Louisiana Vying For Title America's Most Stupid State?

I know it will have a bit of a job on knocking Texas of the puerile pedestal, but it won't be for the want of trying.

I found the presentation of the article featured a bit scrappy, so I was in two minds whether to run with it or not. But the sheer audacity of the claims, of these people who are going to be in charge educating kids, couldn't I suppose, be ignored. And it is in the main, only those claims that you will find posted below. To read the article proper, you will have to follow the link.

But there was something else about the article I recognised, something I had made mention of in the past. Only on that occasion it involved the full blown theocratic state of Iran, unlike America of course, that is still at the wannabe stage.

Mind you, what it was that drew my attention, is far from uncommon when the jesoids are trying to make their case for the outlandish theories that they espouse. "Some scientists believe" or words to that effect, litter their arguments like confetti at a wedding. They never seem to produce these scientists, but that's by the by. Unless less of course it's the likes of Arnold Mendez. (Texas)

But returning to Iran for the moment, I had this to say earlier in the year:

Iran Warns World of Coming Great Event

Well I don't know what you will make of this. I found it a bizarre bit of reading, and should you agree; just wait till you see the video.

I know we are two different cultures, but until I watched the video, I never knew just how different. Polar opposites doesn't even come close.

The video is a half hour long, but I just couldn't stop watching the thing. But what does it say for its target audience? A flock, and I mean a flock, a flock of adult children who can't be in possession of a critical thought between the lot of 'em.

As a piece of propaganda, it's unlike anything else I have ever seen. You might notice a recurring get out of jail card throughout. ''Some scholars believe'' then add whatever it is you want say.

And if you think the jesoids of America have got it bad for the second coming, again, you ain't seen nuthin yet. Article Do watch, I beg you.

There are links in the article proper, to a couple of clips that physically show the publications that these absurdities are taken from. Just in case you have trouble believing what you are about read. You know how it is I'm sure.

The Loch Ness Monster Is Real; The KKK Is Good: The Shocking Content of Publicly Paid for Christian School Textbooks

Thousands of Louisiana students will receive state voucher money, transferred from public school funding, to attend private religious schools. What will they learn there?
By Bruce Wilson
June 18, 2012

This 2012-2013 school year, thanks to a bill pushed through by governor Bobby Jindal, thousands of students in Louisiana will receive state voucher money, transferred from public school funding, to attend private religious schools, some of which teach from a Christian curriculum that suggests the Loch Ness Monster disproves evolution and states that the alleged creature, which has never been demonstrated to even exist, has been tracked by submarine and is probably a plesiosaur. The curriculum also claims that a Japanese fishing boat caught a dinosaur.

~

Are dinosaurs alive today? Scientists are becoming more convinced of their existence.

Have you heard of the `Loch Ness Monster' in Scotland? `Nessie,' for short has been recorded on sonar from a small submarine, described by eyewitnesses, and photographed by others. Nessie appears to be a plesiosaur.

Could a fish have developed into a dinosaur? As astonishing as it may seem, many evolutionists theorize that fish evolved into amphibians and amphibians into reptiles. This gradual change from fish to reptiles has no scientific basis. No transitional fossils have been or ever will be discovered because God created each type of fish, amphibian, and reptile as separate, unique animals. Any similarities that exist among them are due to the fact that one Master Craftsmen fashioned them all."

Extract from Biology 1099, Accelerated Christian Education Inc. (1995)

Is the text still in use today? The answer is yes, according to U.K. critic Jonny Scaramanga, who was raised on the ACE curriculum and now runs a blog titled "Leaving Fundamentalism: Examining Christian Fundamentalism in The UK".

~

Some scientists speculate that Noah took small or baby dinosaurs on the Ark.... are dinosaurs still alive today? With some recent photographs and testimonies of those who claimed to have seen one, scientists are becoming more convinced of their existence...

~

- Science Proves Homosexuality is a Learned Behavior

- The Second Law of Thermodynamics Disproves Evolution

- No Transitional Fossils Exist

- Humans and Dinosaurs Co-Existed

- Evolution Has Been Disproved

- A Japanese Whaling Boat Found a Dinosaur

- Solar Fusion is a Myth

~

- Only ten percent of Africans can read or write, because Christian mission schools have been shut down by communists.

- "the [Ku Klux] Klan in some areas of the country tried to be a means of reform, fighting the decline in morality and using the symbol of the cross... In some communities it achieved a certain respectability as it worked with politicians."

- "God used the 'Trail of Tears' to bring many Indians to Christ."

- It "cannot be shown scientifically that that man-made pollutants will one day drastically reduce the depth of the atmosphere's ozone layer."

- "God has provided certain 'checks and balances' in creation to prevent many of the global upsets that have been predicted by environmentalists."

- the Great Depression was exaggerated by propagandists, including John Steinbeck, to advance a socialist agenda.

- "Unions have always been plagued by socialists and anarchists who use laborers to destroy the free-enterprise system that hardworking Americans have created."

- Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential win was due to an imaginary economic crisis created by the media.

- "The greatest struggle of all time, the Battle of Armageddon, will occur in the Middle East when Christ returns to set up his kingdom on earth." Article proper.

There's No Taste Like Bad Taste - No Regerts: Insane Ink

 Update: Do strap in. Link


To say I am no lover of ink, would, I have to admit, be putting it rather mildly.

Given that 99.99% don't pass the acid test, 'would you hang the same thing on your wall?' then I suppose it's hardly surprising.

I think the wearing of cringe-worthy tats must surpass any other single human activity in the world, but I think I reserve a special place, a special abhorrence, for those that adorn the bodies of young chicks.

To see the most beautiful work of art that exists in the world bar none, the body of a young female in her prime, desecrated by some ghastly tattoo or other, really makes me want to weep. What a travesty, to turn something so lovely into something ruined forever.

But it is not the tats of young gals per say, that concern us in this post from nowhere, stumbling across the subject as I did after reading the latest shenanigans of James Murdoch. But rather those tats that leave us slowly shaking the head, those tats that are a testimony to shear stupidity of the wearer, those tats that give normal bad taste a good name.

Although there are thousands of far worse examples to be found on the web, I am just going to offer up the two and then leave you a couple of links to wander round. The first being the one that the Mail led with, hence the 'No Regerts' in the title, and the other! well I don't really know what to make of it.

It's one thing I suppose, to totally ignore the fact that the Jackson tattoo that these cretins so proudly wear, is that of a fucking paedophile, but to actually celebrate the fact, by having a depiction of Jackson abusing a kid tattooed on your leg, is quite frankly, beyond fucking belief.



"He touched so many" have these people no fucking brains whatsoever?

No regerts? Well maybe a few....These tacky tattoos have been singled out as ugliest yet

Mis-spelt tattoo adorning a woman's side must fill her with regret every time she sees it

Tattoo revival prompts online posts featuring increasing number of horrendous choices Blah blah The Wail

The Mail's article prompted me to have a look at a few things, of those in a moment, but first two links to articles dedicated to Michael Jackson tattoos. The first, perhaps more than the second, endorsing what I said earlier about the ruination of something beautiful.

Michael Jackson Tattoo of the Day

15 of the worst Michael Jackson tattoos Seemingly there is quite a bit more on this fellow's blog, most of it celebrating bad taste. I shall check it out myself as soon as I have posted this. Update: I would almost say it's mandatory, but I will defy anyone who thinks they can get past half a page.

Two other things I did have a look at, Google Image them yourself if you want a bit of an eye opener. Safe search off of course, censorship not being part of my personal philosophy, try extreme tattoo and extreme body-building.

Of course, it's all in the best possible taste.

It's The End of The World As We Know It with Chunky Mark

You'll get no sense out of me today, I've got me 'ead on.

Briton Tom Grundy Attempts Citizens Arrest On Tony Blair In Hong

Two separate reports; the first and smaller of the two, deals as much with the purpose of Blair's speech in Hong Kong, though falling as it does into the, shit you couldn't make up category. In fact I think it borders on 'one of us is insane' and I know who it ain't.

The other, longer piece with photo's, deals primarily with the incident.

Tom Grundy, the Briton who attempted to arrest Tony Blair in Hong Kong, said the act was symbolic

Protester heckles former British PM Blair in Hong Kong
14 June 2012

HONG KONG: A lone protester on Thursday heckled former British prime minister Tony Blair as he prepared to make a speech on religion and globalisation at the University of Hong Kong.

The man shouted about breaches of the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of war during Blair's years in office as the ex-leader took the stage.

"I wouldn't come any further... you can go," Blair said as the man approached the podium where he was standing.

The unidentified man, who spoke with a British accent, came within metres (feet) of the former prime minister before being blocked by university staff and escorted peacefully from the room.

"That's democracy for you," Blair said as the man was led away.

Blair went on with his speech apparently undeterred by the incident, telling his audience that the forces of globalisation were "multiplying and intensifying the impact of religion" around the world.

He said the world needed more "platforms of interfaith dialogue and action" to improve understanding between people of different belief systems.

Blair, who was Labour prime minister between 1997 and 2007, took Britain into the US-led war in Iraq in 2003, as well as sending troops into Afghanistan as part of the US-led operation in 2001.

He was appointed envoy for the Middle East Quartet comprising the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia in 2007 but his role has come under increased scrutiny recently as efforts for peace have stalled.

He was speaking in Hong Kong as the founder of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, which seeks to promote understanding between the major religions.

"The 20th century battle ... between left and right is gone," he said, adding that he believed the biggest threat to world peace in the 21st century was religious conflict.

"This issue cannot be minimised, it cannot be treated as anything other than it is, and it's got to be studied." channelnewsasia

Briton Tom Grundy Attempts Citizens Arrest On Tony Blair In Hong
By Dina Rickman
14 June 2012

A British activist in Hong Kong has attempted to perform a citizen's arrest on Tony Blair, claiming it was his "moral obligation" to hold the former PM for war crimes.

Tom Grundy, a 29-year-old Briton living in the country, attempted the arrest at 5:40pm local time, around 11am in Britain, as the former prime minister gave a speech about faith and globalisation at Hong Kong university.

The activist told The Huffington Post UK he had planned the action two days before the speech, and sat waiting for the former Labour leader for an hour before the attempted arrest.

Grundy said he wanted to "renew awareness" about Blair, who he claims had violated international law in his support for the Iraq War.

"In 2009 Blair admitted he would have gone to war regardless of WMDs and international law forbids wars for reasons of regime change. So that's why I tried to perform a citizen's arrest," he said.

"I want him to fear that wherever he goes and I hope it may stick one day."

Grundy denied he was harassing Tony Blair saying: "I took one-to-two minutes of Mr Blair's time to make this point. I wouldn't call that harassment in any way. There's nothing legally ambiguous with regard to standing up and speaking loudly. He's a public figure and he's an ex-leader and he's still making public appearances like this… He's not immune simply because he's no longer in power."

He said during the incident he said he got "as close to him as I could."

"I was a metre or two directly in front of him but there was a gaggle of photographers and his men in front of me preventing me to go any further. I put it to him that he'd caused the death of at least 100,000 people during the Iraq War,

"I closed by telling him he can't talk about religion when he has set back religious tolerance by decades."

Grundy, who said he informed news agency Reuters about his plans before the arrest, claimed Blair's speech about faith was hypocritical, saying: "He has enraged the entire Muslim world, [and] endangered British citizens. When there was a terrorist attack on 7/7 those involved admitted that it was related to British foreign policy."

After the incident, which lasted for one or two minutes, Grundy said he looked directly at Blair before leaving of his own accord. More HuffPo

Colin Powell: Another War Criminal Cashes In

Colin Powell: Another War Criminal Cashes In

By Charles Davis and Medea Benjamin
June 5, 2012


One could be forgiven for thinking there’s anything honorable or honest about Colin Powell. For more than two decades now the Washington media has portrayed the former Secretary of State as something of a real life action hero, a reluctant warrior whose greatest fault – should they deign to mention any – was just being too darn loyal to a guy named George and his buddy Dick. What you might have missed is that Powell is a war criminal in his own right, one who in more than four decades of “public service” helped kill people from Vietnam to Panama to Iraq who never posed a threat to America. But don’t just take some anti-war activists’ word for it: Powell will proudly tell you as much, so long as he can make a buck from doing it in a book.....

..... Though billed as a self-effacing, humble leader prepared to admit mistakes, the real Colin Powell is not the one advertised by the P.R. department at HarperCollins. His book makes that clear enough when he discusses his now infamous 2003 presentation before the United Nations on Iraq’s alleged stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction. Nearly every line in that speech has since proven to be false – indeed, much of his presentation was known to be false at the time – but you won’t find Powell owning up to that.

“There is nothing worse than a leader believing he has accurate information when folks who know he doesn’t don’t tell him that he doesn’t,” Powell writes. “I found myself in trouble on more than one occasion because people kept silent when they should have spoken up. My infamous speech at the U.N. in 2003 about Iraqi WMD programs was not based on facts, though I thought it was.” Lots more.

America: Where It's Easier to Get a Gun Than Good Mental Health Care

I don't know about mental health care, but it's certainly easier to buy a gun than it is a vibrator. (And probably the only reason I'm running this story)

America: Where It's Easier to Get a Gun Than Good Mental Health Care

Gun violence is up. Access to good mental healthcare is down. What, exactly, are our priorities?
By Valerie Tarico
June 10, 2012

Last spring my younger sister Kathy jumped off a freeway bridge in Phoenix. For better or worse, she lived. Kathy made her first suicide gesture in high school, when she took a handful of, I think, aspirin in reaction to a bad haircut. At the time, she was already, obviously, mentally ill. In middle school, anorexia had drawn her down to a skeletal 38 pounds. Her hair fell out. Her sunken face took on a plastic texture from fat-soluble vitamins that her body couldn’t process. Force-feeding brought her back from the brink, but couldn’t heal her. In the years since, even during three pregnancies, she has never topped 100 pounds, nor has she ever been free of compulsions, body-loathing or debilitating bouts of depression.

Since that first handful of analgesics, Kathy has made an effort to die somewhere between 12 and 15 times: prescription pills, threatened jumps from an apartment balcony and a communications tower, an attempt at drowning, a car set on fire. Kathy is alive because even in the heart of Arizona’s Wild West no one will sell her a gun; a fact she finds immensely frustrating at times that her bipolar illness takes her into another trough of despair. more

Lots more under the 'Sex Prudery' tag.

Fishing Discard Policy To End

Good, not before time.

Fishing discards practice thrown overboard by EU

EU makes compromise agreement to phase-in ban on discards from 2014, but critics say that will be too late for some species
Fiona Harvey
13 June 2012

Who's that young fellow me lad?

The wasteful practice of throwing away healthy and edible fish at sea will be ended in Europe, for the first time in four decades, in a partial victory for environmental campaigners who have viewed a discards ban as the key step to preserving fish stocks.

But – crucially – the date when such a ban will come into force is still in question, raising fears that it may be implemented too late to save some species.

More than 1m tonnes of healthy fish are annually thrown back dead into the sea by fishermen – due to EU rules, or in order to maximise their profits – and a ban on discarding fish such as mackerel and herring is likely from 2014. However for other very pressurised species such as cod, haddock, plaice and sole, the ban could be phased in from 2015, and not be fully in force until 2018. That, experts say, may be too late to be effective.

Mette Gjerskov, the fisheries minister for Denmark, the current holder of the revolving EU presidency, said: "Today the [EU] Council for the first time stated that a discard ban will be a reality."

Maria Damanaki, the EU fisheries chief, said: "It was a compromise, but a step in the right direction, a step forward, [and] workable."

Although her proposals for comprehensive reform of the common fisheries policy – the biggest overhaul of the longstanding policy since it was formed – have not been implemented as Damanaki wanted, she vowed to fight on, saying the focus would switch to the European Parliament, which will now discuss the council's decisions and could try to strengthen the proposals.

Richard Benyon, the UK fisheries minister, who stayed firmly in favour of a discards ban but faced a revolt from the Scottish devolved administration over its timing, said: "After years of pressing to eliminate discards it was always my aim to get the council to agree to end this wasteful practice as soon as possible. While I am disappointed that the council has not agreed the firm dates that I was seeking, a commitment to ending discards is a step in the right direction."

The key question is now over when a discards ban for key species is implemented. Conservationists warned that unnecessarily prolonging the practice could be the death knell for many of the EU's dwindling fish stocks.

The compromise agreement came after a marathon negotiation session in Luxembourg, at which EU fisheries ministers warred over whether to ban discards, when to do so, and how to set a "maximum sustainable yield", by which fisheries would be managed in accordance with scientific advice over how much fishing they could bear.

After more than 18 hours of negotiations, which stretched on to dawn on Wednesday morning in Luxembourg, the final decision was hailed by the Danish presidents of the European Union as "a very important step in the direction of a radical new fisheries policy – a sustainable fisheries policy".

Gjerskov emphasised the battle that had to be fought to get this far: "This was not given, six months ago [that the EU would opt for a ban on discards]." Several member states, including France, had campaigned vociferously against banning discards, because the current system allows fishermen to make up their quota by selecting only the highest value species and the best specimens, throwing away the rest, and thus maximising their profits but destroying large numbers of healthy and edible fish. more

There Shall Be No Religious Test For Public Office Unles . . .

Unless you harbour freethought, then in that case, you're out!

7 States That Ban Atheists From Holding Public Office

States with laws on the books barring atheists from holding public office: Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

Surprised or no? AlterNet

The first two comments at the time of reading.

GrandmaR

Atheists holding office

No person who denies the being of God, or a future state of rewards
and punishments, shall hold any office in the civil department of this
State.

TENNESSEE CONSTITUTION


dcordell

Wow. Not only do you have to agree there is a god, you've got to believe in "rewards and punishments" in some undefined "future." Of course, it doesn't meant you have to believe that the GOOD get rewarded or the EVIL are punished, presumably because that has so rarely happened in Tennessee...

Rep Peter King Quintessential American Politician

Where does his world end and the real one begin?

GOP Rep Says U.S. Drone Program Is One Of ‘Righteousness And Goodness’

By Nina Liss-Schultz
June 11, 2012

Despite the cloud of secrecy in which the United States’ drone program is shrouded, U.S. officials continue to maintain that drone strikes are an essential and beneficial part of U.S. counterterrorism strategy. But questions have been raised about the drone program, particularly related civilian casualties, potential blowback and the relative ease with which to deploy a drone versus a piloted aircraft.

But House Homeland Security Committee chairman Peter King (R-NY), in a CNN interview on Sunday, said he’s “not concerned” about the program’s negative fallout, particularly civilian casualties, adding that the U.S. drone policy is one “righteousness and goodness“:

KING: I’m not concerned [with the casualty rate]. My belief is that when you are in a war — and we are in a war — the idea is to kill as many of the enemy as you can with minimal risk of life to your own people.

…I wish we could all live in a world where we could hold hands and love each other. The fact is, that’s not reality. We have an enemy that wants to kill us. I live in New York. I lost 150 constituents on 9/11, and if we can save the next 150 by killing al Qaeda terrorists with drones then kill them.

There’s evil people in the world. Drones aren’t evil, people are evil. We are a force of good and we are using those drones to carry out the policy of righteousness and goodness. ICH

Officer Not So Friendly: Taser Tales

I actually stopped covering Taser stories years ago. To keep up with all the tales of Taser abuse, not only would you need a dedicated blog, you would need your own server.

Police Taser Brutality: Blind Woman Tasered In Her Own Home

I’ve been a bit quiet on the subject of Taser torture, Taser murder and police brutality of late. It’s because it makes me so mad when I see ordinary people abused by ignorant out-of-control cops that I fear my already too high blood pressure may blow a gasket.

But in replying to a comment from somebody who is either one such described above or a self deluded supporter of same low-life, I got to research the subject again. Now I am not suggesting that all cops are ignorant, sadistic low-life. But the more I research, the more I read and almost every time I come into contact with cops (yes, here in England too) even to ask directions I have to conclude that a good cop is an exception.

By researching a reply to this comment from ‘Holbrookite’, I came across the following video of an innocent, unarmed, disabled and BLIND woman who apparently was a threat to the cops who knocked at her door. Lying sadists! More The Duckshhoot




Police Taser Brutality: Cowardly Cop Tasered 81-Year-Old Disabled Man Three Times

Stockton, Calfornia. Eighty One year-old Victor Schiaffini a disabled man who has suffered six strokes was forced to the ground and Tasered three times. The incident happened on July 29, 2009.

Mr Schiaffini has lost the use of his left arm due to the strokes and walks with the aid of a cane. He also takes several prescription drugs every day and yet this cowardly cop from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) chose to use a Taser to “subdue him”.

The CHP claims he attacked an officer with a deadly weapon, namely his walking cane. They arrested him and took him to San Joaquin County Jail where he remained for three days.

Victor Schiaffini who pleaded guilty to an infraction (probably just to get out of jail) is now considering filing an excessive use of force complaint. More The Duckshhoot

Johann Hari: Why should I respect these oppressive religions?

Why should you respect any religion for that matter?

If the utter nonsense that people come out with, didn't have the 'Religion' tag attached, it would qualify them for the funny farm.

And people who actually think that there is some invisible entity who not only listens to, but acts on their prayers and beseechings and intercedes on their behalf in a physical manner here on earth, well quite frankly, they are fucking insane.

An old draft I found of an even older article.

Johann Hari: Why should I respect these oppressive religions?

Whenever a religious belief is criticised, its adherents say they're victims of 'prejudice'
28 January 2009

The right to criticise religion is being slowly doused in acid. Across the world, the small, incremental gains made by secularism – giving us the space to doubt and question and make up our own minds – are being beaten back by belligerent demands that we "respect" religion. A historic marker has just been passed, showing how far we have been shoved. The UN rapporteur who is supposed to be the global guardian of free speech has had his job rewritten – to put him on the side of the religious censors.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights stated 60 years ago that "a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief is the highest aspiration of the common people". It was a Magna Carta for mankind – and loathed by every human rights abuser on earth. Today, the Chinese dictatorship calls it "Western", Robert Mugabe calls it "colonialist", and Dick Cheney calls it "outdated". The countries of the world have chronically failed to meet it – but the document has been held up by the United Nations as the ultimate standard against which to check ourselves. Until now.

Starting in 1999, a coalition of Islamist tyrants, led by Saudi Arabia, demanded the rules be rewritten. The demand for everyone to be able to think and speak freely failed to "respect" the "unique sensitivities" of the religious, they decided – so they issued an alternative Islamic Declaration of Human Rights. It insisted that you can only speak within "the limits set by the shariah [law]. It is not permitted to spread falsehood or disseminate that which involves encouraging abomination or forsaking the Islamic community".

In other words, you can say anything you like, as long as it precisely what the reactionary mullahs tell you to say. The declaration makes it clear there is no equality for women, gays, non-Muslims, or apostates. It has been backed by the Vatican and a bevy of Christian fundamentalists.

Incredibly, they are succeeding. The UN's Rapporteur on Human Rights has always been tasked with exposing and shaming those who prevent free speech – including the religious. But the Pakistani delegate recently demanded that his job description be changed so he can seek out and condemn "abuses of free expression" including "defamation of religions and prophets". The council agreed – so the job has been turned on its head. Instead of condemning the people who wanted to murder Salman Rushdie, they will be condemning Salman Rushdie himself.

Anything which can be deemed "religious" is no longer allowed to be a subject of discussion at the UN – and almost everything is deemed religious. Roy Brown of the International Humanist and Ethical Union has tried to raise topics like the stoning of women accused of adultery or child marriage. The Egyptian delegate stood up to announce discussion of shariah "will not happen" and "Islam will not be crucified in this council" – and Brown was ordered to be silent. Of course, the first victims of locking down free speech about Islam with the imprimatur of the UN are ordinary Muslims.

Here is a random smattering of events that have taken place in the past week in countries that demanded this change. In Nigeria, divorced women are routinely thrown out of their homes and left destitute, unable to see their children, so a large group of them wanted to stage a protest – but the Shariah police declared it was "un-Islamic" and the marchers would be beaten and whipped. In Saudi Arabia, the country's most senior government-approved cleric said it was perfectly acceptable for old men to marry 10-year-old girls, and those who disagree should be silenced. In Egypt, a 27-year-old Muslim blogger Abdel Rahman was seized, jailed and tortured for arguing for a reformed Islam that does not enforce shariah.

To the people who demand respect for Muslim culture, I ask: which Muslim culture? Those women's, those children's, this blogger's – or their oppressors'?

As the secular campaigner Austin Darcy puts it: "The ultimate aim of this effort is not to protect the feelings of Muslims, but to protect illiberal Islamic states from charges of human rights abuse, and to silence the voices of internal dissidents calling for more secular government and freedom."

Those of us who passionately support the UN should be the most outraged by this.

Underpinning these "reforms" is a notion seeping even into democratic societies – that atheism and doubt are akin to racism. Today, whenever a religious belief is criticised, its adherents immediately claim they are the victims of "prejudice" – and their outrage is increasingly being backed by laws.

All people deserve respect, but not all ideas do. I don't respect the idea that a man was born of a virgin, walked on water and rose from the dead. I don't respect the idea that we should follow a "Prophet" who at the age of 53 had sex with a nine-year old girl, and ordered the murder of whole villages of Jews because they wouldn't follow him.

I don't respect the idea that the West Bank was handed to Jews by God and the Palestinians should be bombed or bullied into surrendering it. I don't respect the idea that we may have lived before as goats, and could live again as woodlice. This is not because of "prejudice" or "ignorance", but because there is no evidence for these claims. They belong to the childhood of our species, and will in time look as preposterous as believing in Zeus or Thor or Baal.

When you demand "respect", you are demanding we lie to you. I have too much real respect for you as a human being to engage in that charade.

But why are religious sensitivities so much more likely to provoke demands for censorship than, say, political sensitivities? The answer lies in the nature of faith. If my views are challenged I can, in the end, check them against reality. If you deregulate markets, will they collapse? If you increase carbon dioxide emissions, does the climate become destabilised? If my views are wrong, I can correct them; if they are right, I am soothed.

But when the religious are challenged, there is no evidence for them to consult. By definition, if you have faith, you are choosing to believe in the absence of evidence. Nobody has "faith" that fire hurts, or Australia exists; they know it, based on proof. But it is psychologically painful to be confronted with the fact that your core beliefs are based on thin air, or on the empty shells of revelation or contorted parodies of reason. It's easier to demand the source of the pesky doubt be silenced.

But a free society cannot be structured to soothe the hardcore faithful. It is based on a deal. You have an absolute right to voice your beliefs – but the price is that I too have a right to respond as I wish. Neither of us can set aside the rules and demand to be protected from offence.

Yet this idea – at the heart of the Universal Declaration – is being lost. To the right, it thwacks into apologists for religious censorship; to the left, it dissolves in multiculturalism. The hijacking of the UN Special Rapporteur by religious fanatics should jolt us into rescuing the simple, battered idea disintegrating in the middle: the equal, indivisible human right to speak freely. Independent

Women Prisoners in the US Still Shackled Whilst Giving Birth

This isn't news to me, I have known about this practice for years, but I have a feeling that it may come as quite a shock to some of my European readers. Or perhaps I should rephrase that; my readers from civilised parts of the world.

I cannot think of anything more degrading, anything more traumatic, or anything more unnecessary, than to be forced to give birth whist shackled to a bed.

Misogyny is not the sole domain of Islamic males is it? No, it flourishes alongside that other characteristic that is the domain of inadequate men everywhere, the power play, the total control of women. And nowhere does it flourish more than among the cops and the screws (correctional officers) of the American police state.

If only as an academic exercise, how I would love to see the results of a comprehensive psychological study of both police and prison guards. Boy! I bet that would make some scary reading.

I can't get a job because I'm below average intelligence, invariably racist, I have anger issues and an authoritarian attitude. I know, I'll join the police force or the prison service. What a great idea, what could possibly go wrong?

Women are born free in the US but everywhere give birth in chains

America is almost unique in the civilised world for forcing pregnant prisoners to undergo childbirth cuffed and shackled
Sadhbh Walshe
6 June 2012

Only 16 of 50 states in the US have any regulations or laws against the shackling of female prisoners during childbirth

In 2007, a 17-year-old girl called Cora Fletcher was charged with retail theft. Over a year later, after she missed a court date, she was sent to the Cook County jail, in Illinois. She was eight months pregnant at the time.
During a pre-natal check-up at the facility, her baby appeared to have no heartbeat, so she was sent to the county hospital. As the medical team tried to induce her, Fletcher claims that both her hands and both her feet were shackled to either side of the bed. Only when she finally went into labor, three days later, was one hand and one foot released. It's hard to imagine a more crucifying way to force a woman to try to give birth.
Sadly for Fletcher, there was no payoff for the trauma and humiliation she was forced to endure, as her baby was born dead.
Fletcher was one of the plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit brought against Cook County on behalf of 80 female prisoners and detainees who also claimed to have had similar experiences of being shackled during childbirth. Just under two weeks ago, the county agreed to a settlement of $4.1m dollars payable to the women, who will each receive between $5,000 and $45,000.
The Cook County sheriff's office made it clear, however, that they were agreeing to the deal for expediency's sake only and were admitting to no wrongdoing. This despite the fact that Illinois became the first state in the union to ban the practice of shackling women during labor, back in 1999 – at least seven years before any of the women named in the lawsuit had their babies. A spokesman for the department, Frank Bilecki, went so far as to issue a statement claiming the jail's treatment of (female) detainees is the "most progressive in the nation".
If that is the case, women in America better watch their backs.
The practices of making pregnant women wear belly chains and of shackling their hands and feet before, after and sometimes during labor, are just another way in which the United States distinguishes itself – or fails to distinguish itself, perhaps – as anything but a bastion of liberty and justice and a champion of women's rights. No other country in the "civilized world" finds shackling pregnant women a necessary or desirable procedure. The practice has been repeatedly and vigorously condemned by the committee against torture at the United Nations; and it has been decried by both the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (You can imagine how doctors relish the prospect of trying to safely deliver a baby whose mother is in chains.)
Yet, here in America, only 16 of the 50 states have any kind of legislation to restrict or ban the practice. And as was evidenced in the Cook County, Illinois law suit, even states that do have laws on their books don't necessarily feel compelled to uphold them.
No one knows exactly how many women have been subjected to this degrading treatment, as prison officials are not obliged to keep records of pregnancies and births that occur to women in their custody. That in itself speaks volumes about the lack of attention paid to the needs of the exploding female prison population. (The US has more women prisoners than any country in the world, and their numbers are increasing at twice the rate of the male population.) When you ask a prison official why women are shackled when they are in transit or away from the facility, the answer will invariably be because that is standard prison procedure and that leg irons, handcuffs and belly chains are necessary to prevent the prisoner escaping and to protect the public.
Chaining up prisoners who are dangerous felons is one thing, but as the vast majority of incarcerated women are nonviolent offenders who, for the most part, are only guilty of crimes of poverty and addiction, a one-size-fits-all shackling policy is not only unnecessary, but dangerous. Especially since the chances of a woman in the middle of labor going on the lam are almost nonexistent. That should be self-evident, but it seems that no allowance is made for the physical vulnerabilities of women, even when they are pregnant.
And so you have a situation where someone like Cora Fletcher finds herself literally and figuratively bound by practices that would be harsh if applied to a multiple murderer, never mind a teenage girl who stole something from a store. As if the rigors of childbirth were not punishing enough, the state chooses to make the experience as torturous for a woman as possible.
There is reason, however, to hope that the days of this barbaric practice are numbered. The recent $4.1m settlement was welcomed by human rights advocates and many lawmakers as a strong message to jails and prisons that shackling women before, during and after childbirth is unlawful and unconstitutional. Cook County has paid a hefty price for its decision to violate their own state's laws. Other local governments can expect to do the same.
Advocacy groups are gearing up to get legislation passed in the 34 states that still allow the practice and are pushing for a federal standard to ensure that the laws are upheld in all 50. It's a shame that it will, apparently, require endless lawsuits and relentless campaigning to put an end to a practice that any reasonable person should find abhorrent. But if that's what it takes, so be it. Gruniad

The Movement to Stop Prisons From Shackling Women in Labor Builds

Previous: California Prisons: I wouldn't Put These Blokes In Charge of My Dog

Perverted Penguins Perturbed Polar Pioneers

I seem to recall the Fundies hi-jacking penguins for some reason or other, just let me see what I can find that will put this post in the correct context.

Well I have found something, boy oh boy, have I. So before you read on, might I ask you to read the post below, before delving in here.

'Depraved' sex acts by penguins shocked polar explorer
By Matt McGrath
10 June 2012

Accounts of unusual sexual activities among penguins, observed a century ago by a member of Captain Scott's polar team, are finally being made public.

Details, including "sexual coercion", recorded by Dr George Murray Levick were considered so shocking that they were removed from official accounts.

However, scientists now understand the biological reasons behind the acts that Dr Levick considered "depraved".

The Natural History Museum has published his unedited papers.

Dr Levick, an avid biologist, was the medical officer on Captain Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole in 1910. He was a pioneer in the study of penguins and was the first person to stay for an entire breeding season with a colony on Cape Adare.

He recorded many details of the lives of adelie penguins, but some of their activities were just too much for the Edwardian sensibilities of the good doctor.

He was shocked by what he described as the "depraved" sexual acts of "hooligan" males who were mating with dead females. So distressed was he that he recorded the "perverted" activities in Greek in his notebook.
Graphic account

On his return to Britain, Dr Levick attempted to publish a paper entitled "the natural history of the adelie penguin", but according to Douglas Russell, curator of eggs and nests at the Natural History Museum, it was too much for the times.

"He submitted this extraordinary and graphic account of sexual behaviour of the adelie penguins, which the academic world of the post-Edwardian era found a little too difficult to publish," Mr Russell said.

The sexual behaviour section was not included in the official paper, but the then keeper of zoology at the museum, Sidney Harmer, decided that 100 copies of the graphic account should be circulated to a select group of scientists.

Mr Russell said they simply did not have the scientific knowledge at that time to explain Dr Levick's accounts of what he termed necrophilia.

"What is happening there is not in any way analogous to necrophilia in the human context," Mr Russell said. "It is the males seeing the positioning that is causing them to have a sexual reaction.

"They are not distinguishing between live females who are awaiting congress in the colony, and dead penguins from the previous year which just happen to be in the same position."
Sexual coercion

Only two of the original 100 copies of Dr Levick's account survive. Mr Russell and colleagues have now published a re-interpretation of Dr Levick's findings in the journal Polar Record.

Mr Russell described how he had discovered one of the copies by accident.

"I just happened to be going through the file on George Murray Levick when I shifted some papers and found underneath them this extraordinary paper which was headed 'the sexual habits of the adelie penguin, not for publication' in large black type.

"It's just full of accounts of sexual coercion, sexual and physical abuse of chicks, non-procreative sex, and finishes with an account of what he considers homosexual behaviour, and it was fascinating."

The report and Dr Levick's handwritten notes are now on display at the Natural History Museum for the first time. Mr Russell believes they show a man who struggled to understand penguins as they really are.

"He's just completely shocked. He, to a certain extent, falls into the same trap as an awful lot of people in seeing penguins as bipedal birds and seeing them as little people. They're not. They are birds and should be interpreted as such." BBC

The old Queen might have been dead for a decade, but her uptight sexual attitudes were alive and well that's for sure. I should imagine that female sexual emancipation was about as rare a thing as a female orgasm; a quick thrust in the dark in the missionary position, was I suppose, the standard operating procedure of the day.

Below there is the trailer for the film, Ninety Degrees South, and the full movie, with sound commentary, below that. The files version that I downloaded some while ago, was in fact the unadulterated silent version of Herbert Pontings' film. If you call 'with captions' unadulterated that is.

I did however find the silent version to be more in keeping with the presentation. But that is not to say that the footage is still anything but the original and shouldn't detract you from watching this remarkable footage.

For me personally, there is just one thing that gives Scott's expedition a slight taint, and to a somewhat lesser extent Shackeltons; classicism, it pervades throughout all these 'Boys Own' adventures of the day. (Interesting Shackleton link)

But that said, and particularly after watching Pontings' film, nothing but nothing can take away from a feat of tenacity and human endurance, Scott's trek to the Pole and nearly back, that is probably unparalleled in the history of human endeavour. And made all the more so, by the quality of the kit available at the time, to these intrepid heroes.







H/T http://www.youtube.com/user/riverbanksy

Thank You God: March of The Penguins

I was only looking for a few lines to give the post above some relevance, but then I found this movie review from Christian Answers.

It's not a miracle surely, but just as I was about to settle for something lesser, this review fell into my hands. It's almost as though my prayers were answered. Just as I was starving for the real thing, it seemed to fall out of the sky, manna from heaven then?

So do please read this wonderful account of God's creations on earth, but if you get lost somewhere on the way, just remind yourself this is a review about a wildlife documentary.

And my review of the review? These people are insane.

There is a caption or two in this poster I'm sure, but it just so happens I have a couple of penguin related graphics of my own. Below.

March of the Penguins - Movie review, Christian Answers

In the harshest place on earth, love finds a way.

A successful documentary presents facts artistically, Luc Jacquet succeeded. “March of the Penguins” is an extraordinary film narrated by Morgan Freeman (“God” in Bruce Almighty). The film follows a flock of Emperor penguins, for a year, as they emerge from the frigid waters of Antarctica and travel 70 miles in harsh winds and freezing temperatures to make it back to “where they were all born.”

After reaching their traditional breeding ground, they select a mate and are monogamous to that mate for the current mating season. After the female lays the egg, they will engage in an intricate dance to pass the egg from female to male. The male protects the egg while the mother makes the 70+ mile trek back to feed (the journey gets longer as the water gets further away due to freezing).

During the mother’s absence, the father shields the egg from hazardous weather conditions. The chick hatches while the mother is away, so upon her return she will see her chick for the first time. The father then departs for his 70+ mile trek back to the water for his food. The traveling back and forth by mother and father continues until the end of the season when they will all return to the water as a family.

Once they reach the water, the parents dive back in and part ways, and the chicks stay on the ice and will likely never see their parents again.

The movie gives a detailed account of the life of an Emperor penguin with many interesting facts. During the course of the year, the penguins seemingly show signs of love, jealously and grief for a variety of reasons. You may feel you know more about Emperor penguins than you ever wanted to know, but there are life lessons that can be learned.

It is a story of nature, not of Hollywood, so gone are the special effects and computer imaging. They are replaced with actual, breathtaking footage of Antarctica splendidly captured by filmmakers. The temperatures drop as low as 80° below zero, and the winds rage at 100 mph, which makes the filming of this movie phenomenal. Stay for the credits to see actual behind-the-scenes footage.

VIOLENCE: The violence in the film is brief and mild, only depicting what truly happens in nature. In one scene, a Leopard seal eats a penguin, and a couple of close-up images of the seal’s mouth and teeth just prior to the attack may be a little frightening for a young child. The actual attack is not shown, only implied. In another scene, a bird is preying on the newly-hatched chicks, and one is caught and eaten by the bird. It is obvious when these scenes are about to take place, if you felt the need to cover your child’s eyes.

DISTURBING: Some chicks die due to the elements, and they show one dead that may upset a young child.

PROFANITY: None

SEX/NUDITY: The penguins mate during the film, but it is understood, not shown.

OBJECTIONABLE: The male and female penguins select a mate and are monogamous to each other for that season only. Morgan Freeman says, “All bets are off” referring to the next season when they will choose a different mate. It seemed inappropriate and out of place in relation to the rest of the movie.

“March of the Penguins” has lessons to teach about:

“LOVE”: According to the film, the penguins take this tremendous journey for “love” and to find a mate and reproduce. The dedication, cooperation, and affection are exemplary between the pair.

PERSEVERANCE: We could learn a lot about perseverance from Emperor penguins. I was quickly reminded of the ant in Proverbs 6:7-8 “It has no commander, overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” No one is reminding these penguins what to do; they know what to do, and they do it. They are prepared, persistent and committed, much like we are called to be as witnesses for Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4:15 “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

The penguins endure treacherous conditions, yet they continue on their journey, focusing on what lies ahead (new life). It may be a bit of a stretch, but I thought of what we, as Christians have to endure to get what lies ahead for us (eternal life). Philippians 3:14 “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

THE EXISTENCE OF GOD: One year in the life of an Emperor penguin is a great indication of the existence and character of God. Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” He is absolutely perfect! Every detail has been taken into account, and every provision has been made. Witnessing all the love and care that He must have put into creating the penguins is small compared to what He put into creating us. Matthew 6:26 “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Leaving the theater, I was more in awe and in love with my Creator.

FRIENDSHIP/COMMRADERIE: All the penguins wait to start their journey until the last of them is out of the water, giving a sense of unity. As the penguins make their journey, they will all stop from time to time until one of them picks up the trail again, and then they all start moving. It is similar to what we are called to do in the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:27-28 “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.”

While the fathers are caring for their unhatched chicks and braving the harshest of weather, they all huddle together in a huge heap for warmth. The ones on the outside rotate, so they all have a turn in the middle. Philippians 2:2-4 “then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

I was truly fascinated by the lives of these penguins, maybe because I felt we as humans could emulate much of it and be better followers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They all worked together towards a common goal; there was no fighting, gossiping and disorder. There was apparent “love,” cooperation and order. 1 Corinthians 12:25 “so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.”

I found the movie exciting and educational (but my three year old found it boring). What a great feeling it was to leave the theater without watcher’s remorse (sitting through a movie that went against my value system or offended my Lord and Savior). It was weird to see something on the big screen that I would normally watch on PBS on my 26-inch television. I would see “March of the Penguins” again, but not in the theater—in the cost-effective, comfort of my living room. Christian Answers

And as you do with these kinds of articles, you have a quick trawl through the comments. Just the one then for today, but it's a cracker. And do try the link, I pray.

Now, from a Christian perspective, in the opening scenes of the movie, it explains that the yearly penguin routine has gone on for millions and millions of years, which we all know is false. Since I was unable to see the whole film (thanks to the little ones—not my choice to take them by the way) I am not able to give further input from a Christian point of view. And, I have no intentions of ever viewing it again, so overall, I’ll have to give it a big thumbs down.
My Ratings: Average/3
Paula, age 26

"Which we all know is false" Paula age 26. Age 26, what bleedin' hope is there in this world?

Right click, open in new tag. Click again when opened.

Another One For Southern Poverty Law Center: Santorum Forming Conservative Group

Because there is one thing you can guarantee, get Ricky and those good Christian folks all under one roof, there will be so much hate about you will be able to package it. They will by comparison, make the Grand Wizard of the KKK look like Rebecca of Sunnybrook farm.

"Patriot Voices" is the proposed name, that should give you an inkling of what is to come. But I am rather surprised, that they haven't got "Family" in the title, because you can't really call yourself a hate group until you nail that shingle to the door.

Santorum Forming Conservative Group
June 8, 2012

Rick Santorum is back, baby, and he’s got a plan to knock your socks off with a new group to promote conservative issues. Patriot Voices will make sure Santorum’s election talking points will be ringing in your ears long after November. “One of the things that we found as I traveled around the country is that people came up to me a lot and said ... I was out there speaking about things that gave voice to their concerns on a lot of issues,” he told Fox News. Now, thanks to Patriot Voices, Santorum will be able to “mobilize 1 million conservatives around this country who are committed to promoting faith, family, freedom, and opportunity.” The Daily Beast

Read it at ABC News

The Southern Poverty Law Center

It's a Funny Old World: Thick as Two Short Planks Edition

You probably shouldn’t Google how to kill someone before killing someone
By Ned Hepburn

A couple from Florida (where else?) have been tied to a murder after hundreds of text messages, Facebook messages, and Google searches revealed that they had turned to the Internet to find out how to craft an alibi as well as communicate to each other various ways to carry out the murder of Juliana Mensch, a 19 year old roommate of the couple. James Ayers, 32, was arrested a few days ago after apparently confessing to a friend. His girlfriend Nicole Okrzesik, 23, was arrested soon after yet blamed the murder on Ayers. And then the police checked their phones.

Turns out that Okzresik had extensively Googled how to kill someone the night of the murder. The Broward/Palm Beach New Times has links to everything she did on her phone that night (they even have the text messages.) More




Man jailed after bragging "I think I got away with it" on Facebook

A man was convicted of an assault after he bragged to friends on Facebook during his trial that he thought he had got away with it.
06 Jun 2012

Michael Ruse, 21, believed the two week trial had gone well and decided to share the news online before the jury was due to go out.

Ruse, who had denied beating up a friend's dad, wrote a status update shortly before the jury was due to go out, saying: "Another week at court!"

When asked by a friend about the case he said: "Yeah I think I get away with it tbh (to be honest) x," adding it was "looking good."

The exchange was printed out and delivered anonymously to the court, where it was handed to the prosecution.

Confronted by the new evidence Ruse, who used the name Michael Miles online, had little choice but to change his plea to guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm.

Ruse, who has previous convictions for assault and criminal damage, then went back on the social networking site to describe the judge as "stuck up" hours before his sentencing.

Judge Ian Pearson said Ruse's stupidity was no excuse.

He said: "You pleaded guilty part way through the trial only really because you were stupid enough to put on Facebook what amounted to a full confession.

"Your stupidity really is not much mitigation."

Ruse, of Leigh Park, near Portsmouth, Hants, was given a 46 week prison sentence, suspended for two years, and put on a six month curfew from 7pm to 7am.

Russell Pyne, defending, said his client had planned to move away from Leigh Park and change his ways.

He said: "He needs help with regards to thinking skills."

During the trial, Portsmouth Crown Court heard Ruse's friend, Terry Reeve, 20, had thrown a brick at his own dad's car earlier in the day in March last year.

Ruse and Reeve then armed themselves with a baseball bat and a baton and attacked the 45-year-old lorry driver in the street in Leigh Park.

Reeve's father was left with a cut to his head and bruises all over his body.

Reeve, of Leigh Park, was found guilty of the assault and of criminal damage after the trial. He was jailed for a year and 55 days.

Michael Williams, defending Reeve, said he had not had a happy childhood.

He said: "The reason that he perhaps thinks with his fists first comes from his father."

After the hearing, Ruse went back on Facebook to say: "Boom! Im (sic) coming home best start sorting myself out. Tag for 6 months...and got to stay out of trouble for 2 years."

He was also fined £250 in court costs. Telegraph

Five Fingered Mormon Madness

Utah Distillery To Challenge Idaho Ban On “Five Wives Vodka”

This morning, the Idaho Attorney General and Director of the Idaho State Liquor Division was informed that Ogden’s Own Distillery has retained my services to challenge the decision to block sales of “Five Wives Vodka” in Idaho. The businesses in Idaho were denied the right to “special order” the vodka because it was viewed as offensive to the large Mormon population in the state. The state also denied “general listing” to allow stores to sell the product. As on our other cases, I have to be circumspect on what I can say about the case in light of the pending litigation. June 6 2012


Idaho gives in, OKs Five Wives Vodka sales amid lawsuit talk

The Idaho State Liquor Division on Wednesday reversed direction in the face of a lawsuit and says it will sell Five Wives Vodka.

The agency in a state that's more than 25% Mormon last week rejected the product with an unmistakable reference to polygamy and a label with five women hiking up their skirts.

The vodka originates from Ogden's Own Distillery in Utah, where the Mormon church is based.

The decision came shortly after George Washington University professor Jonathan Turley on his website told Idaho officials he planned to sue on behalf of the producer of Five Wives Vodka. June 7 2012

Right click, open in new tag. Click again when opened.

I suppose it was the "Five" reference that set the ball rolling that resulted in these few graphics. Understandably then, it was the last graphic that was the first off the press.

And as things invariably do, one thing leading to another, and that other resulted in what you see below, two episodes of the television spoof series, The Famous Five. Starring I add, all kinds of faces you might recognise, or in the case of seventies soft porn star, Fiona Richmond, tits. But one thing you will easily recognise, they are all so terribly young.

Tits oot for the lads!

Quintessential English television.

Sequel.

Javier Krahe Not Guilty of "offending religious feelings"

El Mudo Spanish.

Google translation.

Previous.

I shall try and update later with a report in English, up to press, there is only me running the story.

'I Am Offended!' - Richard Dawkins

Miss Venus Transiting The Sun? Watch in UHD

Includes some stunning shots of the Sun.


H/T Best of Science

Jesus Christ! You Can't Do That, It's 2012: Spain Blasphemy Trial

Update: Not Guilty.

From reading this short report, and his "previous," a fellow might be forgiven for thinking that the decision to prosecute Spanish artist, Javier Krahe for blasphemy, was a tad political. But whatever the reason, their are certainly dark forces at play here. As I say in the header, it's 2012, not 1512.

But to actually prosecute someone for blasphemy in 2012 Western Europe, is simply staggering. But then the fellow isn't actually being prosecuted for blasphemy, he is being prosecuted for "offending religious feelings," which surpasses staggering to go far beyond the pale.

How dangerous a precedent is that; what next trials for witchcraft? Jesus wept! this is Spain we are talking about here, not Saudi bloody Arabia. Perhaps Spain too should kick the Gregorian calendar into touch and join the Saudi goatherds back in the year 1433, because that's the message Spain is sending the world. Our level of sophistication has reverted to that of Saudi, land of darkness, Arabia.

Offending religious feelings! what about my feelings and all those like me? All those people who are rational, does Spain realise just how offensive this trial is to the likes us?

And is Spain so culturally far removed from Portugal, that it, Spain, prosecutes artists, yet a Portuguese artist, Jose Saramago, whose writings include at least two works that were labelled blasphemous, is awarded the title, Nobel Laureate? But much I suppose depends on who is adjudicating and upon what. A committee of rational thinkers for the Nobel and the Catholic bloody Church on what is considered blasphemous. Theocrats determining what is, or what isn't, offensive. What could possibly go wrong?

Which only leaves me now, to have a look in my 'blasphemy' folder for a bit of something to decorate this post with.

Oh! and perhaps inquire of my contacts in Spain to see if I can get a better insight into what is actually going on in this case.

Update, opinion from Spain:

My personal opinion about that case, fortunately like nearly everyone in this country, is that this judgment is an absurdity.

The case hase been kicking around the courthouses for eight years, has already been filed twice, but this time a Madrid court has applied for "first time" Article 525 of our Penal Code that prescribes a sentence of up to 12 months for offending "the feelings of the members of a religious denomination."

I hope that everything stays in nothing. When I get information about the sentence I'll get in touch with you, for now we are still waiting. Mercedes: Hasta que se sepa la Verdad

Spanish artist faces prison over 'how to cook Christ' film

Javier Krahe prosecuted for 'offending religious feelings' after 1978 short film was broadcast on Spanish TV
Ben Child
28 May 2012

A leading Spanish artist faces up to a year in prison after being prosecuted for "offending religious feelings" in relation to a short film he made more than 30 years ago that claimed to show "how to cook Jesus Christ".

Javier Krahe, who has been a popular and provocative figure in Spain for nearly half a century, made the film in 1978 but it was only shown on Spanish TV in 2004 as a backdrop to an interview with its creator. The little-known charge – comparable with but not identical to Britain's blasphemy law, remains part of the penal code despite never having been applied before in Spanish legal history.
Krahe's 54-second film uses the tone of a cooking programme, with chefs advised to remove Jesus' nails and separate him from his crucifix, which should be left to one side. Christ's tiny white body – a small figurine is used – is then shown being washed, lightly smothered in butter, placed on a bed of aromatic herbs in a glass tray and popped into an oven. "One gaunt Christ" is apparently enough to feed two, and when the dish is ready (after three days) it miraculously emerges from the oven without assistance.
There have been two previous failed attempts to prosecute Krahe, who is currently on bail for €192,000 (£153,000). The latest prosecution is the result of a court action by the Catholic legal association the Centro Juridico Tomas Moro.
"How do you show that someone's religious feelings have been hurt?" Krahe told El Pais newspaper, adding that he considers the prosecution to be absurd. "I'm accused of a series of things that I haven't done. I don't appear on television cooking Christ, and I haven't ever used these images [in a performance]." His supporters say freedom of speech laws should be changed to allow room for blasphemy.
Krahe is due to appear in Madrid's regional court, where statements from witnesses in the case are due to be heard on Monday. Gruniad

Other: Spain Review
Just the one above for decoration, but a small gallery of Jesus and Mo below. Two birds with one blasphemous stone as it were.