Oh surely not. He’ll be back tomorrow, or the next day…… Read the rest
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Royal family not keen on ecumenical dialogue
Dec 11th, 2010 10:28 am | By Ophelia BensonAnd we learn that the archbish of Canterbury isn’t as fond of the pope as we had been led to believe.
… Read the restDuring his recent visit to Rome and meeting with the Pope –planned before the Pope urged disaffected Anglicans to convert to Catholicism— Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams challenged the position of the Catholic Church on ordination of women and made it clear that the Vatican should have consulted with him before reaching out to the Anglican community. Although Williams’ visit to Rome was cast as positive and reinforcing of ecumenical dialogue, it’s clear the wounds from this controversy will affect that dialogue negatively (at least for now) and are likely to cast a pall over the Pope’s planned
Vatican demanded immunity from testifying
Dec 11th, 2010 10:14 am | By Ophelia BensonI’m very ambivalent about WikiLeaks and especially about the diplomatic data dump, but I must say, the Vatican stuff is certainly worth having (and it’s not something the Vatican has any moral right to keep secret, either). The more we know about the inner workings of the Vatican, the better.
Requests for information from the 2009 Murphy commission into sexual and physical abuse by clergy “offended many in the Vatican” who felt that the Irish government had “failed to respect and protect Vatican sovereignty during the investigations“, a cable says.
Typical Vatican, isn’t it? Not shock-horror and remorse about rape and physical violence by clergy, but “offense” at failure to “respect” Vatican “sovereignty.” It’s all about them, and … Read the rest
Ashtiani forced to incriminate herself on tv
Dec 11th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia Benson“To organise a televised ‘confession’ midway through a judicial review of a serious case makes a mockery of Iran’s legal system.”… Read the rest
Vatican was “offended” by Irish requests for info
Dec 11th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonVatican dug in its heels, then had the gall to claim it “shared the outrage.”… Read the rest
Roy Sablosky on the myth of Christian charity
Dec 11th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe statistical studies that supposedly demonstrate that religion has a positive influence in charitable giving do not hold up when examined carefully.… Read the rest
American Anthropological Association: no science for us
Dec 11th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe AAA decided at its recent annual meeting to strip the word “science” from a statement of its long-range plan.… Read the rest
Local customs
Dec 10th, 2010 4:46 pm | By Ophelia BensonI’m reading Charles Freeman’s AD 381.
This sounded familiar already; it’s only page 2.
Theodosius was not himself a fanatical Christian, and despite the harshness of the language in which his decrees were expressed, he showed some restraint and flexibility in the way he applied them. In a vast and administratively unwieldy empire, any law lost its impact as it filtered down into the provinces, and some may never have been systematically enforced. However, this worked both ways – a law might be ignored, or it might be imposed with brutality by a local enthusiast.
Ahhh yes – that does sound familiar. It sounds exactly like Pakistan. It sounds exactly like a lot of places. There is never any … Read the rest
Discussing science and morality
Dec 10th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonSimon Blackburn, Sam Harris, Steven Pinker, Patricia Churchland, Peter Singer, Laurence Krauss.… Read the rest
US: most scientists are Democrats
Dec 10th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonWell no kidding. Sarah Palin anyone? John Shimkus? James Inhofe?… Read the rest
Lehrer on Lehrer on the decline effect
Dec 10th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIn poll after poll, Americans have dismissed two of the most robust theories of modern science: evolution by natural selection and climate change.… Read the rest
Coyne on Lehrer on the “decline effect”
Dec 10th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIt’s a mistake to imply that all scientific truth is simply a choice among explanations that aren’t very well supported.… Read the rest
BBC on Ashtiani “confession”
Dec 10th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonAnd the difficulty of getting at the truth about what is happening to her and her son and her lawyer.… Read the rest
Reality tv in Iran
Dec 9th, 2010 5:54 pm | By Ophelia BensonSo those bastards in Iran were having a little joke. Ashtiani isn’t free at all.
Contrary to a vast publicity campaign by Western media that confessed murderer Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has been released, a team of broadcast production team with the Iran-based Press TV has arranged with Iran’s judicial authorities to follow Ashtiani to her house to produce a visual recount of the crime at the murder scene.
Well that’s the right way to determine guilt: take a tv crew to someone’s house and force her to agree with you that she’s guilty guilty guilty.
Bastards bastards bastards.… Read the rest
Double-plus ungood
Dec 9th, 2010 5:50 pm | By Ophelia BensonIn much less good news, our friend and fellow-troublemaker Josh Slocum had a very serious heart attack a couple of days ago. He’s fine now, he assures us, but it was Bad and Scary and Horrible, and he’s only a youngster. So send him your affection and raillery and friendly insults and other helpful things.… Read the rest
Press TV boasts of Ashtiani show
Dec 9th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonRead and feel sick.… Read the rest
Good news for a change
Dec 9th, 2010 12:39 pm | By Ophelia BensonSakineh Ashtiani is free.
Her release is a triumph for an intensive international campaign launched by her son Sajad Ghaderzadeh…Ecstatic campaigners hailed the news. “This is the happiest day in my life,” said Mina Ahadi of the International Committee against Stoning (Icas).
So maybe international pressure does work.… Read the rest
Guardian reports Ashtiani is free
Dec 9th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonEcstatic campaigners hailed the news. “This is the happiest day in my life,” said Mina Ahadi of the International Committee against Stoning.… Read the rest
Ashtiani and her lawyer are free
Dec 9th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonWe have got news from Iran that they are free,” Mina Ahadi, spokeswoman for the Anti-Stoning Committee, told AFP.… Read the rest
Zimmer posts full responses to arsenic article
Dec 9th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonWhat 13 scientists told him.… Read the rest