My one-time “soul” buyer Jim Henderson is buddies with William P. Young, the author of the Christian best-seller The Shack. I don’t really know why that book sold as many copies as it did. I read it. It was a decent story, but not much more than that. I suppose it’s controversial in some Christian [...]

From Friendly Atheist by @hemantsblog
http://friendlyatheist.com/2010/09/04/hey-mark-driscoll-say-it-to-his-face/
9/5/2010 6:00:41 AM
Search rank: 392

Anthropogenic global warming has been suspected for decades, and a simple one paragraph long characterization of the problem 40 years ago was substantially identical to any accurate characterization we might make today. One has to wonder why after 40 years of time we still see headlines telling us that it might, after all, turn out to be true that anthropogenic global warming is real. Indeed, it is a bit disconcerting when the inestimable climate blog RealClimate notes that this is the 35th "Anniversary of Global Warming" as a term in the peer reviewed scientific literature (though I suspect it is older). (See RealClimate's post on the anniversary for very important details!)

The phenomenon of anthropogenic global warming as a point of policy discussion is older than 35 years. Below is a memo from one White House staffer to another both to eventually [...]

From Greg Laden's Blog
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GregLadensBlog/~3/46e8odMT9KA/1969_global_warming_white_hous.php
8/2/2010 3:59:26 AM
Search rank: 315

Bill Donohue will be so relieved. Here's a story about a youn girl being raped, her assailant protected by the church, and the girl herself getting all the blame…and it's the Baptists! Tina Anderson was raped by Ernest Willis, a Trinity Baptist Church member, when she was 15, and got pregnant. She accused Willis in the church, and here's what happened:

When the pastor heard Anderson's allegations, he told her that if she had "lived in the Old Testament," she would have been stoned to death for not reporting the attack sooner.

"He also said I had 'allowed myself to be put in a compromising situation,' Anderson said. The pastor decided she needed to be "church-disciplined."

"I was completely humiliated," Anderson said, her voice quavering at the memory. "I hoped it was a nightmare I'd wake up from, and it wouldn't be true [...]

From Pharyngula
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/6fH9z3LE-r0/its_not_just_the_catholics.php
5/29/2010 1:01:32 AM
Search rank: 305

When you drink alcohol and get drunk, are you getting drunk on alcohol?

Well, obviously, you might think, and so did I. But it turns out that some people claim that the alcohol (ethanol) in drinks isn't the only thing responsible for their effects - they say that acetaldehyde may be important, perhaps even more so.

South Korean researchers Kim et al

From Neuroskeptic
http://neuroskeptic.blogspot.com/2010/02/drunk-on-alcohol.html
2/20/2010 4:04:26 AM
Search rank: 295

Julia Gillard, the new Prime Minister of Australia, is unmarried…but she has a boyfriend, a partner, a…a…paramour, which brings up the horrific possibility of a leader of the country living in sin in official accommodations. Oh, lord, I'm getting the vapors just thinking about it.

And now the Sydney Morning Herald is getting all fluttery over it, too. Why, what kind of role model can she be if she refuses to obey the strictures of Church and Convention? You can vote, as well, although the Australians are already looking pretty pragmatic about the whole silly commotion.

Do you agree that Julia Gillard's de facto lifestyle is a bad influence for women?

Yes 29%
No 71%

From Pharyngula
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/v3ZIxH8lJQA/the_shacking_up_poll.php
6/29/2010 11:11:14 AM
Search rank: 288

Happy Wednesday. Links for you. Science:

An amazing, though clearly little-known, scientific fact: We get more snow storms in warm years!
Farm animals get 80% of antibiotics sold in US
The paradigm is dead, long live the paradigm!

Other:

KRUGMAN AND MINION
Kathleen Hanna and Kurt Cobain
It's Not That You're Racist...

From Mike the Mad Biologist
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/scienceblogs/KsPC/~3/9sydpj_QVMc/links_122810.php
12/30/2010 9:35:14 AM
Search rank: 281

I was accidentally included on an email of some condo board trying to estimate how much money it would cost to repair a guard shack. I felt honored to be part of a condo board meeting and was compelled to add my two cents. Abbi posted the discussion on her blog (I emailed [...]

From Cynical-C
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cynical-c/nxDH/~3/dOCiDDn_pfA/
1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM
Search rank: 271

If a Democrat said something as half as derogatory about someone's background, he or she would be pilloried non-stop as an 'out-of-touch, liberal elitist.' But if John Kasich, former Republican Congressman who is running for governor of Ohio, is any guide, IOKIYAR is still operative:

The first line of Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland's campaign biography boasts the Democratic governor is "the son of a steelworker" who "never imagined he'd be able to go to college."

Indeed, Strickland's humble upbringing is just the type campaigns love to highlight, and never more so during an economic climate that still hasn't shown signs for recovery for many Ohioans.

From Mike the Mad Biologist
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/scienceblogs/KsPC/~3/26J4F1ybHqo/the_gop_faux_populism_con.php
6/27/2010 1:37:24 AM
Search rank: 269

Sometimes, as decrepit as our traditional media corporations are, they suffer from an outbreak of human decency. Kudos to the St. Petersburg Times for this obituary about a hit-and-run victim. Here's why they ran it:

Shortly after the St. Petersburg Times announced Mr. Smith's death on its website, a reader posted a comment stating the following: A man who is working as a dishwasher at the Crab Shack at the age of 48 is surely better off dead.

From Mike the Mad Biologist
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/scienceblogs/KsPC/~3/9WNxtOVt64o/a_reminder_that_every_life_mat.php
10/10/2010 2:39:46 AM
Search rank: 268

There's always someone ready to take advantage of another's misfortune, often while wearing a pious expression on their faces. Here are two bad charities:

• Sean Hannity claims to support our troops, endorsing a charity called Freedom Alliance that supposedly pays tuition for the children of fallen soldiers. What they don't tell you is that 'overhead' sucks up at least 80-90% of the donations. Hannity will be riding a nice limousine to accept a community service award…

• Scenar Health is one of those companies that markets a Radio Shack gadget called a

  From Pharyngula
  http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/I92BxdQA5SA/bad_charities.php
  3/31/2010 2:55:03 AM
  Search rank: 262

  

A message posted on SouthParkStudios.com You can watch the full episode on TV Shack From NYTimes.com: On Thursday morning, a spokesman for Comedy Central confirmed that the network had added more...

From Atheist Media Blog
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AtheistMedia/~3/yUnMOfbarHY/comedy-central-backs-down-after-islamic.html
4/23/2010 9:19:13 AM
Search rank: 260

So Amanda had this TV. It had a remote. The remote sucked. It was broken. Then I moved in and with me came a universal remote. Lucky Amanda. I programmed the universal remote (a Radioshack 5 in 1) to handle the TV as well as a DVD player and a stereo. The remote handled everything. The old remotes hung around for a while occasionally being used, but then disappeared. Then we got a different DVD player and I had forgotten that the remote was a universal jobbie, so we just started using the remote for the DVD player Then we got an iPod cradle with speakers and a Roku. I purchased a Radio Shack switchbox during the Creation Science Fair at Har Mar in 2010 (some of you will remember that i did that, I was showing off a bit.) I ran the Roku to the TV via the switchbox. I ran the new DVD to the TV with the switch box. I got rid of the stereo (it was 99 percent broken). The switchbox was necessary because of the lack of connectors on the TV. While I was doing that, I also [...]

From Greg Laden's Blog
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GregLadensBlog/~3/XJV145asa1o/universal_remotes_evolution_se.php
5/7/2011 12:15:55 AM
Search rank: 260

New York Society for Ethical Culture

Led by Leader Dr. Anne Klaeysen Members free; nonmembers $10

Published in 1949, shortly after the author's death, A Sand County Almanac is a classic of nature writing, widely cited as one of the most influential nature books ever published. Writing from the vantage of his summer shack [...]

From Skeptics upcoming events
http://www.meetup.com/Ethical-Culture-NYC/events/17026740/
3/26/2011 1:09:20 AM
Search rank: 256

Not in my backyard! I wouldn't want a hog farm to be built upwind of me, because of the stench. I wouldn't want an airport built next door, because of the noise. I don't want a church in my neighborhood, because of the traffic in stupidity (but too bad, I'm stuck with several of them). There are lots of reasons some kinds of properties are incompatible with residential living, but here's a new one. Tenants in a pricey Vancouver highrise are protesting the construction of a hospice nearby. I'd love to have a hospice go up next door; they tend to be quiet, tasteful, well-maintained, and good contributors to the community. But these residents are objecting because of the unpleasant effluvia the hospice would produce.

Wait, what? What could a hospice produce to poison a neighborhood?

"'Death is the Yin and 'Live' is the Yang," [...]

From Pharyngula
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/uriEOHzBYOc/nimby.php
1/18/2011 5:36:37 AM
Search rank: 256

North Alabama Freethought Association

HALLOWEEN PARTY

Come join in the fun with NAFA!

WHAT: NAFA Halloween Party!

WHEN: Saturday, October 30th, 8 p.m.

WHERE: The Haunted Hand Woods

INFO: Join fellow NAFA members for the annual NAFA Halloween Party. Costumes are encouraged, but not required. Costume contest! There will be a Pyre in the back yard. Lots of fun!

Please bring a fold-out chair with you to relax by the Pyre. Please bring a snack to share with everyone.

Sorry Mom & Dad... no kids are allowed at the Halloween Party: this is an adults-only party.

At the Halloween party we will have a special NAFA fund-raising event going on.

From Skeptics upcoming events
http://www.meetup.com/thenafa/calendar/14995753/
10/5/2010 4:00:39 AM
Search rank: 251

Radio Shack are huge in the US and probably known in Oz for the Tandy and Realistic brands. Other brands they own were TRS-80, Archer, Micronta,...

From AFA Forums
http://www.atheistfoundation.org.au/forums/showthread.php?t=12778&goto=newpost
12/26/2011 9:02:32 AM
Search rank: 250

by VorJAck During my “dues paying” years, I worked a job as a security guard stuck in a little guard shack. In order to avoid the feeling like I was in a sensory deprivation tank, I always kept the radio on to whatever station wasn’t playing country music. That meant that I occasionally listened [...]

From Unreasonable Faith
http://unreasonablefaith.com/2010/03/12/praying-for-control/
3/12/2010 9:00:00 PM
Search rank: 248

I have often crossed paths with The Atlantic Paranormal Society (T.A.P.S.), headed by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, stars of the popular Ghost Hunters series on Syfy (formerly the Sci-Fi Channel). On Saturday, July 26, 2008, my wife, Diana Harris, and I attended their presentation at Lily Dale, the spiritualist village in Western New York. Jason and Grant were kind enough to single me out—favorably—during their talk, and I accepted their invitation for a beer afterward. They graciously bestowed on me an autographed copy of their book Ghost Hunting: True Stories of Unexplained Phenomena from the Atlantic Paranormal Society, produced with, well, ghostwriter Michael Jan Friedman (Hawes and Wilson 2007). Interestingly, Friedman authors “science fiction and fantasy novels.”

The book gave me a chance to compare notes with Hawes and Wilson. Because I had [...]

From Committee for Skeptical Inquiry | Skeptical Briefs
http://www.csicop.org//sb/show/scientific_investigation_vs._ghost_hunters
1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM
Search rank: 248

The salt-crusted stone shack disappeared before I had been walking more than a few minutes, swallowed up in a sandstorm gust. Squaring my face to the wind, I kept walking. The salt flats soon fell away behind me, and I entered a new region of the desert. It was a badlands: a barren landscape of mesas [...]

From Daylight Atheism
http://www.daylightatheism.org/2010/11/return-to-the-desert-iii.html
11/8/2010 6:41:56 AM
Search rank: 247

Here’s a great article on Design Shack: 4 Social Media Myths Every Small Business Owner Should Know. Yes, social media is important and you should use it as best as you can. It’s also not that difficult, and certainly doesn’t require overpaid “Social Media Experts”. Talk to your customers (but don’t shout). Listen to what they [...]

From This Blog Contains Caffeine
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HolyCowDesign/~3/kvQWteM79cI/
4/14/2011 6:15:45 AM
Search rank: 246

Over the years, I've said it many times. Competent adults have the right (or should have the right) to choose or refuse any medical treatment they wish for any reason. It doesn't matter how ridiculous the reason might be. If a competent adult believes that magic water (i.e., homeopathy) can cure him of cancer, we can try to persuade him that such a view is at odds with reality, but in the end personal autonomy and the right to self-determination mean that there will be a few people who will refuse effective medication in favor of quackery. A major force in motivating people to choose unscientific medical treatments is all too often religion. For instance, there's the nonsense that is Scientology castigating psychiatry and claiming that a device that looks as though it were constructed from leftover bits and pieces from the dumpster behind the local Radio Shack. Then there are faith healers like

From Respectful Insolence
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/fEZPkXPUIMI/oregon_on_the_verge_of_stripping_legal_p.php
2/22/2011 10:30:00 PM
Search rank: 246

Here’s a great article on Design Shack: 4 Social Media Myths Every Small Business Owner Should Know. Yes, social media is important and you should use it as best as you can. It’s also not that difficult, and certainly doesn’t require overpaid “Social Media Experts”. Talk to your customers (but don’t shout). Listen to what they [...]

From This Blog Contains Caffeine
http://www.holycow.com/2011/04/13/4-social-media-myths-every-small-business-owner-should-know/
4/14/2011 6:15:45 AM
Search rank: 245

‘Paranormal Activity’ and ‘Paranormal State’ Producers Option Supernatural Mag (Exclusive) – The Hollywood Reporter. The red-hot producer of the Paranormal Activity film franchise and the team behind A&E’s unscripted series Paranormal State are about to become strange bedfellows. Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions and Picture Shack … Continue reading →

From Skeptic.com
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Skepticcom/~3/BwIKabmfEHM/
11/18/2011 2:43:41 PM
Search rank: 244

A message posted on SouthParkStudios.com You can watch the full episode on TV Shack From NYTimes.com: On Thursday morning, a spokesman for Comedy Central confirmed that the network had added more...

From Atheist Media Blog
http://www.atheistmedia.com/feeds/1534702637246045844/comments/default
4/23/2010 9:19:00 AM
Search rank: 240

This is from an online preview of Uncanny X-Men #536.

Emma Frost may be shacked up with Scott Summers these days - love can take people in strange directions - but she is still a supervillain at heart. Look at her behaviour in this round-table conference after a warship from the militaristic Breakworld enters our solar system and is boarded by a group of X-Men and S.W.O.R.D. agents, [...]

From Metamagician and the Hellfire Club
http://metamagician3000.blogspot.com/2011/04/sunday-supervillainy-emma-frost-is-not.html
4/24/2011 9:53:00 PM
Search rank: 227