Clipmarks | hostageoflife's clips

Religion-Patriotism Connection?

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:28:36 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: I wonder how the Righties would react if the pledge was "one Nation under Shiva". I suspect their response would be a bit different.

Clip Source: www.denverpost.com

Boulder High students walk out during Pledge, recite own version

BOULDER, Colo.—About 50 Boulder High School students walked out of class Thursday to protest the daily reading of the Pledge of Allegiance and recited their own version, omitting "one nation, under God."

The students say the phrase violates the constitutional separation of church and state.

"Boulder High has a highly diverse population, not all of whom believe in God, or one God," said Emma Martens, a senior and president of the club, which has about a dozen members.

Tags: religion, pledge, patriotism, protest, christian

Torture Chambers - The Christianising of Europe

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:50:44 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: The Pope, leading the way of torture, and the history of Christianity. Will people ever get a clue?

Clip Source: www.jesusneverexisted.com

Torture Chambers

' For 1500 hundred years, the Christian Church systematically operated torture chambers throughout Europe. Torture was the rule, not the exception. Next to the Bible, the most influential and venerated book in Christian history was the Malleus Maleficarum (Hammer of Witches), which was a step-by-step tutorial in how to torture "witches' and "sorcerers".

"All sects of heretics are condemned and various punishments are appointed for them and their accomplices."

--Pope Alexander IV (1254-61)
(Directory for the Inquisitors p. 135)

Iron Spider:

The iron would usually be heated to red-hot and then used to slowly rip the breasts from the body. It would be used for such crimes as heresy, adultery, self-induced abortions, blasphemy and other "hideous" crimes.

Slow Burn

A 16th century device to lift the victim in and out of the fire, roasting him alive slowly instead of burning him all at once.

Tags: bible, christianity, faith, god, moral values, religion, superstition, theology, torture

Pythons Slaughtered for High Fashion

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 05:46:26 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead
clipper's remarks: Pythons skinned and left to die. The shocking reality behind fashion's new obsession.

Clip Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Pythons skinned alive and left to die in agony. Alligators killed with hammers and chisels. This is the truly shocking reality behind fashion's shameful new obsession:

Barbaric, cruel, stomach turning - those are just a few of the words used by those who have witnessed snakes being skinned alive.

'Exotic skins are hot right now, there's a real buzz,' enthuses designer Roberto Cavalli,

'I love to use reptile skins because it excites me to take material that is seen as "wild" and mix it with a look that shouts glamour and sophistication.'

The European Union is the world's biggest importer of reptile skins.

'Wow will you look at that!!!,' wrote one such contributor. 'You get a lotta python for your money. It's beautiful!' But, as environmentalists are only too quick to point out, it looks a whole lot more beautiful on the snake.

'The slaughter process is pretty dire,' says Mr Warwick.

The snakes are often nailed to a tree with a large nail.

Tags: fashion, animals, nature, cruelty, idiots

The True Me

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:37:12 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Now if I could find out how they secretly took that photo of me........

Clip Source: zimgs.com

Tags: atheism, humor, religiohn

Congress' Facts Of Pride

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 13:17:51 GMT

clipped by: Kenika
clipper's remarks: I am ashamed of the silent majority of the United Stated for sticking the heads in the sand. If the sand heads do not wake up we are all going to be socialist. It is time for 'Power To The People' Revolution time!

Clip Source: www.thefleecingofamerica.com

Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 500 employees and has the following statistics:

- 29 have been accused of spousal abuse
- 7 have been arrested for fraud
- 19 have been accused of writing bad checks
- 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
- 3 have done time for assault
- 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
- 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
- 8 have been arrested for shoplifting
- 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits

- 84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year

Can you guess which organization this is?

Give up yet?

It's the 535 members of the United States Congress. The same group that cranks out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.

Tags: politics, unfaithfulness, laws breakers, failure

Bush wants spy law permanent,more extensive

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 01:12:41 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Clip Source: www.mail.com

By DEB RIECHMANN

President Bush said Wednesday he wants Congress to expand and make permanent a law that temporarily gives the government more power to eavesdrop without warrants on suspected foreign terrorists.

Without such action, Bush said, "our national security professionals will lose critical tools they need to protect our country."

"It will be harder to figure out what our enemies are doing to train, recruit and infiltrate operatives into America," the president said during a visit to the super-secret National Security Agency's headquarters. "Without these tools, our country will be much more vulnerable to attack."

This year's update

allows more efficient interceptions of foreign communications

Under the new law, the government can eavesdrop without a court order on communications conducted by a person reasonably believed to be outside the U.S., even if an American is on one end of the conversation -- so long as that American is not the intended focus or target of the surveillance.

Tags: spy, law, bush, surveilance, security, privacy, rights.

Bullied student tickled pink by schoolmates' T-shirt campaign

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:07:06 GMT

clipped by: TheCatWhisperer
clipper's remarks: This story just made my day. Its kids like these two young men (and those who rallied to the cause) that make me second guess my assumption that kids these days are all little shits.

Good for them!

Clip Source: www.cbc.ca

Two Nova Scotia students are being praised across North America for the unique way they turned the tide against a fellow student bullied for wearing pink.

The victim — a Grade 9 boy at Central Kings Rural High School in the small community of Cambridge — wore a pink polo shirt on his first day of school.

Bullies harassed the boy, called him a homosexual for wearing pink and threatened to beat him up, students said.

They went to a nearby discount store and bought 50 pink shirts, including tank tops, to wear to school the next day.

Then the two went online to e-mail classmates to get them on board with their anti-bullying cause that they dubbed a "sea of pink."

But a tsunami of support poured in the next day.

Not only were dozens of students outfitted with the discount tees, but hundreds of students showed up wearing their own pink clothes, some head-to-toe.

And there's been nary a peep from the bullies since, which Shepherd says just goes to show what a little activism will do.

Tags: pink, bullies, school, harassment, support, activism, heroes in my book

Misplaced Deity Sought By Christians

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 23:06:28 GMT

clipped by: amothindisguise

Clip Source: www.turoks.net

So, I'm standing at a bus stop and they pull up. A car load of well meaning, bible thumping nut cases that are just frantic! The middle aged professionally dressed woman rushes forward...She takes my arm and with trembling voice, she asks...."Have you found Jesus?" Her eyes plead with an urgency that is out of proportion to a bus stop.

So calmly as I can muster, without being sarcastic, I reply, "You people lost him, again?"

"What is wrong with you Christians? Every time I turn around you've lost Him!" I hit her with a glare of accusation. "I mean really..." I take a measured breath. "How do you expect to have anyone follow a deity that you can't even find?"

"Of course, you Christians aren't much fun," I continue. By now they are all out of the car. Befuddled, aghast, and at a loss for words. "Of course," I offer trying to give them some defense for losing Jesus. "He could have left due to religious differences. If I remember correctly, He was Jewish.

Tags: jokes, funny, hillarious, christian

Lion Reunites with Humans

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:27:34 GMT

clipped by: dmegivern
clipper's remarks: The bond between animal and human shown in this short video is very touching.

Clip Source: www.giftofireland.com

Lion Reunites with Humans

This lion was reared by the guys in the video ,he was then released into the wild in Africa but a year later the guys returned to see if he was doing OK. The lion is delighted to see the once again, and the other lions, who were born in the wild are just as friendly

Tags: nature, animals, human, relationships

Richard Dawkins’ New Charity

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 13:08:02 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: skeptico.blogs.com

The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science has just been set up as a charity in the UK and the US. Read its mission statement, which begins:

I have just visited my local branch of Britain’s biggest bookshop chain, and this is what I found: six books on astronomy and nineteen books on astrology. The real science is outnumbered three to one by the pseudoscience.

A mission statement that starts like that has to be good. Anyway, if you’re stuck for a charity to give to, this one looks like a good one. Also see The OUT Campaign and get your T shirt.

Tags: atheism, skepticism

Machu Picchu. The most awesome place on Earth_2

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:27:36 GMT

clipped by: creedman47

Clip Source: www.raingod.com

Tags: peru, machu picchu

Bats may hold clues some of the deadliest viruses known to humankind.

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 03:19:23 GMT

clipped by: Geshizar

Clip Source: toronto.ctv.ca

Canadian Press

TORONTO — What is it about bats and nasty diseases?

With last week's announcement that a type of fruit bat may be a source of the deadly Marburg virus, scientists are again mulling over how it is that these nocturnal winged creatures can host, sometimes with no harm to themselves, some of the deadliest viruses known to humankind.

If researchers can puzzle out how a bat can survive infections that are more lethal to other mammals, the findings could provide clues for the design of drugs or treatments to help the human immune system mimic the effect, they say.

Bats are believed to be a reservoir for a number of virulent zoonotic (meaning transmitted from animals) infections that can afflict humans. The SARS coronavirus. Ebola and now Marburg. Nipah virus. Hendra virus. Rabies.

"But obviously, they're doing things that some of the rest of us in the mammalian group haven't found ways to do. Meaning, they seem to be able to live reasonably well with some of these agents."

Tags: science, health, disease, bats

Spiritual Fraud -- Superstition and the Gullible -- a confession

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 22:48:43 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: "No amount of evidence to the contrary, including confession by the fraud who performed the tricks, is good enough to sway the True Believer."

Clip Source: www.holysmoke.org

No matter how often the confidence scammers are exposed, those who believe will happily continue to pay cold hard cash to be deceived.

"The true-believer syndrome merits study by science. What is it that compels a person, past all reason, to believe the unbelievable? How can an otherwise sane individual become so enamored of a fantasy, an imposture, that even after it's exposed in the bright light of day he still clings to it--- indeed, clings to it all the harder?

"The true-believer syndrome is the greatest thing phony mediums have going for them. No amount of logic can shatter a faith consciously based on a lie."

No amount of evidence to the contrary, including confession by the fraud who performed the tricks, is good enough to sway the True Believer. If you are among these poor souls, well, you have my sympathy, but you must admit you "had it comming to you." After all, you believe the impossible--- shouldn't you pay for such stupidity?

Tags: culture, religion, superstition, theology, god, fraud

Almost humourous

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 13:35:12 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: www.scottbieser.com

Tags: politics

The Real Firefox Log Mark

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 05:51:23 GMT

clipped by: Marinho

Clip Source: ketogah.stumbleupon.com

Tags: my clips