feared terror cult, to a loving humanitarian sect that now has enough money to buy politic's instead of forcing them. :) That's what I call ... brotherly love.

Funny thing about all this domestic issue over same sex marriage ... is those who rant and rave over it now, and want it only to be for straight's ... many of them in several year's from now, will be making money off gay couple's marriage's, from the floral/ tux business, to all the legal fee's off of cutody and property battle's between couple's in the court's, to restaraunte/entertainment/ hospitality industries who will also capitalize off the business, with much eager at that! Even the church will try to make a buck off them ... NO(?) some may say .... Watch! :)

It's so bloody hot here in Dallas, I just seen the devil walking down the street in his Dallas Cowboys training short's drinking Gatorade! (a line I heard from Chris Rock once) :)

15 August, 2010 14:01  
Blogger Infidel753 said...

What I'd really like to see next to the Ground Zero mosque would be a public Koran desecration center -- a place where people could go to the lavatory and use pages from the Koran as toilet paper, watch the Koran being chewed up by pigs, urinate on it, that kind of thing. No one could legitimately object because it would be freedom of expression, just as much as the mosque itself would be.

The proper response to free expression by bad people is more free expression, not censorship.

just look at what christianity has became over the centuries, from a horrid feared terror cult, to a loving humanitarian sect

Well, not always.

It's pretty hot here too right now.

15 August, 2010 15:30  
Blogger Ranch Chimp said...

Good Morning Mr.Infidel!

Thank's for the reminder of my Amarillo neighbor's from "Think Progress" .... one I should NEVER forget. I had done a posting on these folk's not long back ... because they really seem to have their panties in a bind here in the Lone Star State. Make no mistake (especially them) ... come to Dallas and pull that crap ... especially in the hood ... they may get their dick's shot off! Come on my property and pull that crap ... they will quickly see me exit my "liberated" mode ... and go into my "redneck" mode. The thing that got me ... is some of these property owner's need in my opinion to get more redneck with these MF's ... one may say ... well their not like burglar's, or thieves or such on your property ... and that's fine ... but to me ... their not much different ... just a bunch of "THUG'S" running around bullying folk's minding their own business ... and a swinger club, or any kind of social club IS PRIVATE PRPOERTY, and should have a sign saying ...."OTHER'S ... FUCK OFF!!"

Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh .... the one about the toilet paper and gluttonous piggie's :) That had me going ... but also a damn GREAT point as well ... we are for freedom of expression ... and it's all part of it! I love what the American Flag stand's for, and am one who will not let it touch the ground when folding up or whatever ... but back a few year's ago ... I was having some small chat with a couple fella's where I pointed out, that I could NOT condemn anyone for burning a flag (over an incident in Downtown Dallas that included flag burning on Dallas City Hall ground's one day, it was a public demonstration in accordance with city code and on public property)... I really feel like that. These guy's thought that was bad judgement .. allowing someone to publicly burn the flag without intervening ... that's just me though Guy.

Thanx

16 August, 2010 05:30  

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