The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters
A general category for things related to our society and how we interact with one another.
The Catholic Archbishop of Vienna tells us to back off on that wacky, scientific approach to science and evolution in particular. Never mind that the entire world has taken at face value Pope John Paul II’s statement in 1996 that evolution is “more than just a hypothesis.”
Read moreThe White House and the Senate Republican leadership are pushing back against pressure from some of their conservative allies about the coming Supreme Court nomination, urging them to stop attacking Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales as a potential nominee and to tone down their talk of a culture war.
Read moreThe New York Times is reporting on a new study which claims there really aren’t any “bi-sexuals,” at least when it comes to men. This is another really poorly done study, but of course that qualifies it for main-stream-media coverage.
Read moreJustice Sandra Day O’Connor resigned from the Supreme Court yesterday. Despite being placed on the Court by arch-conservative Ronald Reagan, Justice O’Connor was often the swing vote maintaining some sanity and progressive thinking within the Court. Here thoughtful votes and reasoning, and her protection of civil rights will be sorely missed. You have to wonder why she’s really leaving the Court at this point.
Read moreMildred, the church gossip and self-appointed monitor of the church morals, kept sticking her nose into other peoples’ business.
Read moreWe remember quaking in our boots whenever this dare was thrown down on the playground. To put the age-old question to the test (and to rest), we visited the urban legend experts at Snopes.com.
Read moreThe History of Analog Clocks provides an explanation of the origin of the 24-hour day. The system dates back 4,000 years, to ancient Egypt and Babylon.
Read moreToday, the Senate passed an amendment (proposed by Sen. Barbara Boxer) by a wide margin (60-37) prohibiting the EPA from testing pesticides on humans. What the EPA has been doing is pretty awful: They promise families some cash in order to carry out experiments, often on kids and often in low-income neighborhoods.
Read moreThanks to the American Taliban, the U.S. continues to fall behind the rest of the world. Spain now offers same sex marriage.
Read moreHere’s the Christian Right W and the Repubs are so interested in catering too.
Read moreMonday, the Supremes announced two decisions related to the issue of religion in public. In one, they ruled that the Ten Commandments cannot be displayed in Kentucky courtrooms. In the other, they ruled to allow the display of the Ten Commandments on the Texas State Capitol grounds.
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