Out and About

This is an article from a magazine that serves people who own and run camps. The issue of treating gay people as people is spreading far and wide.

"We do not often have the opportunity to be deliberate, or intentional, about creating the kind of community we want to live in. Camp can be one of those opportunities, but only if we take action to make it so. Those campers or staff members who identify as LGBT are at camp because they want the same benefits of this special community that other children or young adults seek. Giving them shelter from insensitive and hurtful remarks or behavior can have a significant positive impact on them."

http://www.acacamps.org/campmag/1305/out-about

Two Innocents and One Stolen Kidney

 

William needs a kidney but a donor can't be found and he has little time. William's father Charles is a transplant surgeon. Charles tracks down a suitable match named George. Instead of asking, Charles takes George's kidney against his will by knocking him out and surgically removing his kidney. William's doesn't know how the kidney was acquired. Charles transplants the kidney in William. What Charles didn't know is George only had one good kidney and will die without his kidney. William will probably die in another surgery but if he doesn't, he will still die soon because he needs a kidney.

Who should get the kidney?

Trouble at Sea

Summarizing first world problems: "He told me that they had just eaten onion sandwiches and they were asking to use the red plastic bags to use the restroom in, and they had some fruit. They did have some water, but it was warm bottled water." - Kim McKerreghan relaying ex-husband's explanation of conditions on a broken cruise ship.

Warm bottled water?!? Is this hell? Sandwiches and Fruit?!? That is torture! 

http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2013/2/14/carnival_ship_worn_o.html

Just When Athiests Make Headway, They Get Boned

The last episode of Bones really pissed me off. Instead of having a strong heroine who employes rational thought and leads a fulfilling life as an atheist- they start to mush her brain and make her dance with theism. Now I hate her.

Chicken Soup Therapy

Is it possible that therapy works on mental illness for the same reason home made chicken soup works for colds - time. It takes at least two days to make home made chicken soup from scratch, just about a day or two shorter than the average length of a cold. Even better, it feels good to know someone would go through the effort to make you feel better. Could it be that years of therapy just piggybacks on the natural healing process that a person goes through with time and it feels nice to have someone go through the effort to make you feel better?

Bye Bye Popey Pants

Well, the Pope has resigned and will be giving up the papacy on February 28. He says he is too sick to continue but every Pope for the last six hundred years has died as Pope. I wonder if Ratzinger is actually sick or if he is facing some disgrace. I don't know what could disgrace him though, this is the man who wrote the document teaching bishops and priests how to cover up child rape and who said condoms helped cause AIDS. What could disgrace him? A secret wife and child who he loves and cares for? Anyways, I'm glad the trash is going out. I wonder what child rapist supporting, birth control hating, AIDS spreading bigot they will dredge up next.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/11/us-pope-confirm-idUSBRE91A0A120130211

Modern Gladiator Audience - A Question of Football Ethics

Is it ethical to watch a sport that causes its participants serious injury, some with life long consequences including chronic traumatic encephalopathy and other severe brain injuries that lead to potential homicidal mania, early onset dementia and suicidal ideation?