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94 MetaFilter comments by berek
(displaying 1 through 50)
The invention of the Hindu
: "Hinduism is largely a fiction, formulated in the 18th and 19th centuries out of a multiplicity of sub-continental religions, and enthusiastically endorsed by Indian modernisers."
comment posted at 10:46 AM on Apr-3-05
Interview with Scott Ritter on Iran June Invasion
What do you think the world's reaction will be if the U.S. invades Iran in June and fails, inciting an invasion of Iraq with well-equipped and trained Iranian troops and equipment, retaliation from Iran with missile attacks against the oil fields in the mid-east and Israel as well as southern Europe and Turkey. How will life in this country change?
comment posted at 12:20 AM on Apr-3-05
Pope John Paul II has had a
heart attack. Soon, the
College
of
Cardinals will
assemble
to
choose
his successor. Even in death, however, this pontiff will exert extraordinary control over
the process, having
elevated an
unprecedented number of clerics to this body.
The choice of
Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino,
archbishop of Havana, would
continue
John Paul II's
legacy of opposition to communism and totalitarianism. Another frontrunner is the socially conservative Nigerian Cardinal
Francis Arinze.
Arinze would continue John Paul II's cultural legacy while
recognizing the
demographic reality
of modern global Catholicism. Also mentioned as a frontrunner is
Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga
of Honduras, a strong
proponent of third world debt relief. Progressives would welcome the elevation of German Cardinal
Walter Kasper,
an
advocate
for religious tolerance and pluralism, or the moderate Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re,
a frequent
stand-in
during the Holy Week ceremonies. Conservatives favor Columbian Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos. Hoyos shares the Pope's
traditionalist vision
of a
church
at odds with modernity.
But the smart
money,
is on
Dionigi Tettamanzi.
comment posted at 5:08 PM on Apr-1-05
comment posted at 5:56 PM on Apr-1-05
The Underground History of American Education
You aren't compelled to loan your car to anyone who wants it, but you are compelled to surrender your school-age child to strangers who process children for a livelihood.... If I demanded you give up your television to an anonymous, itinerant repairman who needed work you'd think I was crazy; if I came with a policeman who forced you to pay that repairman even after he broke your set, you would be outraged. Why are you so docile when you give up your child to a government agent called a schoolteacher?
comment posted at 5:46 PM on Apr-1-05
So the story as I understand it is that
this guy (.mp3) is a manager for a
Jack in the Box restaurant. He was on his way to a meeting, was running a little late and called in to leave a voicemail message. While he was leaving the message, he witnessed an auto accident and basically gives us play-by-play of the events. It's pretty entertaining, but I'm not sure if I completely believe it. Apparently it was quite the talk within the
Jack in the Box family.
comment posted at 9:36 PM on Mar-29-05
"The purpose of the
Fellowship Baptist Creation Science Fair is to get kids excited about Creation and motivate them to discover the truth of our Lord on their own."
Winning exhibits this year include "My Uncle Is A Man Named Steve (Not A Monkey)", "Women Were Designed For Homemaking", and "Using Prayer To Microevolve Latent Antibiotic Resistance In Bacteria".
Via
comment posted at 12:57 PM on Mar-24-05
Witness
"I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated." -James Nachtwey-
(First post, I don't know if this is a re-post, if so--sorry!)
comment posted at 12:27 PM on Mar-24-05
Love and Marriage, Love and Marriage...
California joins New York in a lower-court decision for marriage equality, with the judge stating,
"The idea that marriage-like rights without marriage is adequate smacks of a concept long rejected by the courts — separate but equal," ... And in DC, Ken Mehlman, (closeted) head of the RNC, in an interview with the AP,
backslides on his party's trumpeting of anti-gay sentiment: - It's not his job as head of the party to tell states whether they should allow same-sex couples to wed or form civil unions. "Certainly our platform states that the party is committed to ensuring that there is traditional marriage," he said, but he didn't think the party should take a position on state initiatives.
More on today's court decision here.
comment posted at 8:44 PM on Mar-14-05
Indeed, all over the world, millions of born-again Christians have vanished into the mystical ether--leaving behind their clothing, their eyeglasses, even their dentures--along with every child under the age of twelve. Airplanes are crashing, automobiles are veering driverless and out of control, and fetuses are disappearing from their mothers' wombs, as the born-again and the unborn alike are abruptly "raptured" to heaven.
Harper's Magazine reviewer Gene Lyons discusses apocalyptic entertainment.
comment posted at 11:51 AM on Mar-11-05
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