All entries by this author

The Psychology of Believing News Reports *

Oct 20th, 2007 | Filed by

People are more likely to discount information if they are suspicious of the motives behind its dissemination.… Read the rest



Why not Find bin Laden, and Lord Lucan Too? *

Oct 20th, 2007 | Filed by

Since there’s a magic box that can find anyone with just a bit of DNA…… Read the rest



Bhutto Refuses to Submit *

Oct 20th, 2007 | Filed by

‘We are prepared to risk our lives, but we are not prepared to surrender our great nation to the militants.’… Read the rest



Jesus and Mo Make Up *

Oct 20th, 2007 | Filed by

The barmaid shows them the way.… Read the rest



Manager of Somali Radio Station Murdered *

Oct 20th, 2007 | Filed by

Last month government troops fired on the station and ordered it to stop broadcasting.… Read the rest



Prayer Will Remain Legal: It Has no Truth Value *

Oct 19th, 2007 | Filed by

The Swedish government has announced plans to clamp down hard on religious education.… Read the rest



Women Die to Give Birth *

Oct 19th, 2007 | Filed by

Around half a million women in developing countries die annually before, while, or soon after giving birth.… Read the rest



Preventing Harm: Empowering Women *

Oct 19th, 2007 | Filed by

Helping women gain greater power and more options in life is key to improving reproductive health.… Read the rest



Ostracized Women *

Oct 19th, 2007 | Filed by

Each year, 100,000 women who give birth in poor countries develop obstetric fistula.… Read the rest



Lucky Dube Murdered in Johannesburg *

Oct 19th, 2007 | Filed by

One of the great reggae artists and one of the apartheid regime’s most outspoken critics. … Read the rest



Cold Spring Harbor Lab Suspends Watson *

Oct 19th, 2007 | Filed by

Now scientists can read all our DNA they can show there is no scientific basis for the concept of race. … Read the rest



Bhutto is Defiant *

Oct 19th, 2007 | Filed by

‘What are the militants saying? They are saying it is not safe for peaceful people to gather together.’… Read the rest



The Cliché That Won’t Die

Oct 19th, 2007 | By Max Dunbar

I recently enjoyed the new Richard Dawkins series on Britain’s Channel 4, in which the scientist explores the world of alternative therapies – therapies which have few health benefits but are nevertheless funded by public money. Dawkins, of course, is known for his criticism of religious faith – not just religious states, wars, or terrorism, but the texts and the faith itself.

Here are some reactions to Dawkins’s viewpoint.

Dawkins is an unashamed proselytiser. (Madeleine Bunting)

What is arguably more interesting about Dawkins’s TV work is the sense in which his public advocacy of atheism is coming to look more and more like media-savvy forms of contemporary religion, particularly evangelicalism. (Gordon Lynch)

And yet, Dawkins is as reluctant as any

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Women Resisting in Iran *

Oct 18th, 2007 | Filed by

Farahnaz Shiri, the first female bus driver in Tehran, has made her own little society in her bus.… Read the rest



TV Documentary on Family Murdered by Father *

Oct 18th, 2007 | Filed by

Caneze Riaz, 39, was killed along with daughters Sayrah, 16, Sophia, 13, Alicia, 10, and Hannah, 3.… Read the rest



Girls Are Treated Differently *

Oct 18th, 2007 | Filed by

Birmingham leads the way in its handling of forced marriage, honour killings and domestic violence.… Read the rest



Muslim Secularism and its Allies *

Oct 18th, 2007 | Filed by

Suggest an Islam without political aspirations and people start defending Qutb and Mawdudi as if their lives depended on it.… Read the rest



Parents Cite Religion to Avoid Vaccination *

Oct 18th, 2007 | Filed by

Public health officials say it takes only a few unvaccinated people to cause an outbreak risking many lives.… Read the rest



Because it is Forbidden

Oct 18th, 2007 11:01 am | By

This is appalling.

Sabrina Rahim doesn’t practice any particular faith, but she had no problem signing a letter declaring that because of her deeply held religious beliefs, her 4-year-old son should be exempt from the vaccinations required to enter preschool. She is among a small but growing number of parents around the country who are claiming religious exemptions to avoid vaccinating their children.

And by doing so, to put countless other children and adults at risk – a small but growing number of parents who feel entitled to endanger other people for no good reason.

[P]ublic health officials say it takes only a few people to cause an outbreak that can put large numbers of lives at risk. “When

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Martha Nussbaum Reviews The Lucifer Effect *

Oct 17th, 2007 | Filed by

Zimbardo concludes that situational features explain why people behave abusively to others. … Read the rest