Jon Stewart Lampoons Glenn Beck

Posted by Norm at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

• Protecting Israel’s Lawlessness with Spying and Smear Campaign by Naomi Klein

  A while ago, the Reut Institute, arguably Israel's most influential think tank, published a very controversial report about "hubs of delegitimization." It attempted to equate tactics of non-violent resistance—like the growing movement to use Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) to force Israel to comply with international law—with a military campaign to destroy the state of Israel.

  Most worrying, the report explicitly urged Israeli intelligence agencies like Mossad to take unspecified action against peace activists using entirely legal methods: "Neither changing policy nor improving public relations will suffice...Faced with a potentially existential threat, Israel must treat it as such by focusing its intelligence agencies on this challenge; allocating appropriate resources; developing new knowledge; designing a strategy, executing it.” The think tank also called on the Israeli government to “sabotage network catalysts” – defined as key players in the “delegitimization network.”



• Nonbelieving Clergy

  Imagine being forced to go to work every day and, as part of the job, profess something that you absolutely don’t believe. More than that: at least once a week you have to publicly profess it, and also counsel other people on the explicit premise that you share the beliefs you reject. In other words, you’re forced to live a lie.



• Will Health Care Reform Cause Physicians to Flee

  The story behind part of the right-wing's scare tactics.



• Chill Out

  Climate scientists are getting a little too angry for their own good.



• What We're Up Against


• Religion and Politics Lyrics by Scott Beach (tip to Steve)


• Un-Gay (Mark Fiore animation)


• Who's Scarier: Heath Ledger's Joker or Glenn Beck?

Posted by Norm at 8:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just called my representative, Jim Blue Dog Matheson, I told his staffer that if Jim didn't vote for the healthcare bill I'd be voting for his opponent in the next election. He said that he was hearing that from both sides. "Really," I said, "Yes," he replied. Well then it looks like the congressman has a choice, he can either leave office as a Republican or as a Democrat.

Yes, I'm in favor of this flawed, piece of shit, legislation. Today's the day to make a call, lets make it happen. You can click on the sidebar ad if you haven't memorized your congressman's number.



• Religion and Politics


• Weekly Ezine for Democrats


• Steven Pinker a Brief History of Violence (video)


• Scumbag Insurance Companies


• Why I'm Voting Yes by Dennis Kucinich


• God Damned Unambitious Young People Make Me Furious


• His fortune polishes atheists' reputation (tip to Jim)

Posted by Norm at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Posted by Norm at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by Norm at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Posted by Norm at 3:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Here is one of my favorite Irish folky artists. I cought him live in some obscure Pittsburgh locations several years running before I moved out west. He does a great version of Dirty Old Town that I can't get him to post online.

Posted by RedSeven at 3:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Glen Beck leaves me craving science.

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Posted by RedSeven at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

• Class War

  This is by a new blog and promises Frank's unadulterated opinions. If Frank says it, I most likely agree, and you should too.



• Look up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane, it's a spider?


• The trouble with trusting complex science

  There is no simple way to battle public hostility to climate research. As the psychologists show, facts barely sway us anyway



• Diagnosis, Therapy and Evidence

  When Dr. Novella recently wrote about plausibility in science-based medicine, one of our most assiduous commenters, Daedalus2u, added a very important point. The data are always right, but the explanations may be wrong. The idea of treating ulcers with antibiotics was not incompatible with any of the data about ulcers; it was only incompatible with the idea that ulcers were caused by too much acid. Even scientists tend to think on the level of the explanations rather than on the level of the data that led to those explanations.



• Shocking, just Shocking


• Why I'm Not a Humanist


• Help, I'm Being Repressed

Posted by Norm at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There isn't much room to be surprised by Beck. The man is unstable and if he started seeing smurfs in the middle of his show, I would say, "It was only a matter of time." and then I would wonder if he is only doing it for ratings. This latest gaff points out just how reckless he is. He essentially brands Christians Nazi/communists for wanting social justice.

I was reading about this on Roger Ebert's blog. i have been really enjoying his movie reviews and his blog entries.

"Jesus was a Nazi. So's your preacher" By Roger Ebert

Posted by RedSeven at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

• Richard Dawkins debunks Noah's Ark


• Project Reason Video Contest Finalists


• Mark Roth: Suspended Animation

  Mark Roth studies suspended animation: the art of shutting down life processes and then starting them up again. It's wild stuff, but it's not science fiction. Induced by careful use of an otherwise toxic gas, suspended animation can potentially help trauma and heart attack victims survive long enough to be treated.



• Coffee Inhaler


• Quote of the Day

  I have a solution to your time theory: what if the earth is billions of years old but God didn’t create time until 6,000 years ago?

Posted by Norm at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Michael Lewis talks about a one-eyed man with Asperger's syndrome who made money by betting against the subprime mortgage market.

Posted by Norm at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Norm at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by RedSeven at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone.—John Maynard Keynes

You may recall my recent encounter with black ice and solid objects. I've written a bit more about it here.

What I didn't write about was dealing with my insurance company. Don't get me wrong they were helpful throughout and paid the claim promptly, and I consider the settlement fair.

But, oh yes there is always a but isn't there? When I called a towing company, I asked how much it would cost for the tow. They quoted $75.00 a reasonable price; they didn't know it would be covered by insurance. When they discovered they would be reimbursed by insurance they increased the amount to $115.00. I only became aware of it when they failed to charge my credit card the $75.00 I'd agreed to.

I stopped by the lot where my car had been towed to inquire and asked for a copy of the bill. They gave me the copy and informed me that the Insurance company had already paid it when they had it towed to the salvage yard. When I looked at the bill, I discovered the higher amount.

Later when I arrived at the insurance company for my settlement check I informed them of the increased charge for the towing. The fellow, not my agent didn't seem concerned. I told him I understood that it wasn't much but that unnecessary payments such as that resulted in higher premiums for everyone. He made sympathetic sounds, but it was clear he didn't care.

He did have my agent call, and he was just as much an apologist for the way they did things as his fellow employee. "It's not an unreasonable charge," he said. "It's standard in the industry ," he said. "It's only $40.00," he said. Perhaps I should have pushed harder, asked to speak with his boss, but would it have made a difference? It was only $40.00, right?

Posted by Norm at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (49)