Rachel Ford is a programmer, and since 8:00 to 5:00 doesn't provide enough opportunity to bask in screen glare, she writes in her spare time. She was raised a very fundamentalist Christian, but eventually "saw the light." Rachel's personal blog is Rachel's Hobbit Hole, where she discusses everything from Tolkien to state politics.
Fifteen year old Abdisamad Sheikh-Hussein was leaving the Somali Center of Kansas City to head home after prayers on Thursday evening when a SUV struck him. The Chevy Blazer severed Sheikh-Hussein’s legs before the driver fled the scene. The teen was transported to a local hospital, where he died not too long after from his injuries and blood loss. But Sheikh-Hussein’s death was no accident, no panicked hit-and-run. The driver who swerved into him was Ahmed H. Aden (below), a former Muslim and convert to Christianity with a history of conflict with the Muslim/Somali community. Aden acknowledged that he deliberately swerved into the teen, but says that Sheikh-Hussein was not his intended victim. Read more
Huffington Post recently published an article by Deepak Chopra entitled “Why Physics Needs God but God Doesn’t Need Physics,” and it’s either a thoroughly enjoyable or incredibly frustrating piece, depending on whether or not you enjoy the sort of well-marketed hubris and sophistry at which Chopra excels. Chopra contends “that physics can’t escape its meeting with God.” Read more
STAND America, a group headed by right-wing pastor and politician E.W. Jackson, posted a video on Monday of a conference call between group members and former Senator, Republican presidential primary candidate, and Urban Dictionary entry Rick Santorum. Brian Tashman of Right Wing Watch picked up an interesting part of the conversation: Read more
Think Progress’ Zack Ford has an article up reporting on new and bizarre comments made by Ugandan Parliament Speaker Rebecca Kadaga (below). Kadaga is an outspoken opponent of gay rights, championing the infamous Anti-Homosexuality Bill (dubbed the “Kill the Gays” bill by opponents, as its first version decreed a death penalty for homosexuality). The milder version (that passed) implemented a life-in-prison sentence for homosexuality. Uganda’s Constitutional Court overturned the law earlier this year on the grounds that its passage violated parliamentary procedure, but legislators are considering a new version. Speaking this past Sunday of the alleged dangers of gay rights activists, Kadaga issued some bizarre warnings. Read more
