Parents in Oregon let this little baby get sicker and sicker.

Timothy and Rebecca Wyland of Beavercreek believe in treating sickness with prayer rather than medicine, even when prayer doesn’t work.
 
Their infant daughter, Alayna, has a serious eye problem, which they chose not to treat. Someone notified authorities and the state intervened, and now the Wylands are trying to regain custody of their daughter.

This is so very wrong.  It is a simple problem that can be treated with science based medicine.

Medical experts describe the eye problem as a hemangioma, a fast-growing mass of blood vessels. Normally the condition could be diagnosed and easily treated at the first signs of swelling or discoloration. Left untreated, the mass pushed Alayna’s eye down and out, placing profound pressure on her eyeball and eye socket, as The Oregonian’s Steve Mayes reported.
 
It’s not clear whether Alayna will go blind in that eye or somehow recover. The only certain thing is that the Wylands deliberately withheld medical care, and admitted in court to doing so, from a baby whose injury was painfully obvious.

This is not faith healing this is faith hurting – a faith based crime if you will.  Odd, I’ve never seen people pray for gOd to fix a flat tire.  Oh wait, that’s because he cares about kids more than cars – or if you look at the photo – you can only conclude that he does not exist.

—————-

Yes I used prey not pray.

Found this story about the shrinking middle class.  The author based it on 22 statistics that prove it.  As a skeptic I decided to look into the numbers.  If you want to explode your head, you can read all of the unsupported opinions in the comment section of the original story.  I won’t review all 22 statistics.  It would take too long and you would not finish this post.  So let’s take a look at a few of them and see what we get.

Proof #1 - “83% of all U.S. stocks are in the hands of 1 percent of the people.”

This is the first “Proof” of the rich getting richer.  This table ends in 2001 and does not reflect any of the effects of the last 9 years.  So it is a stretch to use this data to support a claim about the rich getting richer in 2010.  The red box shows that the top 1% has 83% of the wealth.  In 1962 the top 1% had 94% of the wealth.  Hey!  Wait!  This table supports a position that is in direct conflict of the author.  Well that is awkward!

Proof #2 “66% of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1% of all Americans.”

Well, that does seem a little unbalanced.  Again this is during the boom years.  I don’t have any info for the time before and after this period.

Proof #3 “36% of Americans say that they don’t contribute anything to retirement savings.”

There is nothing in this stat that says if this number is higher or lower than in the past.  Also, it does not talk about income levels and cannot be used to support the point of the story.  When I looked at the source of this “proof“, it said

Some 21 percent of all respondents said they have reduced their 401(k) contributions or personal savings in the last six months in order to get by, while 23 percent of the $100,000-and-over group said they had done so.

This shows that times are tough but may suggest that the higher incomes (over $100,000) were actually saving less.  Not a big difference but this does not support the conclusion that the middle class is shrinking.

I don’t know if the middle class is shrinking or not but based on the samples I took from this article the author has failed to support his position.

From the New York Times.

Some republicans seem to think that George W. Bush did a great job on the economy and the budget. 

Last week Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, declared that “there’s no evidence whatsoever that the Bush tax cuts actually diminished revenue. They increased revenue, because of the vibrancy of these tax cuts in the economy.”

What?  Is he delusional?

Paul Krugman describes it this way….

The actual record of the Bush years was (i) two and half years of declining employment, followed by (ii) four and a half years of modest job growth, at a pace significantly below the eight-year average under Bill Clinton, followed by (iii) a year of economic catastrophe. In 2007, at the height of the “Bush boom,” such as it was, median household income, adjusted for inflation, was still lower than it had been in 2000.

The “Bush boom” – I love it.  More like the Bush Kaboom.

Stephenson Billings  seems to think that Bill Murray is pure evil.  I would normally not make fun of people with mental problems but this was just too good to pass up.  Here is a sample of what Mr. Billings has to say…

Celebrity Murray is a sleazy slacker, a hero to “hipsters,” an icon of the unemployed. From his role as the potsmoking day laborer in Caddyshack to the hermaphrodite in Ed Wood to the sex-crazed pervert pushing demonology in Ghostbussers, to the lusty elderly hotel guest in Lost In Translation, Murray has explored every cranny of shamefulness.

It appears that Mr. Billings cannot see the difference between an actor and the characters that he plays in movies.  Hey!  He did not even mention that he played a zombie in Zombieland.  This is truly sad.  But wait, there’s more…

When you see this man on screen, his eyes wander all over you like a caged New York City rat.

WHAT!?  Does he think that the people on the big screen in a theatre are checking him out?  Whoa……

Mr. billings continues….

What have we lost? What will we ever gain? What does it mean when we say that Jesus died for our sins? What has happened to the country I once loved!

This guy needs help and i hope he gets some.  I will do my part by watching a Bill Murray movie on Netflix.  We love you Bill!

tip to PZ

This is good.  Too good?

Would some christians cheer yes! Yes?

THE HEAVENS—At a press conference Tuesday, God Almighty, our Lord and Heavenly Father, gave his strongest indication yet that he might soon step down from his post as the supreme ruler of all things.

Following a routine address during which God confirmed the recent extinction of several thousand species, the Divine Creator fielded questions regarding rumors of his possible retirement.

“I’ve been at this a long time,” said God, ∞, the all-knowing, all-powerful being who has presided over the cosmos since forming it from sheer nothingness nearly 14 billion years ago. “And the truth is, this was never something I planned on doing forever. Lately, in fact, I’ve begun to wonder if I should move on sooner rather than later.”

Over the past few centuries, God has on numerous occasions deflected speculation that his reign might be winding down, but his remarks Tuesday appeared to signal a shift in celestial policy.

While touting his accomplishments as the prime mover of all space and time, the Lord spoke with surprising candor about the recent struggles of his absolute dominion over heaven and earth, acknowledging that it hasn’t always been easy for him to keep up with the rapid pace of modern existence.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the universe I brought forth,” God said. “But a lot has changed since then, and if I’m completely honest with myself, I’m probably not as passionate about my work as I once was. Things change. Who knows? I might not be the right entity for this job, going forward.”

“Maybe we need some new ideas around here,” God added. “Maybe heaven needs some new blood.”

He Who Commanded Light to Shine Out of Darkness told reporters that his biggest regret was putting his job above spending more time with his son. In particular, God mentioned that he deeply lamented missing his only child’s once-in-a-lifetime crucifixion.

“Your son’s down there being martyred in front of all these people, but you can’t be there for it,” said God, his voice cracking slightly. “He thought I’d forsaken him. Of course, I was tied up working on something that seemed important at the time but that I can’t even remember now. And I’ll never get that moment back.”

Many worry that God’s retirement could create a void at the helm of creation that no omnipotent deity would be available to fill. However, sources close to the Heavenly Father pointed out that he has been gradually delegating key responsibilities to respected subordinates, such as the Holy Ghost, for at least an eon.

Attempting to downplay such concerns, God told reporters that he wasn’t “going anywhere just yet” and that, in any case, the universe was largely self-sustaining these days.

“This place pretty much runs itself by now,” the Lord said. “And besides, how many people still notice I’m around? To be frank, I’m not even sure I’m much more than a beloved figurehead at this point.”

God was quick to emphasize that his potential retirement wouldn’t mean a complete withdrawal from cosmological affairs, but would instead mark a transitional period during which he would step back a bit and take on a different role.

While he ruled out the possibility of creating a new universe, the Eternal One said he would be open to the idea of working as a consultant, perhaps judging the dead, offering his opinion on which civilizations should be wiped out by natural disasters, or performing the occasional miracle on a strictly freelance basis.

God also said he hoped to find free time to catch up on years of unanswered prayers, putter around with black holes in his basement, and, for the first time ever, take a trip just for the fun it.

“Maybe I’ll visit Europe,” God said. “I’ve never been in the Vatican, and I’ve heard it’s supposed to be beautiful.”

This is so cool.  Amy Poehler (of SNL fame) has been making new shows for smart girls.  This episode has a girl that likes to make robots.  It is a fun, smart and sassy show that will inspire girl to do something important.

Find more videos like this on Smart Girls at the Party

This episode is about cooking.  My daughter watched it and said it was kinda boring.  What do you think?

Find more videos like this on Smart Girls at the Party

Open letter to the women of the Catholic Church,

Maybe, you can overlook 2,000 years of oppression and misogyny.  Maybe, you can ignore the Inquisition.  Maybe you forgot that for almost 1,000 years the death of an unbaptized infant would result in perpetual suffering in Limbo, until the church voted it out.  Maybe, you can overlook the oppression of science and general education.  Maybe you do not care that the church has fought against your right to vote and your ability to care for your own body with birth control.

I ask you now to think.  Think about the latest declaration from the Catholic Church – ordination of women is a grave crime under church law.  Not only is this declaration made in conjunction with but is compared to the rape of an innocent child by a priest.  You must now realize that you will never hold the same status as men; you will never be seen as an equal.  It is time for you to stand up for yourself.  It is time to take your money from the people that are holding you down.  It is time for you to show your strength.  It is time to use your feet and walk away from the Catholic Church.  It is time to take your family, your spouse, your children and leave.  If not for you, then do it for your daughters and sons.   It is time for you to stand up and break the cycle.  Do not let this opportunity pass.  Do not let your sons grow up and oppress women and do not let your daughters be oppressed.

Sincerely,

Phil Ferguson