News From Around The Blogosphere 10.13.09

1. James Arthur Ray’s ‘Secret’ turns out to be death –

CRIMINAL charges are possible against The Secret author James Arthur Ray after two people died in a “sweat lodge” that was meant to provide spiritual cleansing for the 64 people crowded inside.

Now you know why it’s a secret.

2. Mormon says LDS is treated like blacks in the civil rights era – Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Moron–err, I mean Mormon Church compared anti-Mormon sentiment after their role in Prop 8 to blacks in the civil rights era. . .without irony.

3. Secular Student Alliance (SSA) needs help to raise $50,000 –

An SSA member/donor named Todd Stiefel has presented us with a challenge:

Any amount we raise — up to $50,000 — by December 21^st, he will match dollar-for-dollar.

4. I iz sertifide hypnotherapist –

The regulation of hypnotherapists in the UK is so lax that even a cat can become accredited, the BBC has found.

Chris Jackson, presenter of Inside Out in the North East and Cumbria, registered pet George with three industry bodies. Each one accepted a certificate from the non-existent Society of Certified Advanced Mind Therapists as proof of George’s credentials... In the UK, George was registered with the British Board of Neuro Linguistic Programming (BBNLP), the United Fellowship of Hypnotherapists (UFH) and the Professional Hypnotherapy Practitioner Association (PHPA).

Suck it, hypnotoad!

News From Around The Blogosphere 12.25.08

The Secular Coalition for America’s Lori Lipman Brown appeared on NPR’s Day to Day today to discuss “the role secular values will play in the next administration.” Click here to listen.

This American Life story on antivaccinationists – Act one of the aptly-named “Ruining it for the rest of us” show.

The Skepbitch’s Letter to a Psychic – She responds to a “psychic’s” response to a past article she wrote discussing how she infiltrated psychic telephone service, “Absolutely Psychic” and after passing their application process was offered a contract and a job with them. . .despite the little fact that she isn’t psychic.

Sharia Insanity – Muslim Pedophile (47) tries to marry 8-year-old girls:

Speak out against Muslim Child Abuse. Saudi-Arabian Perverts exposed.

الشريعة الجنون) ومسلم (المنحرف (47) ويحاول الزواج من فتاة تبلغ من العمر 8 سنوات.

Hypnotherapist jailed for sexual assaults –

“A 75-year-old hypnotherapist was jailed for eight-and-a-half years today for committing a string of sex attacks on young girls during massage sessions.”

Darwin’s wife’s cookbook published –

Sales of the book, which is being published by the university, will help fund research into, and the publication of, Mr Darwin’s letters.

AND NOW FOR A MOMENT OF SCIENCE:

‘Nano’ Drugs Kill Skin, Breast Cancer Cells – “Researchers in Pennsylvania are reporting for the first time that nanoparticles 1/5,000 the diameter of a human hair encapsulating an experimental anticancer agent, kill human melanoma and drug-resistant breast cancer cells growing in laboratory cultures.”

Honey Bees On Cocaine Dance More – “In a study that challenges current ideas about the insect brain, researchers have found that honey bees on cocaine tend to exaggerate.”

To my fellow Godless Americans:  YES WE CAN!