23 February 2014

Link round-up for 23 February 2014

How much would a T-rex need to eat in New York?

A survivalist gives advice on ass-wiping and feminine hygiene in a post-apocalyptic world.

If the face of Jesus appearing on toast is a message from God, are these messages from the old fertility deities?

Artist of the week:  surrealist Tetsuya Ishida.

Martin Vargic created a huge map of the internet.

No, that military fake city in Virginia is not part of a nefarious Obama plot.

Anne Rice pwns a religious bigot on Facebook.  Dear Abby schools a couple more.

An Arizona pizzeria is already making use of the state's new pro-discrimination law.

Here's how the parasite class relaxes and unwinds.

Americans have changed.

The religious right's views are supported by the Constitution -- but which one?

The Bible is a case study of evolution in action.

Sign here to oppose an insane injustice in Missouri.

Gin and Tacos suggests a small reform that could greatly improve the US.

The greed and hypocrisy of Christian Right leaders shows that they can't really believe their own rhetoric (found via Republic of Gilead).

This kind of stuff is why almost no scientists are Republicans.

Half of all US economic activity comes from -- well, see for yourself.

Here's a little sign of progress in North Carolina.

Rural white people can be liberals too.

The bitcoin/MtGox collapse just gets worse.

Jonathan Chait looks at the implosion of Republican "savior" Marco Rubio.  Despite setbacks in Texas, the teabagger/nutcase faction seems to be winning the Republican civil war.

Churches hate the fact that people are free to leave (found via Republic of Gilead).

Authorities respond to disturbing symbolic racist incidents in New Jersey and Mississippi.

The biggest demographic threat to the Republican party is the inexorable increase in non-religious people (found via Republic of Gilead).  And secularization is happening fast.

A judge in Nebraska strikes a blow against Keystone XL, but it still has some support.

Sorry libertarians, there are a lot of things the government does better than the private sector.

Ted Nugent's "subhuman mongrel" remark about President Obama is rubbing off on Greg Abbott, to the benefit of Wendy Davis -- though, to be fair, some Republicans have condemned it.

Inna Shevchenko has plans to bring Femen to the US.

The UN's stinging report on Catholic abuses draws angry and stupid responses from rightists.

Self-identified Catholics worldwide reject the Church's taboos (this is a hardline-Catholic site; the comments are of some interest).

A new report on press freedom around the world contains few surprises.

This British housing development has an unusual layout.

These British bus stops feature calm isolated settings and, in some cases, sheep.

Denmark bans cruel kosher and halal animal-slaughtering practices.

Iceland is withdrawing its application to join the European Union.

Germany considers tough countermeasures against NSA spying.

French Jews feel driven away by the resurgence of an old evil.

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard looks at the latest disastrous result of EU austerity -- deflation in France.

Some of the protesters in Ukraine are still suspicious of the peace deal.  At least the military is committed to staying out of politics.

Western men visiting Sochi for the Olympics discover an unexpected attraction.

Here's another look at the reality of Putin's Russia.

Latin America has made stunning progress on gay rights, though a few reactionary governments remain exceptions.

Israel and Iran could be allies someday (I think this would take a change of regime in the latter, but that's far from impossible).

Tensions rise after Pakistani Sunni terrorists seize Iranian border guards.

The Arab Spring continues -- the push for democracy resumes in Bahrain.

CERN in Europe considers building a new supercollider to explore new reaches of physics.  (Japan and China are also contemplating such projects, while the US government is infested with people who believe the Earth is 6,000 years old.)

The evolution of life may be a by-product of the evolution of universes.

Harvard scientists establish electronic remote control of one monkey by another.

How homosexuality evolved is something of a mystery, but there are some hypotheses.

Despite local cold in North America, January 2014 was the fourth-warmest January on record.  Technology to fight global warming must be considered carefully.

Rosa Rubicondior looks at more common misunderstandings of evolution.

Loneliness is genuinely dangerous to the elderly.

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't think big boy's ready for our distopian future. He's woefully out of shape and he might want to get that stuff on his arms checked out before shit hits the fan. I say get him and Alex Jones together.

That would've made an awesome SNL skit.
,
Vic78

23 February, 2014 19:37  
Blogger Shaw Kenawe said...

"The biggest demographic threat to the Republican party is the inexorable increase in non-religious people (found via Republic of Gilead). And secularization is happening fast."


Very interesting! I've got a post up today [Monday] about the best and worst states to live in, ranked by factors such as high school graduation rates, per capita income, life expectancy, and crime rate, according to the Census Bureau, the CDC, and the FBI.

3 out of the top 5 best are among the least religious.

The worst states to live in? 4 out of the top five are the MOST religious!


Which leads to the question: Why aren't very religious states delivering the best qualities for living to their citizens?

(Utah is the outlier as a very religious state that is among the best to live in.}

24 February, 2014 11:27  
Blogger Rosa Rubicondior said...

Thanks for the shout-outs. Much appreciated.

25 February, 2014 15:25  
Blogger Infidel753 said...

Vic78: It's a terrible problem. At least the fall in child obesity is a good sign.

Shaw: The correlation is very noticeable. Religiosity is not only a cause, but also an indicator of illogical and unrealistic thinking, which can lead to many other problems (or at least undermine people's ability to avoid those problems).

As for Utah, Mormon taboos on drugs and alcohol obviously play a role in physical-health indicators like life expectancy. By other standards, such as social tolerance, it wouldn't do as well.

Rosa: Your blog is one of the best!

26 February, 2014 03:34  

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