tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-140048712009-11-16T08:46:48.913-08:00Liberty, One Law for All, and No ReligionThe Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.comBlogger273125http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.giftag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-42922727276928900072009-11-13T08:55:00.000-08:002009-11-14T14:14:47.989-08:002009-11-14T14:14:47.989-08:00According to paleoanthropologist John Hawks at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the human brain has shrunk roughly 10 percent over years of evolution, as a result of the changes in the human genome. LiveScience reports: Surprisingly, based on skull measurements, the human brain appears to have been shrinking over the last 5,000 or so years... "As to why is it shrinking, perhaps in big societies, as opposed to hunter-gatherer lifestyles, we can rely on other people for more things, can...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/AmPXAcFVq7VSUO0eyux3Gnbn3uk/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/AmPXAcFVq7VSUO0eyux3Gnbn3uk/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/AmPXAcFVq7VSUO0eyux3Gnbn3uk/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/AmPXAcFVq7VSUO0eyux3Gnbn3uk/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/MaZCGrD0nzg" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com0http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/11/god-our-brains-have-shunk.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-75409936886752534922009-11-12T14:54:00.000-08:002009-11-12T17:44:07.931-08:002009-11-12T17:44:07.931-08:00Faith is supposed to heal the faithful of their diseases. So we have been told by &#8212; who else, the faithful, of course (and the Congress of the United States of America)! Then again, it appears that the high priests of the faithful are not sure about this, not anymore than me. In these days of bird flu, human flu, and swine flu panicdemics, the churches don't want to take any risk with their already dwindling parishioners by relying soul-ly on the power of their god. Who knows, it may...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/hf1AhKqknRj5ZYnPHjb0dFS55Sw/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/hf1AhKqknRj5ZYnPHjb0dFS55Sw/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/hf1AhKqknRj5ZYnPHjb0dFS55Sw/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/hf1AhKqknRj5ZYnPHjb0dFS55Sw/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/Tag-TX9GyTU" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com0http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/11/unholy-water.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-1676111018473985472009-11-08T11:14:00.000-08:002009-11-08T14:35:20.520-08:002009-11-08T14:35:20.520-08:00Of course not. Major Nidal Malik Hasan had his parents alongside him. His parents who had compelled him to follow their faith, Islam, and who had opposed his joining the U.S. Army. He had been indoctrinated by them never to question the words of his god, Allah, as relayed by his messenger Muhammad, who too had accompanied Nidal. Above all, their message, Islam, had been with him, always encouraging him and leading him, through every step of his murderous rampage at Fort Hood. However much the...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Xw1Lm-N7xUl5umwJqzpBXf1zMWk/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Xw1Lm-N7xUl5umwJqzpBXf1zMWk/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Xw1Lm-N7xUl5umwJqzpBXf1zMWk/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Xw1Lm-N7xUl5umwJqzpBXf1zMWk/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/woef-o94Jhc" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com2http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/11/did-nidal-hasan-act-alone.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-25347817573515545942009-11-05T18:33:00.000-08:002009-11-05T18:45:36.290-08:002009-11-05T18:45:36.290-08:00After having been relentlessly bombarded by the politicians and the media with facts and fiction about the bane of pre-existent conditions, it would take a lot of faith for anyone to spend their hard-earned dollars on health insurance. If faith is the engine driving the demand for health insurance, then the economist in me says it's only fair that the insurance companies reimbursed faith! That's precisely what the Affordable Health Choices Act, S. 1679, Sec. 3103(a)(1)(D) does. To the best of...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/w30s7ol92HNfcccxPPOJeRzqXNE/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/w30s7ol92HNfcccxPPOJeRzqXNE/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/w30s7ol92HNfcccxPPOJeRzqXNE/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/w30s7ol92HNfcccxPPOJeRzqXNE/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/vxozhzTkRMk" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com0http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/11/faithcare-bill.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-17556838236810100722009-10-20T09:44:00.000-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.863-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.863-07:00Following on my previous post on melanin-mismatched marriage, I stumbled upon this story from the Middle East about prophet-mismatched marriage: ... In the Middle East, civil marriage doesn't exist and no religious authority will perform an interfaith wedding. Lebanon and Israel are different in that they recognize civil marriages as long as they're performed abroad, and the closest venue abroad is Cyprus, 150 miles from Lebanon and 230 miles from Israel. So this little island, which claims...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/fL8_Hj97Gwj6ubDRJW9BHzy_EG8/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/fL8_Hj97Gwj6ubDRJW9BHzy_EG8/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/fL8_Hj97Gwj6ubDRJW9BHzy_EG8/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/fL8_Hj97Gwj6ubDRJW9BHzy_EG8/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/QovVxJ0ZxM4" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com0http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/10/prophet-mismatched-marriage.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-50836793560360996232009-10-18T09:51:00.000-07:002009-10-23T09:15:58.590-07:002009-10-23T09:15:58.590-07:00I am the proud new grandparent of a baby girl &#8212; let me name her Anamika &#8212; born to my daughter a few weeks ago, and needless to say, I am in cloud 9. She is absolutely beautiful, and from the way she demands to be fed and protests her car seat restraint, it's quite clear to me that she's not going to put up with anyone messing with her right to life and liberty! Anamika's right to pursuit of happiness, however, is a different matter. That's according to Keith Bardwell, who is the...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/G6ImXeFigFZoXHxEhIScQlz86dc/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/G6ImXeFigFZoXHxEhIScQlz86dc/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/G6ImXeFigFZoXHxEhIScQlz86dc/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/G6ImXeFigFZoXHxEhIScQlz86dc/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/f53hH_K9v8Y" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com6http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/10/guess-whos-hosting-state-dinner.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-91421273363973814942009-09-28T22:41:00.000-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.863-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.863-07:00As this blog approaches its 300th entry, I thought it was time that I wrote a retrospective. The last three years have been a journey of discovery for me, about my self, and about others. Time and again, when writing an article, I have been surprised to learn how similar my views on law, politics, and religion are to those of Thomas Jefferson. Only Ayn Rand comes any closer. To Jefferson, as they are to me, the inalienable rights of the individual, the rule of law, and a life by reason,...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/TLBnxsu2lPXn3GcVP2HnLRo5lpE/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/TLBnxsu2lPXn3GcVP2HnLRo5lpE/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/TLBnxsu2lPXn3GcVP2HnLRo5lpE/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/TLBnxsu2lPXn3GcVP2HnLRo5lpE/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/9KljyQZx9jM" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com12http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/09/jeffersons-republic.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-58499501346690433672009-09-18T15:27:00.000-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.864-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.864-07:00As the Indian government struggles to take a politically correct position on the Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalizes homosexuality and has been recently declared unconstitutional, a YouTube Video pertinent to the case has come to my notice [hat tip to Ryan]. If the government wishes to play an effective role as amicus curiae to the Supreme Court of India, I strongly recommend that the nation's Attorney General watch this video: A hilarious spoof, to be sure, but makes a...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/g5lw2PQ70pm5ydEexS_Ws7Vzb4M/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/g5lw2PQ70pm5ydEexS_Ws7Vzb4M/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/g5lw2PQ70pm5ydEexS_Ws7Vzb4M/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/g5lw2PQ70pm5ydEexS_Ws7Vzb4M/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/BPtA77Joy3o" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com0http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/09/christian-gene.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-31436130465163462142009-09-10T10:31:00.000-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.864-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.864-07:00I'm Halal is a new search engine that has been launched as an alternative for safeguarding the religious and family values of Muslims [hat tip - the freethinker]. Not satisfied with the safe search modes available from other search engines such as Google and Yahoo, I'm Halal has been designed to filter search terms likely to return sites that may be offensive to Q'ranic followers. Admittedly, it's not for irreverent infidels like me, but hey, what the heck, I'm a certified gadget freak, so...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/MXN5yrJuMQm5qzbha3CNQ8RM-ek/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/MXN5yrJuMQm5qzbha3CNQ8RM-ek/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/MXN5yrJuMQm5qzbha3CNQ8RM-ek/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/MXN5yrJuMQm5qzbha3CNQ8RM-ek/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/KMXlHbPBI0w" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com6http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/09/oops-victorias-secret-is-haram.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-25528013915903951962009-08-04T21:06:00.000-07:002009-10-23T11:36:53.374-07:002009-10-23T11:36:53.374-07:00"...America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles - principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings." &#8212; President Barack Obama, in his speech delivered in Cairo, Egypt, June 4, 2009 Lubina Ahmed al-Hussain, a former UN employee in Khartoum, Sudan, has challenged Islamic justice to vindicate President Obama's &#8212; to put it mildly &#8212; tall claim. Ms. Hussain was arrested...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/rYTg6YXINJwQxshovKwYIUPBRnw/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/rYTg6YXINJwQxshovKwYIUPBRnw/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/rYTg6YXINJwQxshovKwYIUPBRnw/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/rYTg6YXINJwQxshovKwYIUPBRnw/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/igE81MTEq2A" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com1http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/08/lubna-ahmed-al-hussein.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-35513778953100149872009-07-31T17:18:00.000-07:002009-10-23T09:16:19.291-07:002009-10-23T09:16:19.291-07:00The Hindustan Times reports on Mr. Prakash Karat's brave attempt to explain why the communists were defeated in the recent Parliamentary elections in India: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on Friday alleged that all imperialist forces had teamed up against the communists and were launching concerted attacks on the leftists in India. "I have seen that many anti-communist groups have ganged up against us and they are launching concerted attacks on the CPI-M led government in West...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/MrL46R6D38AGs0hfCcDbUIl3JNs/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/MrL46R6D38AGs0hfCcDbUIl3JNs/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/MrL46R6D38AGs0hfCcDbUIl3JNs/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/MrL46R6D38AGs0hfCcDbUIl3JNs/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/KgivuGTPmxA" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com2http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/07/anti-communists-for-communists.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-48487218853641501992009-07-29T18:32:00.000-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.865-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.865-07:00Indralok: c. 5110, Kali Yuga Varuna woke up with a start. What's all that commotion about in the grand court of Lord Indra? Have the Asuras invaded us again? As he sleepily walked into the room, Varuna didn't see any Asura, only Indra and a few of his trusted Devas, milling around Lord Krishna with his mouth wide open. Varuna: What's all this ruckus? Why are you guys peering into Lord Krishna's mouth? Indra: Ah, Varuna, come on in. Sorry to have woken you up. We are just watching the prime...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/n5wDUa9F57JwaRuhxCq5Wh2ZxSw/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/n5wDUa9F57JwaRuhxCq5Wh2ZxSw/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/n5wDUa9F57JwaRuhxCq5Wh2ZxSw/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/n5wDUa9F57JwaRuhxCq5Wh2ZxSw/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/lZRVnsOzz0U" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com5http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/07/bit-of-porn-for-gods.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-50778491440122938812009-07-22T17:33:00.000-07:002009-07-22T17:49:33.185-07:002009-07-22T17:49:33.185-07:00As a woman in India, if you had the misfortune of being caught with a glass of beer in a Mangalore bar, the self-appointed moral police, Sri Ram Sena, could assault you with impunity to protect "the Indian culture". The law, however, is on your side. Vote bank accounting may interfere with the enforcement of the law, but in these days of instant news reporting, it's a fair bet to expect that at the very least, the perpetrators will be charged. Not if you are in Malaysia, though. Flogging: An...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/d92Mu8rEGcPHgeAgwQN5bRLIQlA/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/d92Mu8rEGcPHgeAgwQN5bRLIQlA/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/d92Mu8rEGcPHgeAgwQN5bRLIQlA/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/d92Mu8rEGcPHgeAgwQN5bRLIQlA/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/nDRAhqOo_M0" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com3http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/07/your-life-under-sharia-iv.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-59708483109737219742009-07-21T22:32:00.000-07:002009-07-22T18:02:18.326-07:002009-07-22T18:02:18.326-07:00Solar eclipse is seen in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, at 8:33 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22, 2009. Photograph: Wang Peng/AP From the Associated Press: The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century pitched a swath of Asia from India to China into near darkness Wednesday as millions gathered to watch the phenomenon. But millions more, gripped by fear, shuttered themselves in. India abounds in superstitions and fables based on Hindu mythology, one of which...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/fEfuDLOnjR45LAOy0XELnRfDoEs/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/fEfuDLOnjR45LAOy0XELnRfDoEs/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/fEfuDLOnjR45LAOy0XELnRfDoEs/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/fEfuDLOnjR45LAOy0XELnRfDoEs/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/4m8uhmqZgQs" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com0http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/07/shadow-of-moon.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-21650363762971999742009-07-16T22:57:00.000-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.865-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.865-07:00Close on the heels of the recent arrest and flogging of 10 Sudanese women for violating the Sharia law by wearing trousers and blouses in a Khartoum restaurant, Dutch media outlets quoted unconfirmed sources yesterday to confirm the arrest of several women in Amsterdam restaurants for not wearing the Klederdracht [traditional Dutch dress]:1 In an early morning swoop, the Dutch police raided multiple restaurants in Dam Square and arrested more than a dozen women for wearing trousers. The raid...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ONUyz3BrLNGhl3b1zj0wS4-A4Ok/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ONUyz3BrLNGhl3b1zj0wS4-A4Ok/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ONUyz3BrLNGhl3b1zj0wS4-A4Ok/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ONUyz3BrLNGhl3b1zj0wS4-A4Ok/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/S8yrvDTIJYw" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com4http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/07/liberating-compulsion.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-71731770680463700722009-07-08T17:12:00.000-07:002009-07-08T17:37:15.179-07:002009-07-08T17:37:15.179-07:00How the wise ones invested your money in wedding cakes... er, pardon me ... mortgage backed securities, oil backed securities, ... A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say. Thanks, xkcd!<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/6XhtumUcPZ84gp0BZxpnMpOF2PY/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/6XhtumUcPZ84gp0BZxpnMpOF2PY/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/6XhtumUcPZ84gp0BZxpnMpOF2PY/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/6XhtumUcPZ84gp0BZxpnMpOF2PY/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/k4UHg8HlXPU" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com0http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/07/core-of-economic-meltdown.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-90448437525876907902009-07-02T17:41:00.000-07:002009-10-23T11:37:18.270-07:002009-10-23T11:37:18.270-07:00It's a victory for secular democracy in India. In a landmark judgement, the Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah of the Delhi High Court, along with Dr. Justice S. Muralidhar, ruled in favor of the petitioner, Naz Foundation, and held that Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code in its current form violated the constitutional provisions of Article 21, Article 14, and Article 15, "insofar it criminalize[d] consensual sexual acts of adults in private". The ruling brings cheers not only to the LGBT...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/iq1oDWLCC0ctKh_4-zwn7MIuaic/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/iq1oDWLCC0ctKh_4-zwn7MIuaic/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/iq1oDWLCC0ctKh_4-zwn7MIuaic/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/iq1oDWLCC0ctKh_4-zwn7MIuaic/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/MK7h1LCMGr4" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com3http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/07/gay-ho.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-29340168753360280942009-06-30T11:49:00.000-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.865-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.865-07:00An unnamed government source from India's Home Ministry under Mr. P. Chidambaram has dismissed Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalizes homosexuality as against "the order of nature", as "an absurdity in today's world". I have no doubt that it is, and I am in good company: Amartya Sen, Vikram Seth, Shyam Benegal, Shubha Mudgal... A meeting of Mr. Chidambaram, the Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and the Law Minister Veerappa Moily, was expected to be held soon to discuss the...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/tlfMFJpSITJGTdDgc5qsvR8tZqo/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/tlfMFJpSITJGTdDgc5qsvR8tZqo/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/tlfMFJpSITJGTdDgc5qsvR8tZqo/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/tlfMFJpSITJGTdDgc5qsvR8tZqo/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/6RgvNCsDV1g" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com3http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/06/unnatural-in-india.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-15357033265992412212009-06-23T16:02:00.000-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.866-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.866-07:00Unlike his pandering cohort from across the pond, the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, has the guts to declare a war on burka. Rejecting the waffling and the euphemisms of the apologists, he has mustered the courage to call a burka a burka. An anachronism that is nothing but a manifestation of the reprehensible and misogynistic idea in Islam that the exposure of even an inch of a woman's skin is fraught with danger. Danger to the ogling men, who will be forced to neglect their duty to bomb...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xnkR5sxkiVwCzWZPfX-T2D6xvv8/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xnkR5sxkiVwCzWZPfX-T2D6xvv8/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xnkR5sxkiVwCzWZPfX-T2D6xvv8/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xnkR5sxkiVwCzWZPfX-T2D6xvv8/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/_8MARMd8Kkg" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com13http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/06/woman-unveil-thyself.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-91624569232609599982009-06-11T16:27:00.000-07:002009-10-23T11:36:53.375-07:002009-10-23T11:36:53.375-07:00IndianExpress.com reports: Four Kanpur women's colleges ban jeans, tight tops on campus &#151; ... Principal of Dayanand Girls Degree College Meeta Jamal said the move would prevent "eve teasing" near the college campus. "Often girls wearing tight clothes and jeans are on target of eve teasers, therefore it is our duty to take the precautionary measures," she said. Here are my top ten solutions for the eve teasing problem in India, guaranteed to secure me a place besides Meeta Jamal in the...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/mJcZeIymm5yo1yrEivM34h0HQS0/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/mJcZeIymm5yo1yrEivM34h0HQS0/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/mJcZeIymm5yo1yrEivM34h0HQS0/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/mJcZeIymm5yo1yrEivM34h0HQS0/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/rVaPFqbU02I" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com10http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/06/top-ten-solutions-for-eve-teasing.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-60639206375138124832009-06-04T10:42:00.000-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.866-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.866-07:00No surprises in President Obama's speech in Cairo. I am disappointed that he repeated his assertion about the USA not being at war with Islam, although he followed it up this time with a vow to fight terrorism relentlessly. As if terrorism is the only problem with Islam! Islam, as expected, received much praise from this man who is unafraid of acknowledging his roots in that religion. What irked me was the association of this religion with the accomplishments of the people of that region....<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/sDJKkvPVi1KjXCyp7ppVK1tqHXk/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/sDJKkvPVi1KjXCyp7ppVK1tqHXk/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/sDJKkvPVi1KjXCyp7ppVK1tqHXk/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/sDJKkvPVi1KjXCyp7ppVK1tqHXk/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/3vwZxxEsfgc" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com3http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/06/president-obamas-cairo-speech.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-82526038936530024382009-06-03T10:36:00.000-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.866-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.866-07:00President Barack Obama will be delivering a major speech in Cairo this week. In his speech, he is expected to reach out to what he calls the Muslim world, to dispel misapprehensions about America, and to promise respect and understanding from what he does not consider as a Christian nation. The inconsistency in the nomenclature apart, I have no problem with his targeting a specific religious group for outreach. After all, speech, dialogue, and debate are the hallmarks of civilization in...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/vRf9hsV9H8S3BS-Iic4-kmYzWus/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/vRf9hsV9H8S3BS-Iic4-kmYzWus/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/vRf9hsV9H8S3BS-Iic4-kmYzWus/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/vRf9hsV9H8S3BS-Iic4-kmYzWus/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/UPsVhN9_G1I" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com1http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/06/war-with-islam.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-78246631869957793462009-05-31T19:01:00.000-07:002009-06-01T08:58:08.997-07:002009-06-01T08:58:08.997-07:00Dr. George Richard Tiller August 8, 1941 &#8212; May 31, 2009 Dr. George Tiller, the tireless crusader for the woman's right to choose &#151; no ifs or buts &#151; was murdered today in his church courtyard, presumably by a coward who decided to impose their beliefs and values on others. As Nietszche had warned, "But thus I counsel you, my friends: Mistrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful. They are people of a low sort and stock; the hangman and the bloodhound look out of...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/5VZeCl8w4KRGKSjVE86ake0nwbo/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/5VZeCl8w4KRGKSjVE86ake0nwbo/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/5VZeCl8w4KRGKSjVE86ake0nwbo/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/5VZeCl8w4KRGKSjVE86ake0nwbo/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/Bf0JtBuYdUY" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com2http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/05/give-women-freedom-or-give-me-death.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-71693972745543105192009-04-03T17:23:00.000-07:002009-04-03T17:53:03.232-07:002009-04-03T17:53:03.232-07:00Elsewhere, I drew your attention to the contention of the Honorable Minister for External Affairs of India, Mr. Pranab Kumar Mukherjee, that Islam, which preached love, universal brotherhood, and communal harmony, was against terrorism. Of course, the public flogging of a teenage girl in the SWAT Valley, Pakistan, ruled now by the Taliban, the preeminent enforcer of Islamic Law, vindicates Mr. Mukherjee, and his fellow apologists for the religion of peace and compassion: What could be more...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/XU4D4foJnT_Mt3L_Ckj8WWucY1s/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/XU4D4foJnT_Mt3L_Ckj8WWucY1s/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/XU4D4foJnT_Mt3L_Ckj8WWucY1s/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/XU4D4foJnT_Mt3L_Ckj8WWucY1s/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/GRzuLcYtZEw" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com6http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/04/religion-of-peace-and-compassion.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14004871.post-38675121604331816352009-03-22T21:42:00.000-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.867-07:002009-10-23T21:06:09.867-07:00Until President Obama made his faux pas on the Special Olympics while appearing on the Jay Leno show, Pope Benedict was merrily riding the media waves. On his mission to the African continent, presumably to rescue the misguided pagans from hell and grant them salvation, Benedict first poo-pooed the effectiveness of condoms in preventing sexually transmitted diseases, in particular, HIV/AIDS. His cure? The Bible, of course. Embrace the bible and follow its commands, and the world will be rid of...<br/> <br/> Read more... <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Coz4rNXpCjjtyQ4sljeVGXyBuhA/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Coz4rNXpCjjtyQ4sljeVGXyBuhA/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Coz4rNXpCjjtyQ4sljeVGXyBuhA/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Coz4rNXpCjjtyQ4sljeVGXyBuhA/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/therationalfool/~4/r0tSrdpe1gU" height="1" width="1"/>The Rational Foolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06573904887494797998noreply@blogger.com2http://therationalfool.blogspot.com/2009/03/whichcraft.html