Month: February 2008
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Save Katie!
Today, I joined about 100 hooligans in the anti-scientology protest in San Francisco, as part of Project Chanology, a large-scale effort to call attention to abuses committed by the cult of Scientology. Many protestors had serious signs that called attention to the various ways in which Scientology censors speech and defrauds people. But after watching…
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The Dog Ate My Ballot, or, Why Obama May Not Deliver
Obama has created a lot of excitement among young people. On Tuesday, young people waiving Obama signs were all over the Berkeley campus and downtown San Francisco. Hillary’s supporters were rarely seen, it seemed. You’ll note that I didn’t call these supporters “young voters.” Why? Because young people don’t vote. What’s my evidence of this…
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Mormons Troubled By Spotlight
Suzanne Sataline reports in today’s Journal about the intense spotlight that has been focused on the Mormon church as a result of the Romney campaign. The criticism has been so intense that the church has hired a public relations firm to battle it, and has encouraged young Mormons to blog about their religion. Perhaps what’s…
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The Direct Marketing Association’s New Math
I came across this statistic the other day while doing some research on marketing fraud: In recent years, despite the creation of a national “do not call” registry, the legitimate telemarketing industry has grown, according to the Direct Marketing Association. Callers pitching insurance plans, subscriptions and precooked meals collected more than $177 billion in 2006,…
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Science Debate 2008
Having been busy and a bit out of the loop for the past month, I think it’s time I stop and point out what a great job Chris Mooney and other have done in generating a real movement behind making this happen. In particular note the supportive essay from the Editor-in-Chief of Science and the…
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A month into surgery – back to the books
I’ve just completed my first month of my surgical rotation and still find almost every day fascinating. I just finished a 4-week rotation in the hepatobiliary service (liver, biliary and pancreatic surgeries mostly) and now go on to thoracic for 2 weeks, and then trauma for 2 weeks to complete the core requirement. I’ll also…
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Kids’ Book: Religion is Evilism
Check it out–for a mere 12 Euro, you can buy, Wo bitte geht’s zu Gott?, fragte das kleine Ferkel, a book that is reportedly causing a stir for its depiction of the world’s major religions. This children’s book is pitched to atheists who wish to indoctrinate/inoculate their children against religion: The book tells the story…