February 2009
20 posts
Coffee Linked to Lower Dementia Risk - NYTimes.com →
…subjects who had reported drinking three to five cups of coffee daily were 65 percent less likely to have developed dementia, compared with those who drank two cups or less.
Elevating Science, Elevating Democracy -... →
This article celebrates Obama’s pledge to return science to its rightful place.
Science is not a monument of received Truth but something that people do to look for truth. That endeavor, which has transformed the world in the last few centuries, does indeed teach values. Those values, among others, are honesty, doubt, respect for evidence, openness, accountability and tolerance and indeed...
January 2009
11 posts
Catholics Announce New Process to Verify... →
jasonwhat:
If the visionary is considered credible they will ultimately be questioned by one or more demonologists and exorcists to exclude the possibility that Satan is hiding behind the apparitions in order to deceive the faithful.
It’s about time they put some REAL science behind these things.
The Myth of Bush As The Hero of 9/11 - Huffington... →
President Bush’s immediate response to September 11 was mediocre at best, even by the most lenient criteria. This notion that he somehow rose above and beyond the very basic template — the standard operating procedure for reacting to a crisis is nothing more than a tall tale. A lie, if you will.
What it Means to Be American - Huffington Post:... →
My good friend Karen wrote this post putting Obama’s election in the context of everyday world citizens. It will make you swell with pride. Excerpt:
Barack Obama is from Kenya, and Kansas, and Hawaii and Chicago, and he’ll be a resident of Washington D.C. for the next four or eight years. I would have liked to go back to Rwanda or Kenya or Ethiopia on Inauguration Day. Maybe then I...
America the cool - Garrison Keillor - Salon.com →
Despite the late date, I just received this in my inbox today. It’s just as inspiring after the inauguration, though, as it was after the election, so here it is. Excerpt:
Next time you fly to Heathrow and hand your passport to the man with the badge, he’s going to see “United States of America” and look up and grin.
What does Obama's victory mean? - War Room -... →
I stumbled upon this very late, but it’s wonderful to read at any time. Several takes on what Obama’s election means. My favorites:
It means the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.
It means, as a friend in Tbilisi, Georgia, said to me today, that our nation managed to “push the reset button,” and in one action, revived all the wonderful,...
Lies Take Longer Than Truths - Yahoo! News →
“A new technique that separates truth from lies finds it takes about 30 percent longer to fib.
“The computer-based analysis, reported in The Times of London, showed that British test subjects took 1.2 seconds on average to speak reality in recent tests, while prevarications took 1.8 seconds. … In 85 percent of cases, interviewees were slower when they lied.”
Facebook Now Nearly Twice The Size Of MySpace... →
“In November 2008 Facebook drew 200 million unique worldwide visitors; more than 1 in 5 people who accessed the Internet that month visited the site. When sites are that big growth generally stagnates, but in Facebook’s case it’s still skyrocketing. In December, 222 million people visited the site says newly released Comscore stats, a 10.8% month over month growth rate. 22% of the total...
The Sin in Doing Good Deeds - NYTimes.com:... →
A new book, “Uncharitable,” seethes with indignation at public expectations that charities be prudent, nonprofit and saintly. The author, Dan Pallotta, argues that those expectations make them less effective, and he has a point.
Heaven for the Godless? - NYTimes.com →
70 percent of Americans said that they believed religions other than theirs could lead to eternal life.