Firefox Tab Purge #3

It’s that time again. Let’s see if I can get all these links in before my browser crashes. (Again).

First off the bat is… Religion.

Bluntly holding the Church’s face to the mirror, Richard Dawkins lays into the current Pope over the recent child abuse scandals – to me there’s something of a “prove me wrong” about Dawkins’ latest articles about the Catholic Church. There’s more of the same between Hitchens and Donohue. And more by Hitchens again.

It appears that the Vienna Boy’s Choir is now being dragged into the quagmire of accusations and deflection as well. (Try not to laugh at the author’s name – it’s not a joke).

And yes, in the face of it all, it appears that The Pope is playing the victim card. For being criticised. How was criticism not deserved? How is this criticism worse than what it criticises? Even if you made the most outlandish criticism with poor regard for the details, that wouldn’t seem as bad to me, as the offence committed under the most reasonably charitable interpretation of events. This isn’t ethics, this is PR.

And if this moral turpitude isn’t bad enough his holy-rollerness is yet to make a statement on Uganda’s proposed ‘kill the gays’ bill, popular with conservative Christendom in that part of the world (and in Rwanda). How hard is it? How much more serious is everything else on the agenda?

In all of this, have you spared a thought for Sinead O’Connor? Remember how she was castigated for speaking out about this very matter almost 20 years ago? I think it’s reasonable that some people owe her an apology. Makes you wonder what other apologies will have to be made in another 20 years from now – all that strident criticism!

A bit depressing, really.

On a more light-hearted matter, Gary Ablett Snr. has taken to atheists, evolutionists and the general decline of society with his interpretation gospel. Or someone else’s – it seems a good part of it was copied. Oz Atheist has further analysis.

On religion, evolution and ethics, Russell Blackford discusses ethics without God.

Daniel Dennett has been pondering the matter of priests who are no longer believers and the various dilemma this poses. Perplexing.

And that’s enough religion and related matters for now…

The Internet Filter

The Electronic Frontiers has generated a list of the top ten lies about Conroy’s Internet Filter. Something to start you on your way to researching the topic, if you plan to look further into it.

It seems that our friends over in the US aren’t particularly impressed with the planned Internet Filter. And apparently Conroy hasn’t got the message.

Media

Jason Wilson writes about the Murdoch paywall not necessarily being a doomed enterprise. I hadn’t considered the potential to increase advertising revenue this tactic may present. Like many good ideas, it seems rather obvious in retrospect.

Other Tidbits

Aubrey de Grey gives an interesting TED talk on why he argues that the first person who’ll reach an age of 1000 has already been born. (Video).

Some nice photography of insects covered in morning dew.

…

And that’s about that for this tab purge. In case you were wondering, no I didn’t make it to the end of this post without Firefox crashing. Which suggests that maybe I should again stop using Firefox.

~ Bruce

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