16 April 2011

Link round-up for 16 April 2011


PZ Myers wants to help Christians avoid going to Hell.

This must have been terror-ific fun for the kids.

A bad driver gets a harsh lesson in the laws of physics (found via Mendip).

I've discovered some good music videos via Ranch Chimp's blog, including a couple I used as "video of the week". Here's a complete round-up of all his music posts.

Why on Earth is it offensive for Crayola to recognize the existence of a range of skin tones?

Montana's Democratic governor fights teabagger craziness with the help of his trusty sidekick.

Donald Trump is weird and touchy (found via Preliator pro Causa).

Some people find the concept of equality baffling.

Pastor Brent Girouex wins the true believer of the month award for March.

TYWKIWDBI posts a list of blogs written by its readers -- some interesting-looking stuff here.

Many kinds of activists could benefit from this point about making factual arguments emotionally appealing.

Many people are confused about what the government spends money on.

Here's a no-nonsense look at the whiny Obama-bashing far left (found via They Gave Us a Republic).

David Frum thinks the GOP had a great week.

Michigan workers rally against Governor Snyder's austerity plans. And people power in Texas has won a victory.

Planned Parenthood saw a huge surge in donations during the Republican attack on it (found via Preliator pro Causa).

Support for gay marriage in New York state has become overwhelming -- time to act.

Louis J. Martinelli, a former NOM anti-gay-marriage activist, has had a change of heart and now fully supports the cause he once campaigned against. Keep up the fight -- you never know when you may be touching someone, somewhere.

A post on male drama queens triggers a comment discussion that throws the MRA mentality into sharp relief -- some of the most outrageous comments from "Discount" have been deleted, but parts of them survive as quotes in responses.

Roger Ebert takes an eloquent look at inequality in America (found via A Feather Adrift).

Patriotic millionaires have a message for Obama.

Obama-birth-certificate nonsense is still nonsense even when it's Donald Trump who's saying it.

Democrats have a real chance of re-taking the House next year.

Trump threatens to go Perot if the Republicans don't nominate him. More here.

Here's a look at the district Paul Ryan represents.

Idaho Republicans spend $100,000 of taxpayer money to pay their own party's legal fees for suing the state (found via They Gave Us a Republic).

The public credits Democrats for the deal that averted the shut- down; Boehner didn't get as much as he thought.

Andrew Sullivan has a round-up of reactions to Obama's deficit speech. See also Liberal Values, Politics Plus, and Politicus USA.

Obama has already cut the deficit by $122 billion.

The Republican attack on Medicare could be political suicide.

Boehner is coming under pressure to squelch the crazy talk about not raising the debt ceiling -- and it's pressure from Wall Street executives, a constituency Republicans tend to actually listen to.

Christian anti-abortion rhetoric is getting outrageous (found via Mills River Progressive).

The Christian Right's values are not shared by most Americans; in fact, those values are driving young people away from religion.

Atheist Oasis looks at Seventh-Day Adventism.

The sacred texts of the Abrahamic religions are irredeemably misogynistic.

Hrafnkell Haraldsson looks at the myth of Christian opposition to slavery.

Religion and freedom are irreconcilable opposites.

1,000 prominent economists from 50 countries urge world leaders to impose a tax on financial speculation. More here on how to support this in the US.

Tim McGaha's series on the Civil War continues with the divided America Lincoln inherited and the opening of the war.

World War II German atrocities committed by ordinary soldiers are revealed in those soldiers' own words, debunking the myth that the regular army kept its hands clean (warning: gruesome descriptions).

Syrian soldiers have been shot for refusing to open fire on anti- regime protesters.

Brothers under the skin: the world's biggest gangster-regime supports Qaddhafi.

The Bahrain regime is harassing Bahraini students overseas who support the rebellion there.

Israel has made missile defense work, at least on a small scale (but the cost-comparison comment is stupid; protecting civilian lives and infrastructure is what military spending is supposed to be for).

Depressed? Read more.

Here's an interesting look at the largest cities in the world at various times in history.

British scientists have grown human kidneys from stem cells.

13 Comments:

Blogger mendip said...

Another wonderful collection. I particularly enjoyed the T-Rex promotion and Ranch Chimp's music post roundup. Thanks!

16 April, 2011 08:09  
Blogger Leslie Parsley said...

Thought I had heard every lie and absurdity from Fox that they could possibly invent. But attacking Crayola for using different skin tones? Holy cow!

16 April, 2011 09:48  
Blogger Ahab said...

Martinelli's defection from NOM warmed my heart. If pro-LGBT efforts can change the heart of a NOM member, maybe we can change other hearts too.

16 April, 2011 14:51  
Blogger Infidel753 said...

Mendip: Thanks. RC has been quite a resource for music.

TNLib: There's some very dark and disturbing atavism down there in the sludge at the bottom of the gene pool. No doubt you heard about this too.

Ahab: That's what I'm hoping. Consider how support for gay marriage has gone from almost nothing to 53% nationwide in just a decade. Great masses of people are reachable, and are being reached.

16 April, 2011 18:35  
Anonymous nonnie9999 said...

thank you once again for your tireless effort in bringing us the best stuff on the internets, infidel!

16 April, 2011 22:07  
Blogger Ranch Chimp said...

Good Morning Infodel!

Thank You for the in depth piece from Taylor Marsh concerning the budget scam here in Texas ... even though I live here, I just havent got around to reading up much on it, but I do know how this state operate's. Uniquely about Texas let me add, this state actually is set up to where the "people" have all the power, even the Gov. of this state doesnt have the power it does in most state's ... here's the "catch" ... a matter of "who" actually organize's and get's off their asses to vote. I would bet my paycheck, "if" the majority of Texan's actually got off their asses and would get angry and vote, this state would be blue as the skies over it! I actually think the same applies nationally with this recent surge of GOP/ Tea Folk's, they stay at it, they pound till the cow's come home. I try to daily push the "importance" to every Texan I talk to of voting and the damage that the "right" (GOP and affiliate's)is doing to the state and nation. I just happened to be eating lunch yesterday in San Marcos, just a tad south of Austin toward's San Antone.

Glad you enjoyed some of the music list. A buddy named Dave of "Sights and Sounds" in Arlington(TX) was the one who inspired me to make the compilation, after viewing the scattered mess I first had. But you know my love for the art's, mess or no mess. :)

Later Guy ....

17 April, 2011 07:20  
Blogger Infidel753 said...

Nonnie: There's always plenty of stuff out there -- I hope next weekend's round-up will be a little less dominated by politics.

RC: I would bet my paycheck, "if" the majority of Texan's actually got off their asses and would get angry and vote, this state would be blue as the skies over it!

An observation I've heard you make before, and a promising one for the country as a whole, since a blue Texas would mean the end of Republican power on the federal level. Let's hope the success of people power in Austin here is the beginning of making it a reality.

17 April, 2011 07:54  
Blogger Robert the Skeptic said...

Too many links to follow, I will never leave my computer.

17 April, 2011 08:24  
Blogger Infidel753 said...

People leave their computers? Why?

17 April, 2011 08:56  
Blogger Ranch Chimp said...

Of course ... I disagree with you, however, I'm not going to get into a political debate with you. I disagree on the ground's ... that regardless of what the majority of the State of Texas is politically ... in this era of course, left or right ... it would not free the Federal Government from any Republican stronghold, you would have to accomplish this as well in several other state's in the nation that have a Republican voting majority as well and the various state's House and Senate member's that are Republican/ right. I never had any reason to believe that the State of Texas control's Washington or any other state actually, no matter what it is, left or right. But, that's just my opinion.

17 April, 2011 16:16  
Blogger Infidel753 said...

I didn't mean that Texas controls Washington. I meant that without Texas's electoral votes, no Republican candidate for President could win, and if Texas's Congressional delegation were mostly Democrats, it would be almost impossible for Republicans to get a majority in the House. Texas is the biggest red state by population, and an essential building block for any Republican federal majority.

17 April, 2011 16:56  
Blogger Ranch Chimp said...

Ahhh Yes ... I see your point in your last comment, that never even crossed my mind ... Texas DOES have quite a few electorial vote's, so I didnt even think of that. Geeeezz ... must be age!

17 April, 2011 17:18  
Blogger Will "take no prisoners" Hart said...

On the atrocities by regular German soldiers piece, allow me refer you to a great book by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen called "Hitler's Willing Executioners". The fellow goes into extraordinary detail, not just on the destruction by those in German uniform but of the everyday citizens as well.

17 April, 2011 20:38  

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