- Via Andrew Sullivan, the perfect summary of the Pope’s crisis: There is no way out for him. He cannot discipline others without disciplining himself and he cannot save the church if he does not defrock many others. It’s obvious he should resign. It’s also obvious he cannot. That’s why this crisis is so grave. Another cartoon is also pithy. And in a related and revealing move, The Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore is suing the city over an ordinance requiring area crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) to post accurate information about the services they provide.
- If you missed it the big story this week was a video from Wikileaks of a 2007 US army killing unarmed journalists because their cameras were supposed to look like AK-47s and then shooting up a van with children that arrived on the scene later. Here’s the 17 min video, the salient points are in the first few minutes — an important piece of history.
- A study of who commits rapes and why rape isn’t “one big misunderstanding”
- An interesting followup to my old post on bestiality, some new research which suggests some people really are attracted exclusively to animals.
- Good talk on design flaws that support evolution
- The American dream, baby!
- Some Soviet boardgames from the 20s and 30s. The title pic is of a game called Chemical Warfare.
- Three astronomical marvels: 8 wonders of the solar system, a vinyl simulation of planet rotations and visions of our galaxy in whichever parts of the electromagnetic spectrum strike your fancy.
- If you missed the Constance McMillen saga, here’s a good wrapup:
Last month a federal judge in Mississippi ruled that Constance McMillen’s rights were violated when she was not allowed to wear a tuxedo and bring her girlfriend to the Itawamba Agricultural High School prom. Judge Davidson would hold a trial on the matter later and stopped short of requiring the school board to reinstate the prom, as parents had already formulated their plan to hold a private prom.
There was a private prom all right. On Wendesday, the school’s attorney announced that “the prom� was to be held at the Fulton Country Club on Friday. Constance, her date and seven other kids showed up.
Because the “real prom� was held in a secret location outside of the countyIt was very revealing that they also sent the kids with learning disabilities to the fake prom. This is exactly the kind of values these people espouse.
Friday Links (9-Apr-10)
April 9th, 2010
