Do animals understand death? Do humans?

from Tamsin Osborne -

Now, call me heartless, but the first thing that jumped into my head when I saw the picture of Gana with her dead infant was that, rather than mourning, she looked thoroughly flummoxed.

It seems to me that the question here is not do animals experience grief, so much as do they understand death? And, while I'm on that subject, do humans even understand death?

Science tells us that death is pretty much the end of the story in terms of human experience. But there are plenty of examples of human behaviour that seem to fly in the face of this.

More HERE.

'The Email Pushback Project'

The idea of The Email Pushback Project is simple, effective, and based upon four central ideas:

1. Though not all chain emails are nefarious, many use lies, distortions and twisted logic to advance political goals. This makes them indistinguishable from propaganda. Such emails are not merely annoying - They are actively harmful.

2. Your friend or relative needs to be publicly told that their mass-forwards are not welcome in your Inbox. Email was not designed to be their propaganda distributor.

3. Lies, distortions and illogic should be directly confronted and debunked. As the old saying goes, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.”

4. Exposing BS and spreading awareness of The Email Pushback Project informs others, and gives them the tools to push back as well.

More HERE.

Crucified frog angers pope

Sarah Palin's faith-based positions

In October of 2006, the Anchorage Daily News described Palin's positions on social issues in a lengthy profile:

"A significant part of Palin's base of support lies among social and Christian conservatives. Her positions on social issues emerged slowly during the campaign: on abortion (should be banned for anything other than saving the life of the mother), stem cell research (opposed), physician-assisted suicide (opposed), creationism (should be discussed in schools), state health benefits for same-sex partners (opposed, and supports a constitutional amendment to bar them)."

More HERE.

666-foot wide protest sign

American Right to Life Action, an anti-abortion group, claims to have displayed the largest ever protest sign in history, towering over the Democratic National Convention in Denver at 530 feet tall and 666 feet wide.

The sign says "Destroys uNborn Children" [sic], with the words appearing one atop each other to also form the acronym "DNC."

According to a release from the group, "thousands of DNC delegates and journalists can look out their hotel windows to the west to see the sign. Sponsored by American RTL Action, the message initially appeared with three enormous 160-foot tall, bright yellow letters, D-N-C, stacked on top of each other."

More HERE.

'Fight Fake History'

Buy a copy if Chris Rodda's book, Liars For Jesus: The Religious Right's Alternative Version of American History

Swedish pastor accused of leading violent 'cowboy sect'

A southern Swedish religious congregation based at a cowboy-themed conference centre has been accused of harbouring a violent and extreme religious sect.

A show aired on Tuesday by public service broadcaster SVT contained interviews with former Kingdom Center members who accuse the group of being a sect, guilty of performing violent exorcism ceremonies and using child labour, Expressen reports.

According to religious affairs programme Existens, members are often bullied into working long hours at the centre, and children are taken out of school and made to work at the cowboy-themed Lone Star park and conference centre in Höör, 50 km north of Malmö.

One woman who did not want her child to work there said they threatened to take her children away.

More HERE or HERE.

ACA 'Keeps Austin Beautiful'

Gay marriage foes mobilize for ban in California

With less than 11 weeks until Election Day, supporters of Proposition 8 are ramping up their field organization and refining their message as they seek to persuade California voters to shut the door on same-sex marriage. It's the first time voters will be asked to weigh in on the issue in either California or Massachusetts — the states where gays have won the right to wed.

An estimated 15,000 backers of the measure, most of them members of Mormon, Catholic and evangelical Christian churches, knocked on doors and distributed campaign literature to registered voters throughout the state this weekend and last, according to Jennifer Kerns, spokeswoman for the Yes on 8 campaign.

The initiative is a constitutional amendment, similar to ones already enacted in 26 other states, that would overturn the California Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage. It needs a simple majority of votes to pass.

More HERE.

Democrats open faith-filled convention with prayer

At the first official event Sunday of the Democratic National Convention, a choir belted out a gospel song and was followed by a rabbi reciting a Torah reading about forgiveness and the future.

Helen Prejean, the Catholic nun who wrote "Dead Man Walking," assailed the death penalty and the use of torture. Young Muslim women in headscarves sat near older African-American women in their finest Sunday hats.

Four years ago, such a scene would have been unthinkable at a Democratic National Convention. In 2004, there was one interfaith lunch at the Democratic gala in Boston. But that same year, "values voters" helped re-elect President Bush, giving Democrats of faith the opening they needed to make party leaders listen to them.

More HERE.