Bill Maher Slams Obama, Oil Companies After Gulf Coast Oil Spill (VIDEO) -- It's been a while since I've seen anything from Bill Maher (I don't have HBO, and don't intend to buy an 800-channel package just to get it), so this was damn good. Additionally, it's always nice to see Obama get challenged from the Left.
Supreme Court Considers Ban on Genetically Modified Monsanto Seeds -- It's great that SOMEONE is. I find it utterly reprensible that Monsanto is able to sue farmers for "intellectual property infringement" for saving non-Monsanto seeds. Why can Monsanto do this? Because Monsanto has copyrighted certain DNA segments, and when pollen from GMO crops floats through the air and fertilizes non-GMO crops, it passes that copyrighted DNA, making the non-GMO crops into GMO crops and thus effectively planting stolen goods on innocent people, which Monsanto then accuses of stealing. Frankly, this whole thing is bullshit and is exactly why corporations should not be allowed to segments of DNA. Unfortunately, though, this article is about a slightly different topic: it's about how organic farmers are worried about being able to sell their own products as organic after the potential contamination from Monsanto's Round-Up Ready strains.
Natural Sexuality -- It's great to put things into perspective sometimes, and this post does just that. Attacking the idea of the "natural" in sexuality (as human homosexuality is often defined as "unnatural"), this beautiful work in parody features numerous varied members across the Animal Kingdom describing what they view as "natural." It's hard to criticize homosexuality as "unnatural" when you realize that, for some species, what's truly "unnatural" is for the female to be the one carrying the fetus... And as such, what is natural?
Brain Shuts Off In Response To Healer's Prayer -- Deals with the brain chemistry involved in faith healing, but probably also describes how people react to any terribly charismatic leader, whether religious, political or otherwise. I assume this was a developed trait for when a whole pack needed to follow an alpha male away from danger, and quickly, where stopping to ask questions might cause problems. Nonetheless, it's a worrisome trait and one we might want to be aware of.
Holy Wars -- A wonderful essay from Neil deGrasse Tyson regarding Science vs Religion in terms of which tool helps us best decipher the world around us. A favorite quote from it: "I have yet to see a successful prediction about the physical world that was inferred or extrapolated from the content of any religious document. Indeed, I can make an even stronger statement. Whenever people have used religious documents to make accurate predictions about the physical world they have been famously wrong."
The Perimeter of Ignorance -- Another great essay from Neil deGrasse Tyson, and this time about what we should do when we run up against the boundaries of what we humans currently know. Should we give up in the face of the unknown and ascribe it to some deity, or should we instead resolve ourselves to learning more and pushing back the boundaries of the unknown? This essay is a brilliant criticism of Intelligent Design theory.