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POPSAn amicus brief for the validity of religious-law arguments in potential Eighth Amendment cases I don't know quite how i feel about this. I have a lot of sympathy for their position, but I don't get the argument for including religious arguments in an amicus brief like this. The argument is that it violates key religious provisions (ideas like mercy and compassion) to give a juvenile a life-without-parole sentence for a non-homicide offense. Part of the argument rests on the notion that the values of rehabilitation, mercy, and hope are universal across religious traditions -- those sorts of claims always make me a little skeptical.
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POPSTamim Ansary on the future of the Iranian regime Ansary believes that what he calls the "Khomeinist" regime has made such serious tactical mistakes in trying to control dissent that it is probably doomed at this point. Khamenei, in failing even to maintain the appearance of fairness and impartiality, has insulted the intelligence of the people and sacrificed his own legitimacy. Interestingly, Ansary remarks that only intervention from the West -- on behalf of the protesters, that is -- is likely to save the old guard at this point, by restoring their moral authority as the guardians of Iranian nationalism.
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POPS"Jesus Didn't Tap Out": stepping into the octagon at SOSChurch.tv A new kind of Easter observance -- "Jesus as Ultimate Fighter." The point is "relevance" and bringing young men back into the fold. Check out the awesome video at the source (complete with youthful pastor sporting shaved head and soul patch and his hottie wife, Darla). The church website is SOSChurch.tv.
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POPSChristianity Today on torture David Gushee for the evangelical Christian magazine Christianity Today on five theological grounds for the unequivocal and universal condemnation of torture by Christians, and why, from a Christian perspective, no exceptional circumstances can ever justify the use of torture. From February 2006.
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POPSPassion Fest 2008, Pottstown, PA (July 19) I'm seriously thinking about going to this. Out of curiousity, really. My understanding is that it has a heavily evangelical, proselytizing flavor, but that isn't really indicated by the website.
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POPSZiauddin Sardar on the Quilliam Foundation for ex-jihadis Sardar, whose writing I am only a little bit familiar with, is highly critical of any "lionizing" of former members of Islamic extremist groups, since it implicitly devalues the commitment to peace and pluralism exhibited by most "ordinary" Muslims.
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POPSTransgendered Oregon man is pregnant (he says) Thomas Beatie, who has undergone sex-change surgery and is legally male and legally married, has conceived a child via a home insemination from a sperm donor. He plans to carry the child to term. Others, however, are skeptical of his claims.
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POPSThoughts on Nangarhar from an ex-Marine An interesting and nuanced perspective, combining an appreciation for the culture of the Marines (and its flaws), an awareness of the high strategic stakes involved in any civilian killings by U.S. troops, and a much-needed reminder that U.S. forces have generally respected the law much more rigorously than any previous occupying or counterinsurgency force in history.
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POPSGoogle Health, HIPAA, and privacy A short post from Profy.com reminding us that Google Health and Microsoft HealthVault are not covered by HIPAA privacy regulations. Sure, they have strict privacy policies, but -- as the post asks -- what about the first time an insurance company subpoenas your records trying to fight a workers comp claim?
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POPSDoing it and doing it and doing it well -- for God "The 30-Day Sex Challenge: Are You Up For It?" asks Paul Wirth, the pastor of Relevant Church in Tampa Bay, FL. Married couples are supposed to have sex daily for 30 days, while unmarried people are supposed to abstain completely.
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POPSGay 14-year-old shot to death by classmate Interesting that this happens while there's also a debate going on over whether it should be OK to include positive portrayals of same-sex couples in educational materials aimed at this age group. I suppose there are those who'd say that a 14-year-old boy who wears mascara to school deserves whatever he gets, but personally I have some trouble with that position. I suppose there are also those who'd say that there's nothing wrong with allowing 14-year-olds access to firearms, either.
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POPSUK educator decries domination of education by management-oriented language An Oxford professor examines the gradual takeover of all policy writing on education by the language of business management: "efficiency," "providers," "audits," "performance indicators," etc. This kind of thinking, he says, has gradually obscured any legitimate answer to the question of what education is really supposed to accomplish.
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POPSSchool-lunch beef supplier found violating health regs Nasty news about the U.S. beef business. Animal rights activists find employees of a major California operation forcing "downer" cows into the slaughterhouse, sometimes using a forklift to transport cows too sick to walk. 143 million pounds of meat are recalled, much of which had been sold to school lunch programs.
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POPSPeggy Noonan on Obama: "bulletproof" Reagan's speechwriter points out that Obama's charisma and personality will make negative campaigning and dirty tricks by Republicans look even lower than they are. Clinton will be "easier for Republicans" to go after in the nastiest way possible.
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POPSDid you know: half of all U.S. teachers quit within five years? I didn't know this, but it doesn't surprise me. Citing salaries too low to repay student loans (needed to get the master's degrees now required in many jurisdictions), as well as hostile working conditions, the average teacher quits 2 1/2 years after starting the job. From May 2006.
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POPS"Can the world afford a middle class?" This is an interesting, straightforward, clear-eyed article, if not as subtle as the title makes it sound. (It doesn't really mean "middle class," it means "people who aren't living at a subsistence level.")
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POPSAtheists, have a little respect, please Okay, this isn't exactly subtle, but I couldn't help finding it funny anyhow. Especially after Bill Maher, after once again laughing at the strangeness of Christian doctrine, is accused by Bill Donohue of not "respect the right of most Americans to believe in God" (http://snipr.com/1z044).
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POPS"Fogcatchers": a new source for potable water In remote Chilean villages where fresh water is often scarce and contaminated, a simple new technology -- mesh sheets strung between posts -- captures condensation from coastal fog, providing an abundant and reliable source of cheap drinking water.
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POPSHarvard's decision on financial aid puts other colleges in a tough spot
Harvard has pledged that no family making under about $180K will have to pay more than 10% of its income in tuition. This makes other college administrators very nervous, since they can't come close to duplicating that deal, especially without raising tuition for other students. One tuition-payer's advocate says it's a step in the right direction because it "puts pressure" on other institutions to start cutting costs, such as in areas of faculty salaries and "internet services," and adds that schools should operate more like businesses. Sorry for the rant, but that's a crock of shit. Only in America, where everything is supposed to be a saleable commodity, and where education is treated as a consumer product, do people go around saying this kind of crap. Why on earth is "operating like a business" a sensible ideal for a college to aspire to? It's not a fucking business, it's an institution of learning. It's not like a Wal-Mart or a travel agency, okay?
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