Big Whack: Science & Mystery & Religion

Bristol Palin and a Quarter Million Dollars

2011-04-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows Planned Parenthood national leaders makes a fortune. And everyone knows those working the local crisis pregnancy center makes squat.
Not Bristol Palin. She's clearing over a quarter million dollars. Mind you, her mission is good. She is saying, in essence, "I understand the hardship of having a baby as a young, single mom. That hardship is not solved by killing the child before she's born, but not having sex as a teenager will help too." She's been there and knows, especially with Levi the Daddy leaving her in the lurch.

But $262,000?

Sure, she needs income, and she's famous and can draw legitimate attention to a difficult issue. But that much?

Whack!
Bristol Palin earns $262K for teen pregnancy work

Man gets prison for NY self-help speaker's death

2011-04-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

You have a guy who kills another guy for the insurance. The only thing is, the dead wanted to be killed.

The Joel Osteen lookalike was only scamming readers with books and presentations on stress. Obviously, he was a liar. He had no idea, so he paid a guy to off him. And that guy, the murderer, gets 20 years in the clink.
Whack!
Man gets prison for NY self-help speaker's death

Charlie Sheen's Mystery

2011-03-09T21:57:00.000-08:00

Here is mystery for you: His name is Charlie Sheen. The world cannot decide if he is winning or not, but he is drawing attention. Strange things. Music videos in which he might, or might not be singing. Comparisons to Chuck Norris (come on, don't mess with Chuck). It goes on.

Songify This: Winning - a Song by Charlie Sheen
Chuck Norris vs Charlie Sheen
Let's Learn About Charlie Sheen's Early Life

Is Charlie winning, or are we losing? The video music guy is winning, that's for sure.

Whack!

Black Friday: A Brighter Day

2010-11-26T11:29:00.000-08:00

The word already is that Black Friday sales are hot, and, being a capitalist pig, I want to ride that coattail. Below are ads for places I do business with. Click and buy, click and buy.

Black Friday is here. Black Monday is coming.

Pope Knocked Down By Serial Knocker Downer

2009-12-25T07:36:00.000-08:00

Pope Knocked Down By Serial Knocker Downer

She struggles with mental illness, so I hope they do not come down too hard on her. Pope Benedict XVI was arriving at St. Peter’s Basilica for Christmas Eve mass when it happened. The Pope is OK, but French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray apparently broke his hip.

Oral Roberts is Dead

2009-12-18T15:35:00.000-08:00

Televangelist Oral Roberts is dead. You knew that.

He was 91.

More in Google news.

Tony Alamo Guilty of Taking Girls as Young as 9 Across State Lines for Sex

2009-07-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

Tony Alamo, previously known a Bernie Lazar Hoffman is a heap of trouble. Basically, he was found guilty of being an A No. 1 Creep.

There will be some boneheads who look at all of this and blame God for this, but God's not the one at fault here. There's no spin Alamo can put on it, but he still is telling people he's a prophet and being jailed for the gospel.

Hogwash, Tony.

Is there hope? Sure there is, but that will take Alamo actually responding to the real Gospel.

Whack!

Convicted Pastor Says He's 'One of the Prophets'
Pastor convicted of sex abuse says he's 'another one of the prophets that went to jail'

Prosecutors said Alamo could face a total of 175 years in prison over violating the nearly century-old Mann Act, a morality law once aimed at stopping women from being sold into prostitution. Each count also carries possible fines of $250,000.

Late-term Abortionist Gunned Down in Cold Blood

2009-05-31T10:34:00.000-07:00

While no one thinks of an abortionist as men of integrity, say, like a casino operator or government official, but none should be gunned down. This was done inside a church, but there's no news yet whether either late-term abortion specialist George Tiller or his killer believed in God.

There's a smaller group of Americans that support baby killing through the day before birth, but George Tiller, the man murdered by apparently someone who is prolife (no point in demonstrating the obvious irony) was only doing what the law allows. Besides, President Barack Obama supports abortion.

Whack!
Abortion Doctor Shot to Death in Church

Tragedy of Faith? Maryland mom pleads guilty in cult starvation death

2009-03-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

Whacked yes, not that she has faith, but that she had faith in something obviously awry.

Md. mom pleads guilty in cult starvation death
AP
By BEN NUCKOLS, Associated Press Writer Ben Nuckols, Associated Press Writer
BALTIMORE – A former religious cult member pleaded guilty Monday to starving her 1-year-old son to death after making an unusual deal with prosecutors: If the child is resurrected, her plea will be withdrawn. Ria Ramkissoon, 22, also agreed to testify against four other members of the now-defunct religious group known as 1 Mind Ministries. All four are charged with first-degree murder in the death of Javon Thompson.

According to a statement of facts, the cult members stopped feeding the boy when he refused to say "Amen" after a meal. After Javon died, Ramkissoon sat next to his decomposing body and prayed for his resurrection.

Ramkissoon's attorney, Steven D. Silverman, said Ramkissoon believes the resurrection will occur. She agreed to plead guilty only after prosecutors said they would drop the charges if the child comes back to life, Silverman said.
more

James Dobson resigns as chairman of Focus on the Family

2009-02-28T05:55:00.000-08:00

Not everything in the religious world is whacky. Not everyone is Benny Hinn. Jim Dobson was a class act. Sometimes delving too much into politics, but always coming back to the core values of family and God.

His voice will still be heard, though anti-free speech advocates tend to want to shut down his conservatives views on religion, homosexuality and abortion. He spoke out against heavily pro-choice American president Barack Obama, causing disputes among pro-Obama Christians.

Dobson resigns as chairman of Focus on the Family
DENVER (AP) — Conservative evangelical leader James Dobson has resigned as chairman of Focus on the Family but will continue to play a prominent role at the organization he founded more than three decades ago.

Dobson notified the board of his decision Wednesday, and the 950 employees of the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based ministry were informed Friday morning, said Jim Daly, the group's president and chief executive officer.

Dobson, 72, will continue to host Focus on the Family's flagship radio program, write a monthly newsletter and speak out on moral issues, Daly said.

Quitters: Julie and Hillary Goodridge Divorcing

2009-02-04T03:19:00.000-08:00

Surprising no one, Mass. couple who led gay marriage fight to divorce.

After proving that their commitment was a sham separating two years after legally marrying, Julie and Hillary Goodridge are legally quitting.

They apparently were willing to fight to be married, but unwilling to show that same fight to stayed married.

No matter how you slice it, divorce makes someone a liar when they said "I do." For all the noise Julie and Hillary Goodridge made, they are quitters, and what do we say to quitters?

Whack!

Ted Haggard and the Vengeance of Doom

2009-01-27T03:43:00.000-08:00

Ted Haggard is in trouble again. No, he has not done anything new. Rather, some sleazy kid decided he wants to talk about an alleged sexual relationship with Haggard. Claiming to be a spurned lover, or something otherwise questionable, he feels icky about Haggard's portrayal in the upcoming HBO movie "The Trials of Ted Haggard."

What's really going on? Maybe it happened as he claims, maybe it didn't. That's secondary to the whacked out perversion some jilted kid feels here that he wants to announce it to the world.

A salute to New Life Church, which has handled all of this with class. Thumbs down to the bonehead who wants to hurt Haggard for something the kid feels a movie producer is doing. To Ted Haggard, I hope you're dealing better with this than the kid.

Whack!
Haggard’s Church Discloses More on Sex Scandal

Pastor Steals from Flock Thousands (And Gets Busted)

2009-01-22T04:41:00.000-08:00

$370,000. That's a lot of money.

Naturally, some people will say God screwed up just because a pastor is a thief. They obviously weren't especially sure about God in the first place.

Or is an embezzler not technically a thief? Who knows? But he is an A number one chump.

Either way, few things are lower than stealing the widow's mite, especially if you are the guy in charge.

Whack!

Fla. priest accused of theft pleads guilty
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – One of two Florida priests accused of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from their church pleaded guilty Wednesday, the same day jury selection was set to begin in the case.

Whack Job "Lord's Resistance Army" Brutally Murders Church Members

2008-12-28T15:45:00.000-08:00

Punk rebels claiming to be working for God hacked up the congregation at a Catholic Church in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

These weak men, armed with weapons call themselves pretentiously, "Lord's Resistance Army." Which lord? Apparently one which hates and kills. This would not be the lord in Heaven, of course, who tells his followers to love their enemies.

This is serious stuff. Hopefully, the authorities will catch these chumps and dump them into prison. Toss in a Bible. Maybe this time, they will read it. Look at Matthew 5:44, boneheads.

Whack!

Ugandan army says rebels kill 45 people in Congo church
KAMPALA (AFP) – The Ugandan army on Sunday accused Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels of hacking to death 45 people in a church in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

An aid official speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity confirmed Friday's massacre, saying the killings took place in a Catholic church in the Doruma area, around 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Sudanese border.

"There are body parts everywhere. Inside the church, the entrance and in the church compound," the aid official said.

"We got information the rebels cut 45 people into pieces," added army spokesman Captain Chris Magezi.

"They were cut with pangas (machetes) and hit with clubs...

Pope Gets Bashed by Religion Phobic Gays

2008-12-23T19:59:00.000-08:00

Where does Benedict XVI think he gets the right to pontificate about religion?

Oh, wait. He's the pope.

Meanwhile, you've got gay rights groups intolerant of his religious views.

Whack!

Pope angers campaigners with speech seen as attack on homosexualityguardian.co.uk
Gay rights groups and activists yesterday condemned passages in Pope Benedict XVI's end-of-year address in which the pontiff spoke about gender and the important distinction between men and women.

Pastorbating? Barack Obama Teases America With Religious Controversy

2008-12-18T16:31:00.000-08:00

Who will be the most suspicious of this decision?

Will it be Evangelicals and other morally conservative Christians who know Barack Obama is extremely prochoice and generally pro-gay marriage. They know Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, is not.

Or liberals, Christian and otherwise, who prefer to think of Obama as one of theirs?

Who will cringe at this proverbial reaching over the aisle the most?

No thrills up my leg here. Obama is just politicking.

WHACK!

Obama's next pastor controversy - at inauguration

Salvation Army - Getting It Right

2008-12-14T19:26:00.000-08:00

It has come to my attention that there are people who are so afraid of religion that they will not give to the Salvation Army because of its Christian worldview.

What organization so much is the spirit of Christmas as the Salvation Army? Few are as effective. Give today, whatever they believe. Don't let what someone else believes hold you back. Such discrimination isn't cool in 2008.

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf/vw-local/Ways-to-give

To those intolerant louts who think only atheists are worthy of their money:

Whack!

Politics and Faith?

2008-11-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

Peter Roskam Speaks at Wheaton Academy
How to work in the real world without compromising your faith.
by Anthony Trendl
Chicago Tribune

Peter Roskam, a senator in Illinois most noted nationally for taking over Henry Hyde's spot, spoke at a high school today.

...Talking about his Glen Ellyn roots and path into politics, he also candidly described the basis for his prolife views in the context of remaining consistent with his Christian faith. His theme was ethics, and thinking long-term when it comes to career while not separating faith and vocation, that a Christian is a Christian no matter what the job at hand is.
more

I gotta admit, I hardly expected one Christian Republican to survive this election, with so many Democrats seeking the big O. Good for this guy, going against the flow (and we know what's flowing).

WHACK!

Monkey Business Scientists: Science in search of the top banana

2008-11-04T16:26:00.000-08:00

Science has always bveen known to follow the money. Religion has never been as profitable, you know.

There's some green to made in the yellow, helping keep agriculture out of the red by avoiding black spots.

WHACK!

Science in search of the top banana
By ARTHUR MAX – 7 hours ago

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — It's not easy to keep a banana yellow.

To get it to market ripe but unblemished by brown sugar spots takes careful timing, a slight fiddling with nature's rhythms and a delivery system that is increasingly computer-driven and technical.

The perfect banana used to be a rare and precious find, but technology is changing that. From the tree in the sweltering tropics to the grocery rack in the frigid north, scientists are seeking new ways to strengthen the food chain and extend the shelf life of perishables so they reach distant consumers as if freshly picked.

Commercially, the goal is to satisfy a demand for quality food anywhere, any time, and at maximum profit.

Students Struggle in First-ever State Science Test

2008-09-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

Weird. As the nation becomes more secular, science students are getting dumber.

Students Struggle in First-ever State Science Test
September 23, 2008

Whack!

Scores from the first-ever statewide assessment for science show that just one in four Rhode Island students is proficient in the subject.

Students in grades 4, 8 and 11 were tested, with fourth-graders showing the highest proficiency of all three groups.

The state Department of Education said Tuesday that in Rhode Island's urban districts, where test scores were lower overall, only 3 percent of eighth graders tested proficient in science.

Gov. Don Carcieri said now that the state has seen the scores, it can begin to address the problem.

Board of Regents Chairman Robert Flanders, Jr. said officials need to look at whether the state has enough science teachers and appropriate training and materials.

© Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

A Teacher on the Front Line as Faith and Science Clash

2008-08-24T17:56:00.000-07:00

A science teacher, trying to convince students to put their faith in a theory, works hard to refute something they already have faith in.

Is science wrong? Science has proven only that it has a theory lots of atheists believe. Either way, if they are disrespecting a kid's religion, that's pretty low.

No wonder homeschooling is popular and attracting brighter students.

Whack!

A Teacher on the Front Line as Faith and Science Clash

ORANGE PARK, Fla. — David Campbell switched on the overhead projector and wrote “Evolution” in the rectangle of light on the screen.

He scanned the faces of the sophomores in his Biology I class. Many of them, he knew from years of teaching high school in this Jacksonville suburb, had been raised to take the biblical creation story as fact. His gaze rested for a moment on Bryce Haas, a football player who attended the 6 a.m. prayer meetings of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in the school gymnasium.

When Scientists Go Bad, They Get Whacked by the FBI?

2008-08-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

Bruce E. Ivins seems to have been one bad scientist, the kind you do not want to take to a laboratory and leave alone. How bad? Hard to say. They are looking into this. The guy killed himself, making new interviews impossible.

"Since his death, a number of scientists have said that the limited forensic evidence that the F.B.I. made public in linking the attacks to Dr. Ivins is inconclusive."

Whack!

FBI Details Anthrax Case, but Doubts Remain
New York Times
By ERIC LICHTBLAU and NICHOLAS WADE WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON — Federal Bureau of Investigation officials on Monday laid out their most detailed scientific case to date against Bruce E. Ivins, the military scientist accused of being the anthrax killer, but they acknowledged that the many mysteries of the case meant an air of uncertainty would always surround it.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to put the suspicions to bed,” said Vahid Majidi, head of the F.B.I.’s weapons of mass destruction division. “There’s always going to be a spore on a grassy knoll.”

At a two-hour briefing for reporters, Dr. Majidi was joined by seven other leading scientists from inside and outside the bureau. They discussed in intricate detail the halting scientific path that led them from two main samples of anthrax used in the 2001 attacks, to four genetic mutations unique to the samples, to 100 scientists in the United States who had access to that particular strain, and ultimately to Dr. Ivins.

Jury Sides with God? Joel Osteen's Wife Did Not Whack a Breast, They Say

2008-08-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

"Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential" by Joel Osteen. Spiritual Narcissism 101: Life About You, Not God.

Jury Sides With God, Pastor's Wife Cleared
TMZ.com
Megachurch preacher's wife Victoria Osteen did not assault a flight attendant over a stain on her first class seat, a civil jury in Texas has ruled.

Whack!

If TMZ says so...? Read their version of this sordid tale.

If you want to buy Osteen's book, you go right on ahead. I'll make a few cents if you, but so will he. If you just want to shop at Amazon, click the book and shop away as usual.

Witch Doctor Hired by Nigerian Official - President Umaru Yar'Adua

2008-08-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

Nigerian official accused of hiring witch doctor
This is whacked. True? Who knows. Not me. Could be politics as usual.

read the entire story

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) -- Police on Friday arrested the head of a federal agency charged with developing Nigeria's impoverished southern oil region after allegations that the man spent millions of dollars on a witch doctor in hopes vanquishing a rival.

President Umaru Yar'Adua announced Friday that the head of the Niger Delta Development Corporation, Sam Edem, had been suspended from his job after local media reports of Edem's large expenditure on black magic. Police later said he had been arrested.

The police said they were investigating the source of the roughly $4 million Edem reportedly spent on hiring a sorcerer to hex and kill another development official.

Whack!

Enjoy the Chipmunks version of the famous David Seville Witch Doctor song (oo ee, oo ah ah, ting tang, walla walla bing bang).

Pastor Osteen Accused Whacking Woman in Breast

2008-08-06T16:45:00.001-07:00

Victoria Osteen, megarich wife of megastar pastor Joel Osteen, has been accused of assaulting a woman on a plane.

Bigger stars than both Paris Hilton and Barack Obama, the Osteens are facing a strange case involving a breast. Continental Airlines flight attendant Sharon Brown claims in a lawsuit that Victoria Osteen elbowed her in the breast and threw up her agaist a bathroom door. Seems Brown says Osteen was pissy about a a stain on her plane seat (first-class, of course).

Victoria Osteen is the co-pastor of Houston, Texas' Lakewood Church, televised all over. The Osteen's face is seen more often than Kevin Trudeau's.

Whack!

Also in the news is the fashionably famous Paris Hilton lampoon video of Barack Obama's shallowness and John McCain's age.