The Endeavors of Bold Human Beings
The Morning Heresy with Paul the Morning Heretic
February 27, 2015
The Morning Heresy is your daily digest of news and links relevant to the secular and skeptic communities.
Yesterday was a bad one. As most people on the Internet were rightfully energized by the passage of net neutrality and less-rightfully-so about llamas and dresses, we at CFI lost a close ally to violence.Dr. Avijit Roy, a Bangladeshi-American writer who has worked closely with us on the fight for free expression, particularly in the case of the persecuted Bangladesh bloggers in 2013, was murdered by machete and/or cleaver-wielding attackers yesterday, as he left a book fair in Dhaka with his wife Rafida Ahmed Bonna, who was also badly injured and remains hospitalized.
Baudrillard - J’accuse! (again)
The Outer Limits with Stephen Law
February 26, 2015
The Radio 3 The Verb programme, in which I discuss pseudo-profundity (with some analytic vs continental philosophy discussion), is repeated tomorrow night at 10pm GMT on BBC Radio 3. It will be available for a week on bbc radio iplayer. Below is my old post concerning that programme. Link to programme website here.
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Anti-Duelist Discrimination
The Morning Heresy with Paul the Morning Heretic
February 26, 2015
The Morning Heresy is your daily digest of news and links relevant to the secular and skeptic communities.
Yesterday we released our 2014 annual Progress Report: Winning Landmark Victories, Confronting New Challenges. 2014 was huge, guys. This report should give you a good idea of the roller coaster ride it was, and how the support of our community helped us score some really important wins.
Jeff Guo at WaPo rounds up the various license-to-discriminate "religious freedom" bills in several states. Meanwhile, Chris Geidner at BuzzFeed talks to Mike Bowers, the man who successfully argued in favor of "sodomy bans" at the Supreme Court, who has done a 180 and now looks at these bills in horror...
Middle-Class Rain Dance
The Morning Heresy with Paul the Morning Heretic
February 25, 2015
The Morning Heresy is your daily digest of news and links relevant to the secular and skeptic communities.
So the ultraconservative American Family Association has this "bigotry map," which is their version of an enemies list, showing the groups they say are "anti-Christian." Thing is, CFI wasn't on their list, and we were all "what's up with that," so I had a little fun with it:
“Of course, the Center for Inquiry is by no means anti-Christian, and we work to combat bigotry of all kinds, be it against atheists, Christians, or any other group,” said CFI communications director Paul Fidalgo, nervously, between gulps of overly sweetened coffee. “But come on. The AFA listed Americans United for Separation of Church and State, American Atheists, and, get this, the AARP! The AARP!”
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Epilepsy “Cures”
Investigative Briefs with Joe Nickell
February 24, 2015
New York City directories listed Henry Root, Patent Medicines, from as early as 1881 until 1913 or possibly later. Sometimes calling himself “Dr.” Root, he offered a “cure” for epilepsy—only one among many.
Anorexia Misinformation in the Media: Case Study of the PBS Show ‘Nova’
A Skeptic Reads the Newspaper with Ben Radford
February 24, 2015
Misinformation about eating disorders is not like misinformation about a car’s gas mileage, or the weather. Eating disorders are mental illnesses with potentially lethal consequences. Sufferers and their loved ones deserve accurate information about the diseases, but trusted sources of information, such as the PBS series "Nova," turn out to be not so trustworthy upon closer inspection. Part 2 of 2.
Poke at It and Sniff It
The Morning Heresy with Paul the Morning Heretic
February 24, 2015
The Morning Heresy is your daily digest of news and links relevant to the secular and skeptic communities.
I feel like the National Geographic Society is confused. On one hand, their latest magazine cover is a powerful acknowledgement of the assault on science from deniers, magical thinkers, and conspiracy theorists, with the feature store being the exploration of science non-acceptance by Joel Achenbach the Heresy linked to last week. But then our boss Ron Lindsay turns up this gem from NatGeo's books for kids, 1000 Facts about the Bible, released only a few weeks ago, which includes the parting of the Red Sea by Moses as, well, fact! NatGeo, which is it??
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Worldly Babbling
The Morning Heresy with Paul the Morning Heretic
February 23, 2015
The Morning Heresy is your daily digest of news and links relevant to the secular and skeptic communities.
Mondays are crazy. Don't even think about delving into it without catching up with the previous 14 days with Cause & Effect, the CFI newsletter.
Wei-Hock Soon, the scientist heavily cited by those who wish to deny humanity's role in climate change, is exposed as being bought by the fossil fuel industry to the tune of over $1 million.
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We Deserve to Be Wiped Out
The Morning Heresy with Paul the Morning Heretic
February 20, 2015
The Morning Heresy is your daily digest of news and links relevant to the secular and skeptic communities.
Ohio public radio covers the bill championed by CFI-Northeast Ohio to allow Secular Celebrants to solemnize marriages.
The brilliant and delightful Oliver Sacks reflects on his mortality, having been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He handles this kind of imminent end much, much better than I would.
NYT's Laurie Goodstein looks at the challenge faced by American imams trying to keep ISIS from recruiting young men.
What the Hell, Indeed
The Morning Heresy with Paul the Morning Heretic
February 19, 2015
The Morning Heresy is your daily digest of news and links relevant to the secular and skeptic communities.
Yesterday, we announced that CFI-Northeast Ohio has been working with Ohio State Senator Michael Skindell on a bill to allow Secular Celebrants to solemnize marriages in Ohio. The AP covers the story.
Meanwhile, fifty Ohio lawmakers who aren't Sen. Skindell are sponsoring a "fetal heartbeat abortion ban," which effectively bans abortions as early as six weeks.
President Obama yesterday: "No religion is responsible for terrorism — people are responsible for violence and terrorism." Yeah, sort of.
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