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Freethought Radio - January 19, 2013
Freethought Radio - January 12, 2013 Broadcast
Lively atheists in Mexico City
At Zócalo, Mexico City's central plaza, are (left) professor Jerry Coyne, author of Why Evolution Is True, Gerardo Romero Quijada, founder and activist with Mexican Atheists; and FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. (Their spread-out arms are in honor of Dan Barker, who does this trademark pose wherever he travels.) They were sightseeing after the conclusion of the second colloquium on Mexican atheism Nov. 2-3. Gaylor spoke at the conference, as did Coyne, Michael Shermer and several Mexican scientists and freethinking activists. The Governor's Palace in the background features a major Diego Rivera mural which is strongly anticlerical and explicitly celebrates Mexico's formal separation between state and church.
'This house does not believe in God' - Dan Barker
By Dan Barker
Freedom From Religion Foundation
FFRF members Steve Aldred (left) and Daniel Saiz (right) joined FFRF Co-President Dan Barker for a post-debate reception.
I've done more than 100 debates as an atheist, but really looked forward to my first visit to Oxford, England, to debate the proposition, "This House Believes in God." Members of the Oxford Society invited me, Michael Shermer and Peter Millican (philosophy, Hertford College) for a formal debate Nov. 8.
We teamed up against theists John Lennox (well-known Oxford professor of mathematics and philosophy), Peter Hitchens (journalist, author and former atheist) and Anglican priest Joanna Collicut (co-author of The Dawkins Delusion).
It was a formal black-tie evening, so I brought my nice tuxedo that I use for playing jazz gigs and country clubs. I'm sure I was the only person in the room with piano keyboard suspenders.
The Oxford Union is "the world's most prestigious debating society, with an unparalleled reputation for bringing international guests and speakers to Oxford." Founded in 1823, it welcomes and encourages controversy. "The Oxford Union believes first and foremost in freedom of speech: nothing more, nothing less."
Many of the protocols of modern-day British Parliament stem from Oxford Union customs. Eleven British prime ministers, starting with W.E. Gladstone, have been officers or members. Dozens of other members have gone on to become nationally and internationally prominent figures.
Famous speakers at the Union include many presidents and prime ministers, actors, sports figures, authors, journalists, the Dalai Lama, Malcolm X, Salman Rushdie, Mother Teresa, Philip Pullman, Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein.
The formality was enhanced by the fact that Richard Dawkins was in the audience. After a delicious supper and preliminaries, the main event began. We spoke with no microphones in the formal Debate Chamber, with hardwood floor and busts of famous people around the red walls.
We stood on respective sides of a practical table on the floor (no lofty pulpits), with most of the audience at the same level, and many in the balconies above us. We were each allotted 15 minutes.
John Lennox, our most formidable and articulate opponent, went first, speaking for the proposition. John has a likable relaxed personality, a warm avuncular style with an Irish twinkle in his eyes.
Atheism is illogical, Lennox asserted, because "nothing comes from nothing." There is no contradiction between science and faith. An immaterial God is free to show himself to us in a material way using revelation, and the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus is clear evidence for the existence and power of such a being.
According to Lennox, the constants (forces or parameters) of the cosmos are so exquisitely balanced that if one of them were off by the tiniest fraction, we would not be living in a universe hospitable to life. Besides, without a belief in the Christian God, there is no hope.
My turn
I spoke next, for the opposition. It was my job to introduce the main ideas in opposition to theistic belief, putting as much as possible on the table for our opponents to rebut and setting the stage for Michael and Peter to drive the points home using their considerable areas of expertise.
I prepared a 10-minute opening, anticipating that I might appreciate the extra five-minute elbow room to insert specific rebuttals or allow interruptions from the floor. I turned to Lennox and said, "If nothing comes from nothing, God cannot exist." A god, if such a being exists, is not nothing. To exclude the desired conclusion from the premise is to beg the question.
Smuggling God into the reasoning that is supposed to prove his existence also results in an incoherency, a "married bachelor," a something that comes from the nothing from which something cannot come. If "God" is defined as an omniscient being with free will, then he cannot exist.
If you know the future, you cannot have free will. Foreknowledge of your own decisions rules out any ability to change your mind. You are a robot, not a personal being.
In response to interruptions, I briefly sketched the cumulative case that belief in a god suffers from serious deficiencies: lack of coherent definition, lack of evidence, lack of good argument (many theistic arguments are merely "god-of-the-gaps" explanations), lack of moral and theological agreement among believers, lack of good response to the problem of evil, and the lack of reliability of so-called holy books.
I turned to Lennox to counter that the resurrection of Jesus is the worst example anyone could offer as evidence for a god, and explained why. I ended with the fact that there is no need for a god: Tens of millions of good people have lives of purpose, morality, love, meaning, happiness, beauty and hope without such a belief.
As I returned to my seat next to Michael Shermer, he said "Bravo! You nailed it!" and we did high fives.
Then it was Joanna Collicut's turn to argue for the proposition. I listened carefully, ready to take notes, but her monotone remarks were so vague, so Sunday morning sermonish, I really don't remember what she said.
Michael Shermer virtually leaped to the table to take up for the opposition. He made the case that god beliefs are neurological, psychological, sociological, anthropological and historical. He challenged the audacity of pretending that out of the thousands of gods and religions, you just happen to possess the correct one.
"I simply believe in one less god than you do," he said, eliciting much laughter and applause. He talked about pattern recognition and agency detection, Type 1 versus Type 2 errors (thinking the noise in the grass is the wind rather than a predator), showing that god belief is a Type 1 error (false positive) that was useful to our prescientific ancestors for survival reasons.
Very different Peters
Then came Peter Hitchens, the believing Anglican brother of Christopher Hitchens. (If anyone doubts the fact of evolutionary variation, just look at those two brothers.) Hitchens was combative and unfriendly, pitching ad hominem assaults. "I decided that I would abandon any pretense at being Mr. Nice Guy," he wrote the next day. "Why would anyone want the universe to be a pointless chaos, where our actions could be judged only by their immediate observable effects, a universe utterly without the hope of justice, where death was the end and the deaths of those we loved extinguished them irrevocably? Well, the question, once asked, rather answers itself, doesn't it?"
Hitchens apparently does believe all questions answer themselves because he brusquely declined interruptions from the audience.
Peter Millican, on our side, was last. He was brilliant and deftly handled the theistic arguments raised by Lennox, responding with philosophical rebuttals to the "fine tuning" argument, and the problem of evil. If there actually were an afterlife, how would future "justice" make our current suffering any less harmful?
When he sat down, I said, "Strike three! They're out." And I was right. At the end of the event, President John Lee announced to the audience that they were to "vote with your feet." Our side won.
So although the exact proposition was indeed about belief and not knowledge, I think it is fair to say that it has been decided, by an Oxford vote no less, that there is no god.
Sharing the Crank Mail
Below, a small but representative sampling of disturbing emails recently received by FFRF from "loving" Christians, usually in response to news coverage of FFRF's state/church work. Grammar and spelling are uncorrected. Warning: Language and suggestions are commonly X-rated.
The Lord: please keep your liberal ideas in wisconsin. Texas is a Christian state and we do not appreciate your interfering in our schools expression of love and faith in our Creator. Just remember JESUS IS LORD!! — Steve Rousseau
Texas cheerleader: Stay out of Texas. We dont need your non beleiving ways here. Dont stand behind the Courts or threatining lawsuits. Come here and meet us face to face. — Richard Zelenuk, Arlington
Football Banners: Suck it up and hang it out your atheist ass. — Arthur Windell, Caldwell
YOU ARE DUMB GAY IDIOTS SENT TO RUIN AMERICA: There are people who understand the truly American anti-gay dream. We want to live in a world with "In God We Trust" on the currency. Think of all of the people who died to preserve Christianity from terrorists. — Tiger Gibbons
Marbury, AL High School: You need to stay out of our business. This is Alabama, and we do as we please. — John Hazel
Tennessee: You need to leave Tennessee alone. Keep your views if you like... Just don't bother us. I realize that people have rights... We have moving trucks here if people don't like it here.
religion: YOU PEOPLE ARE FULL OF SHIT. IF SOMEONE DOESN'T LIKE THE SIGNS THEY CAN DO 1 OF 2 THINGS: IGNORE THE SIGN OR 2 MAKE A BIG DEAL ABOUT AND SOMEONE IS GOING TO WHOOP YOUR SORRY ASSES. — Daniel Berney
RELIGION: yOU AND YOUR TEACHINGS ARE WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY NOW. tEACHING CHILDREN THERE IS NO GOD LEADS THEM TO BELIEVE THEY CAN DO WHAT EVER THEY PLEASE AND THEIR IS NO RESPECT FOR ANYTHING. wHEN THE TIME COMES,AND IT WILL IT WILL BE TO LATE TO ADMIT HOW VERY WRONG AND EVIL YOU WERE AND ARE! pLEASE DO NOT CONTACT ME AS THERE IS NOTHING I WANT OR NEDD TO HEAR FROM THE LIKES OF YOU. — Nancy Grant
Tennessee: hope you needle ducks enjoy hell stay out of Tennessee stop by Caryville and see me idiots you speak with a forked tongue. — Dave Johnson
how much I dont like freedom from religion: This country, built and fought for by my forfathers has turned into a scary place to live because people like you are to worried about treating people fairly, who dont deserve to be treated fairly — Jeremy Miller, Woodstock
Suggestion: All you exist for is to undermine the moral fabric of this nation as it was historically founded. Since you all are so unhappy with that why not move ?
Suggestions: Try: Iran, N.Korea, Russia, China, Cuba, spread your poison there you will be more than welcome since you share the same ideology. I picked the other selection below for the CPUSA! — Doc H.
Texas Cheerleaders: With the recent injunction that was granted to the Cheerleaders it looks like God is tell you to " shove your organization right up your ass " don't you agree! — Mike Hunt
Bible verses at Alabama football games: Those of us down here take our religion seriously and if we choose to carry signs with Bible verses at football games, well it's really none of your business. Perhaps you should read your Bible more often. — Pam Cory
schools: Look you need to leave marbury high school alone y'all just want to mess with somebody and you need to leave the alone . They are doing nothing wrong they are not hurting no one so just go crawl under a rock and leave them .dont come down her messing with us or watch what happens !!! watch what god can he can make anything happen so leave us alone don't miss with us or will mess with you — Robert Harmon, Prattville
TENNESSEE/GEORGIA: Tell me do you have any problem spending he U.S. money that has IN GOD WE TRUST printed on the face, I suspect not, you hipocrit. Say up North and leave us alone. I hope you burn in Hell. — Pat Guffey, Soddy Daisy
schools and prayers: just fuck off. if you dont want to hear it. just stand and shut the fuck up. — "Who cares"
Alabama: you guys are a bunch of fuken cocksucker fuk you all ahhahahahah we need freedom from you fagotts yoru the reson the whole county going to hell you think it funny 0-o open your eyes look what you made no god it all hell enjoy its allover — Don Hively
Football prayer at games: Hi I'm a conserned student at a school that no Longer has prayer before football games.... — Josh
Bringing freethought to Rotary Club: Jessica Walker
Name: Jessica Walker.
Where I live: Tyrone, Ga., about 20 miles south of Atlanta.
Where and when I was born: Connecticut in 1967 but grew up in New Jersey.
Family: Husband, Robin; son, Jack, 11; and daughter, Maisie, 8.
Education: B.S. in accounting from Centenary College, New Jersey, and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
Occupation: Director of project management for Caliber Services, a software consulting firm. I started my career as an accountant and moved to consulting on enterprise resource planning in the early 1990s. I took time off from the corporate world to stay home with my young children and supported my husband's new business venture in 2003 by taking care of the back-office and accounting duties.
Now that the children are in school, I've come back into the work-for-pay world and have taken over more responsibility in the family business and moved from bookkeeper duties to project management.
How I got where I am today: I've always wanted to know the reasons behind things and found that evidence and data were much more satisfying than fairy tales. This quality drove my passion for books, learning, and not being afraid to make someone a little uncomfortable by asking them a tough question about their position on a given subject.
I have a deep interest in knowing that people are being treated fairly in life and came to understand early on that a secular worldview is the one that is the most inclusive and fairest to the most people.
Where I'm headed: I'm married to a wonderful man and we have two amazing children. We don't try to influence our children on matters of conscience. We simply ask what their thoughts are on a particular subject, where the evidence is leading them, and suggest when more research may be warranted. In addition to raising two little skeptics, I'm finding great joy in athletics lately, especially the character-building experience that is dragon boating.
Person in history I admire: Maria Montessori. She "followed the child" to create an education system that modern research (see Dr. Steve Hughes) is now proving most accurately mirrors a child's brain development. She cared deeply about respect for the child as an individual, the child's place in the greater community and how to peacefully interact with others.
Montessori, one of the first female physicians in Italy, was a devout Catholic, a fact that I tend to think is an accident of geography and the time when she was born. Her discoveries about child development, sensitive periods and emphasizing learning with concrete materials through our senses rather than jumping directly to abstract concepts are strong evidence of her scientific mindset. The many children I have known (including my own) who are educated within the Montessori Method tend to be independent critical thinkers, self-assured, mature for their ages, early readers, self-motivated, respectful of others and creative, joyful people.
A quotation I like: "It is best to read the weather forecast before praying for rain." (Mark Twain, 1835-1910)
These are a few of my favorite things: My family and friends, playing tennis and the piano (not simultaneously), dragon boat racing, Rotary Club service projects, the Fayette Freethought Society, traveling to other countries, reading anything I can get my hands on, NPR and physical fitness.
These are not: People who equate religion with morality (I tend to think it's more of an inverse relationship), hypocrisy, bad line calls in tennis, intercessory prayer, insistence on respect for religion and/or faith, commercial television, smelly cheese.
My doubts about religion started: I don't come from a religious family, although both my grandmothers were Catholic. We didn't attend services and celebrated holidays in a cultural rather than a religious manner. For most of my life, I was rather apathetic about religion, then moved five years ago to Georgia, where my freedom from religion is assaulted on a daily basis.
I've become more and more motivated to actively work against this unwanted intrusion in my life. Living in the bible belt, I now understand more than ever how much religion and a faith-based mindset is a dangerous force for paternalism, ignorance, arrogance and misogyny.
Why I'm a freethinker: I'm a freethinker because I think there is so much self-righteous "certainty" in the public marketplace of ideas that I see eventually getting shot down after new evidence on a subject comes to light. Being a freethinker shows a level of humility with regard to the future and a respect for humanity's ability to continually make new discoveries about our natural world.
Ways I promote freethought: I joined groups like FFRF, the Fayette Freethought Society and the Atlanta Freethought Society to find like-minded people. My children and I have talks about superstition, famous scientists, evolution, relationships, ethics, the FFRF quote of the day, the future of our planet, etc., on our morning drives to school.
I leave my back issues of Freethought Today in local coffee shops. As a peaceful protest, I refuse to stand up with all the other people during opening prayers at Rotary Club meetings. Yes, I'm the only one sitting, and yes, it's been noticed and commented on. [See sidebar story.]
Jessica's excellent letter
Jessica Walker writes: Being a member of FFRF and being exposed to your writings and arguments helped me in crafting the following email to my Rotary Club. I am answering a question from a fellow member as to why I do not stand up during the club's prayer/pledge.
Thank you very much to each of you for your leadership and bravery in the face of desperate odds.
Hi Patti,
Thank you for your polite curiosity. This is something that I thought about long and hard. I even strongly considered not joining and on many occasions considered leaving the PTC Club [Peachtree City] because of its current prayer and pledge practice.
The short answer to your question about my nonparticipation in prayer and pledge is because I'm a Rotarian, a member of a supposedly (if we are to believe the statements on the Rotary International website) nonsectarian and nonpolitical organization that seeks to be inclusive of all peoples in the world. I sincerely think that the Rotarian ideals of "Service Above Self" and the Four-Way Test are superior to the sectarianism and nationalism that any club indulges in when it comes to improving human relations and uplifting others less fortunate than ourselves.
I find it very sad that we very rarely recite the Four-Way Test or our excellent motto "Service Above Self" at our meetings. For that, I would gladly and proudly stand up from my seat. The prayer/pledge only serves as a distraction from Rotary's excellent ideals. The motto and the Four-Way Test are strong enough, powerful enough, and meaningful enough to stand on their own merits.
My quiet refusal to participate in the prayer/pledge illustrates my choice to adhere to these higher values of Rotary. I sit, rather than stand up, go with the flow and be coerced against my conscience into tacit acceptance of divisive, unnecessary and ultimately ineffective appeals to the supernatural along with nationalism coupled with the festering vestiges of McCarthyism that we see embodied in the post-1954 version of the pledge. We are better than this. We just need the courage to buck powerful forces and choose the higher road.
As Rotarians, we have the obligation to be inclusive of all people, and the only peaceful and respectful way that I have seen this to have ever been achieved in history is to keep things as secular and nonterritorial as possible, just like we are shown on Rotary International's own website. Until we, as members of the PTC Rotary, can be brave enough to say "No more" to our current sectarian and nationalistic practices and choose to run our meetings in the most inclusive and Rotary-focused way possible, there will always be a member, a visiting member, a guest, or a potential member at our meetings who feels like an outsider — unwelcome, creeped out, unwilling to join us.
Take a moment to think of all the folks we had to lunch a couple of weeks ago on International Day. How many different religions (or no religions) were in that room? How many different countries were folks citizens of? I was intensely embarrassed for the club when the Christian prayers and pledges to a single nation were once again trotted out and forced on all these different people.
How many of those decision-makers from the various PTC international companies do you think would want to join a club that behaves in such an exclusionary, arrogant, self-righteous manner? I wonder how many of those international presidents and CEOs would now be asking to become members of our club if they had been presented solely with the Rotary motto and the Four-Way Test instead? Those are ideals that everyone can get behind and accept into their lives without violating their freedom of conscience.
I have chosen to remain a member of the club because I truly think that the Rotary ideals are worth striving for. I truly think it is also worth my incurring a bit of curiosity and/or hostility from the other members, like yourself, because I want to help people see that the Rotary ideals are more important, inclusive and useful to humanity than prayers and pledges could ever be.
If any of my ideas have resonated with you, I invite you join me in my peaceful protest of this embarrassing, coercive and exclusionary part of our meetings.
Warmest regards,
Jessica S. Walker
Director PMO Office, Caliber Services, LLC
Dawkins instructs crowd on Mormons, metaphors - Richard Dawkins
Dawkins draws nearly 900 to convention
God Delusion author Richard Dawkins accepts an Emperor Has No Clothes Award on Oct. 12 at FFRF's 35th annual national convention in Portland, Ore. Photo: Andy Ngo
This speech, excerpted for print, was given Oct. 12 by Richard Dawkins at FFRF's 35th annual convention in Portland, Ore. Dawkins, a distinguished evolutionary biologist and author, is arguably the world's most renowned living atheist. He received an Emperor Award in 2001 but was unable to accept it personally due to 9/11. The award is reserved for public figures who make known their dissent from religion.
Thank you very much indeed. [I am] delighted to have made a diversion to Portland to see this magnificent gathering and to see Annie Laurie and Dan Barker, who are some of my favorite people. We have been collaborating with them on the Clergy Project, among other things, and it's a very great pleasure to see this splendid audience,
I'm often asked, why do you pick easy targets, like Ted Haggard? Why don't you have an argument with a real theologian, the best that religion has to offer, a sophisticated religious thinker? But what's the difference between an evangelical wingnut like Ted Haggard and a sophisticated theological thinker like the archbishop of Canterbury or the pope?
In one sense, I believe the wingnuts are more honest. They know what they believe, and although it's false, at least they really believe it. The sophisticated theologians, I shall argue, are so drunk on metaphor, they don't really know what they believe, or they may be deliberately deceptive.
Honoree Richard Dawkins accepting the Emperor Has No Clothes Award from FFRF Officer Jim Coors. The statuette honors public figures for "telling it like it is" about religion. Photo: Andy Ngo
To quote Peter Medawar on Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the French priest and author of The Phenomenon of Man, "It may be that they can be excused of deceitfulness only because before deceiving others, they've gone to great pains to deceive themselves."
The case I want to make is that in the hands of a sophisticated theologian, the resort to metaphor may be a vehicle of deceit, a con trick, played on their innocent congregations.
C.S. Lewis made the point that our whole language is full of dead metaphors. The word "attend" is a metaphor. The word "reflect" is a metaphor.
You say she's very bright, or a very dim student. How dare you, he thundered. I can't grasp your nebulous — meaning cloud-like — meaning. Almost every word, every phrase in our language was once upon a time a metaphor.
I'm not knocking metaphors, but they have to obey two rules. They must do real explanatory work, and it must be clear that they are metaphors. One of the problems with the sophisticated theologians is that they are very unclear when they're talking about metaphors and when they're not.
Here's a good example of a very good metaphor — the distinction between skyhooks and cranes, which all of you will know from the work of Dan Dennett. It does useful explanatory work, and it can't possibly be mistaken for anything but a metaphor.
Here's another: When you're trying to explain the phenomenon of refraction, physicists have found that a good way to do it is to assume that the photons of the light are trying to minimize the time they take to get through the medium, whatever it is. The beautiful metaphor, which I've seen exposed by Peter Atkins, is if you are on the shore, you're a lifesaver. You see somebody drowning out to sea at a diagonal, what's the best course to follow in order to get to them as quickly as possible?
The straight beeline direction is not good, because you can run much faster than you can swim. So you want to increase the time you spend on the beach before you hit the water. Or in that case, you could minimize the time you spend on the beach and go right to opposite where the person is drowning, and then swim straight out to them. Or you could do the opposite, which is clearly not sensible.
The optimum solution is to go at a certain angle, which really does minimize the time you take to get to the drowning swimmer, and that is exactly what photons do. If you assume that a photon is working hard to minimize the time it takes to pass through the medium, then you get the right answer with respect to refraction. So once again, the photon lifesaver metaphor passes its test with flying colors. It does real work in helping you to get the right answer, and it's perfectly clear. It's obviously a metaphor.
I once attended a posh conference in Germany where Nobel Prize winners were invited to bring one young colleague. I went as the colleague of my Nobel Prize-winning boss, Niko Tinbergen. Jacques Monod, the distinguished French molecular biologist, was there. He said that when he was trying to solve a problem in chemistry, he would say, "What would I do if I were an electron?"
My late colleague W.D. Hamilton solved an enormous number of problems in evolutionary genetics by asking himself, "What would I do if I were a gene trying to maximize my survival through many generations?" If you use that metaphor, then you can get all sorts of answers right.
Once again, the intelligent gene metaphor passes the test. It does real work in helping us to get the right answer, and it's impossible for a reasonable person to think that we really mean that genes have intelligent motives.
Also I thought, one might have thought it was obvious that a selfish gene couldn't possibly mean literally selfish. But this lady, a philosopher called Mary Midgley, wrote a savage attack on [Dawkins' 1976 book] The Selfish Gene, in which she began, "Genes cannot be selfish or unselfish any more than atoms can be jealous, elephants abstract, or biscuits teleological."
Einstein's bad metaphor
John Krebs and I used a thing called the life-dinner principle in explaining certain aspects of evolutionary biology. It comes from Aesop's Fables. "The hare runs faster than the dog because the hare is running for his life, while the dog is only running for his dinner." You use that principle to explain all sorts of things in evolutionary ecology.
An extremely common error is to assume that what animals are doing is working for the good of the species, working for example to stop the species going extinct. This fallacy was identified by J.B.S. Haldane as "Pangloss's theorem," after the character in Voltaire [parodying Leibniz] who thought all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.
Molecular biologist Sydney Brenner satirized that theorem by suggesting that a molecule which arose in the Cambrian era, half a billion years ago, might have been of no use at the time, but it stuck around because it might come in handy in the Cretaceous.
Another example of bad metaphors I'm afraid Albert Einstein was guilty of — Einstein, when he wanted to say something like, "Could the universe have been different from what it is? Is there only one way for a universe to be?"
Unfortunately, Einstein chose to express that very important question with a God metaphor, "Did God have a choice?" He used another God metaphor when he was complaining about Heisenberg's indeterminacy principle, which he didn't like. He said, "But he does not play dice," meaning that God does not play dice [with the world].
The fact that Einstein used the God metaphor has been used over and over again by "faith heads" who wish to claim Einstein as one of their own. It's a very good thing, by the way, that Einstein, in one of the last letters he wrote near the end of his life, showed absolutely that he did not believe in any kind of personal God. That letter has now come up for sale. I tried to bid on it when it came up for sale last time. I was miserably outbid.
Misapplying metaphor
Religion arguably got its start from this very human habit of metaphorically personifying natural phenomena. People lacked a naturalistic explanation for thunder, so tribal peoples would resort to a supernatural explanation — thunder gods, like Thor with his hammer, and Zeus.
Yahweh himself seems to have begun as a storm god, one of a polytheistic pantheon of Canaanite gods that included Baal, the thunder god.
Here's a good example of the misapplication of metaphor. Pope Benedict said, "Christ stresses that the gift received in him far surpasses Adam's sin and its consequent effects on humanity." The pope knows perfectly well there never was an Adam. He's an evolutionist. He's come down in favor of it. But he can't resist the temptation of metaphor. They are drunk on metaphor.
I was curious to know whether priests, pastors, were aware [that the biblical creation stories are myth, not history]. I asked two of them who have since become atheists. The first one said, "During my first few months of doubt, I actually met with, all in confidence, three former students, all preaching in similar congregations, and three seminary professors. All six of them admitted to not believing in the literal creation account of a literal Adam and Eve, and the resulting fall. And they questioned the historicity of Moses, etc. But they preach as if they do when they speak in local congregations. In other words, they share their scholarly beliefs with scholars, and preach down to the laity of rural congregations."
The second pastor said, "I would completely agree that theologians are intoxicated by metaphor and that tendency trickles down to the local pulpit. I think in some cases, both in the academy and the pulpit, the intention is to feel comfortable in perpetuating a traditional narrative, but to do it in ways that serve both a metaphorical and literal understanding. In other words, we try to be all things to all people, but fail to say anything substantial."
Biblical beauty, atrocity
The Song of Songs is a beautiful book of the bible. It's recommended. Read it in the King James version. "Thy two breasts are like two young roes that feed among the lilies. Thou art all fair, my love. There is no spot in thee. Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse. Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. How fair is they love, my sister, my spouse? How much better is thy love than wine and the smell of thine ointments than all spices, thy lips, oh my spouse, drop as the honeycomb. Honey and milk are under thy tongue, and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon."
Well that, as I said, is summed up in the King James bible at the top as "The Church's Love Under Christ." [laughter]
The horrific story of Abraham, almost murdering his son Isaac, is said to be a parable, symbolically telling the Hebrews to stop sacrificing humans and sacrifice sheep instead. You can't help wondering why God didn't simply tell Abraham instead of making him commit child abuse, which today would have him locked up.
Sophisticated theologians are drunk on metaphor, so in love with metaphor as to be seduced by atrocities like that; so in love with metaphor as to be persuaded that in order for God to forgive our sins, he had to reenact the metaphor of Abraham in the blood sacrifice of Jesus, without which it was impossible to forgive our sins. Somebody had to die.
Imagine you are God. You're all-powerful. You're all-loving. So it is really, really important to you that humans are left in no doubt about your existence and your loving nature, and exactly what they need to do in order to get to heaven and avoid eternity in the fires of hell. It's really important to get that across. So what do you do?
If you're Jehovah, apparently this is what you do. You talk in riddles. You tell stories which on the surface have a different message from the one you apparently want us to understand. You expect us to hear X, and instinctively understand that it needs to be interpreted in the light of Y, which you happen to have said in the course of a completely different story 500, 1,000 years earlier.
Instead of speaking directly into our heads, which God has presumed the capability of doing — simply, clearly and straightforwardly in terms which the particular individual being addressed will immediately understand and respond to positively — you steep your messages in symbols, in metaphors. In fact, you choose to convey the most important message in the history of creation in code, as if you aspired to be Umberto Eco or Dan Brown.
Anyone would think your top priority was to keep generation after generation after generation of theologians in meaningless employment, rather than communicate an urgent life-or-death message to the creatures you love more than any other.
Religion and public office
Now I want to switch to a completely different topic, which I think is important, because we're just in the throes of a very important election. I want to say something which may be a bit more unpopular. We'll see. Should we respect the privacy of a politician's religion, or is it up for discussion, like his economic policy or his foreign policy?
Should politicians be allowed to hide behind the convention that privacy is to be respected where faith is concerned and refuse to discuss it? We shouldn't even ask them about it, or should we question them about it?
Britain and America are rather different in the way their politicians treat religion. Tony Blair, under the forceful direction of a rather sinister figure, Alistair Campbell, who was his spin doctor, very forcefully said we don't do God. Blair's best friend, George W. Bush, did God in a big way, even to the extent of listening to God's advice to invade Iraq.
I'm conscious of not being American, but because the election is hanging over the whole world, I'm going to take the liberty of making a point about American election manners. I expect I may find myself at odds with some people here.
Almost every politician in America has to do God, or at least thinks he has to do God, on the pain of almost certainly losing the election if he doesn't. The next point, which ought to be uncontroversial, is that the separation of church and state is quite rightly deeply woven into the DNA of America, unlike in Britain, where we have an established church and we have 27 bishops as ex-officio members of Parliament.
The American Constitution states, "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." John Kennedy famously laid the principle on the line: "I believe in a president whose religious views are his own private affair, neither imposed by him upon the nation, or imposed by the nation upon him as a condition to holding office."
But while it's of course right that no religious test should be imposed before a candidate is allowed to stand for election, that's very different from saying that voters are expected to ignore a candidate's religious beliefs when they're deciding whether to vote for him.
Discriminating against anybody's eligibility to stand for election goes right against the spirit of the American Constitution. Amazingly, however, in several states, atheists are barred by state law. [Dawkins names states with specific prohibitions: North Carolina, Arkansas, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee and South Carolina.]
I'm using Romney only as an example for the thesis that I want to advance, which is I think unpopular with some Americans, because they wrongly think it goes against the Constitution, against the "no religious test" laws. Whereas no religious test should be imposed when deciding whether a candidate's eligible, voters are entitled to take account of what a candidate is capable of believing, even if he doesn't let his beliefs interfere with his policies, as Kennedy vowed.
By the same token, I think journalists should be free to ask candidates about their beliefs. Their private beliefs should be fair game in debates between candidates. I wish that presidential debates were more gloves off when it comes to the religious beliefs of candidates.
Why does Mr. Obama limit himself to criticizing Mr. Romney's taxation policy, medical policy, foreign policy and so on? Why does he ignore the
elephant in the room, which is that his opponent is capable of holding beliefs which, in England, we call barking mad, and here, you might call batshit crazy.
Joseph Smith, charlatan
Mitt Romney believes that the Book of Mormon is a sacred book, translated by a 19th century American called Joseph Smith, whom Romney reveres as a prophet and the founder of his faith. Mormons believe that Smith was guided by an angel, Moroni, to dig up some golden plates on which were written characters of an ancient language which he called reformed Egyptian, unknown to archaeologists, by the way.
He bought a seer stone in a hat, buried his face in the hat and looked at the seer stone. One by one, characters of reformed Egyptian would appear in the stone, together with the English translation. Smith would say the English word, which would be written down by a scribe sitting behind a curtain so he couldn't see what was going on.
The scribe repeated the word, and when Smith approved it, the stone would display a new word in its place, and so on until all 531 pages of the book had been written down — in English. Mark Twain remarked that if you remove all occurrences of "it came to pass," the Book of Mormon would be reduced to a pamphlet.
Before any of this happened, Joseph Smith had built up a track record in the area as a psychic diviner of buried treasure. He claimed to be able to see underground, looking for treasure by looking through his hat. Everything about the Book of Mormon reeks of fake.
Joseph Smith was an obvious charlatan. That's not an interesting fact in itself. There have been numerous charlatans down the ages. The point is that Mitt Romney, candidate for the job of most powerful man in the world, with his finger on the nuclear button, is a gullible fool who believes Joseph Smith.
It seems to me entirely right that journalists should question him on his Mormon beliefs. They should not feel it's a taboo they have to tiptoe around. The only reason President Obama should refrain from doing so, if he should, would be a purely tactical reason. It might put voters off because they wrongly, in my view, think that to do so would be to go against the spirit of the First Amendment.
There he is, looking through his hat. I've been Tweeting about this lately. The commonest retort that I'm getting is, well, Obama's Christianity, isn't that just as ridiculous?
Obama not a Christian?
I think there's an excellent chance that Mr. Obama is not a Christian at all. I strongly suspect he may be an atheist.
I say that mainly because he's obviously intelligent and educated. But in any case, the fact that he professes Christianity means absolutely nothing. He's an elected American politician. And if you are an elected American politician, that has to mean that you pretend to be religious. There's no other way about it. So that doesn't really mean anything.
One could say the same of Romney. But I think the evidence shows actually Romney does believe it. He was a Mormon bishop. There are records of his excommunicating people. He excommunicated a woman because she left the Mormon Church. You'd think since she'd left already, there was no need to excommunicate.
And it's really much more recently that he, I think really rather obnoxiously, posthumously baptized his atheist father-in-law. If he were professing religion for reasons purely of political expediency, instead of saying he's a Mormon, couldn't he say he sort of believes in spirituality or something vague like that?
I think it's pretty clear Romney is a definitely strong-believing Mormon, whereas I don't think it's clear that Obama is a Christian. But even if he is, Christianity, even fundamentalist Christianity, I think is substantially less, I mean it may be ridiculous, but it's not as ridiculous.
Christian scriptures are genuinely ancient. The translations from Hebrew and Greek that Christians use are in a language contemporary with the translators. The Book of Mormon is not ancient. The language of its alleged translation is ludicrously anachronistic. It contains absurdities, scientifically demonstrable absurdities, about the origin of Native Americans, about people of African descent. It's an absurd piece of work. A man who seriously believes it, it seems to me, cannot be trusted to have the sort of acumen, the sort of critical mind that you need in a leader of a great country.
DNA evidence conclusively refutes the claim that Native Americans are a remnant of the house of Israel. The idea that Jesus visited America is archaeologically preposterous. The idea that Adam and Eve did, too, is even worse. It's at least arguable that Jesus existed.
The traditional Mormon belief in the inferiority of black people, only lately renounced for reasons of political expediency, is as scientifically inaccurate as it is obnoxious. The great prophet Brigham Young even prescribed the death penalty for interracial marriage.
Reductio ad absurdum
Are any Christian beliefs as daft as Mormonism? I think the answer is probably no, but I do think that the bread and wine question should be put to any Roman Catholic seeking high office. Do you really believe in transubstantiation? Do you literally believe that the wafer becomes the body of Christ and the wine becomes the blood of Christ?
I think that question should have been put to Kennedy. I suspect that if he were honest, he would have said no, to which the reasonable response would then be, then why do you remain Catholic?
For many Americans, the sticking point is whether the candidate keeps his religion separate from his politics. This was the Kennedy defense, and it has a lot going for it. But I actually want to go further.
I'm not an American voter, but if I were, I would want to know that my president has the critical intelligence needed to be a president. Anybody who can't see that Joseph Smith was a charlatan and a liar doesn't have critical intelligence.
I wanted to get to the bottom of what I see as a reluctance among some Americans to question a candidate's private religious beliefs, a reluctance to intrude upon this private matter of religious belief. Shouldn't it be a private matter that we leave to him and don't question? So I invented a hypothetical example.
My extreme reductio ad absurdum was a hypothetical doctor. He was an excellent eye surgeon, brilliant at removing cataracts, repairing detached retinas, all the other things that an eye surgeon should be good at. You couldn't fault him, except for one peculiar fact. He doesn't believe in the sex theory of reproduction.
I published this hypothetical example in two places, richarddawkins.net/, which I recommend to you, and boingboing.net/, which I also recommend to you. I expected that the commenters would at least agree with me in this extreme case. They'd agree with me that this doctor should be struck off, or at least they wouldn't consult him, even if they had an eye problem.
Not a bit of it! I would say most of them, were outraged at my suggestion. So long as he does his job as a doctor, well how dare you criticize his believe in the stork theory!
I offered another example, which was a professor of geography who believes the Earth is flat, but who gives perfectly good lectures based on the assumption of a round Earth. But nevertheless, he privately believes the Earth is flat. I think he should be fired, but many people don't.
Maybe people here wish to argue the case that if religious beliefs or disbeliefs, about the stork theory or whatever, are private, we have no business intruding upon them. I'm offering my alternative view, which is that we don't only want to know what the candidate's policies are, we want to know whether he has the kind of mind that you can trust to take reliable decisions under difficult circumstances.
Thank you very much.
The mission of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (richarddawkins.net/) is to support scientific education, critical thinking and evidence-based understanding of the natural world in the quest to overcome religious fundamentalism, superstition, intolerance and suffering.
[Thanks to Cal Hutson for the excellent transcription.]
Secular group makes a Montana difference - Ian Cameron
Donated by the Eagles in the 1960s, a Ten Commandments monument sat alone in front of the Flathead County Courthouse in Kalispell, Mont., until 2004. Under threat of legal action, other temporary displays were added, and it was rebranded briefly as an "Evolution of Law" display.
Based on that and a 2005 Supreme Court ruling, the threat of a lawsuit was dropped. In 2005, after a private fundraising campaign by a county commissioner and the Eagles, permanent granite monuments replaced the temporary ones (including the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, Magna Carta and the Mayflower Compact).
For some reason (any guesses?), the name of the display was then changed to the "Cornerstones of Law." During renovations in 2011, the entire display was relocated to, and remains in, a little noticed nook behind the courthouse. As seen in the photo, the Ten Commandments monument is considerably larger and sits in the "cornerstone" position.
In early October, the local Eagles group, dissatisfied with the display's current location, asked the city of Kalispell to ask Flathead County to transfer the monuments to the city for placement at Depot Park, a prominent city park.
At that time, one city councilor stated, "[The monument] isn't something we want to hide under a bushel basket." A county commissioner said, "At first blush, I think it is an excellent idea." Even the city attorney chimed in, stating, he had no legal concern at all about moving the monuments to city property.
The Flathead Area Secular Humanist Association quickly responded with "assertive" letters of opposition to the county commissioners, city councilors and major local newspapers, along with organizing an opposition email campaign.
On Oct. 22, the council met to discuss the request. Several people spoke in favor of the transfer. I was the sole public voice of dissent at the meeting, speaking on behalf of FASHA (and the law), emphasizing the city's responsibility to follow the Constitution and to remain neutral when it comes to religion.
Two councilors, while supportive of the request by the Eagles, cited FASHA's opposition letter and legal concerns in deciding against moving forward. Another councilor was strongly opposed, citing the potential for divisiveness in the community.
The mayor, while stating she "believes" in the Ten Commandments, thought the monument should be moved to private land. In the end, the council decided to not pursue the transfer.
This was a huge success for us. Without our opposition, we would likely have had a religious monument in one of our city parks before year's end (and an ensuing legal battle). The city council should be commended, especially given the predominantly conservative community we live in.
We feel fortunate for everyone involved that we were able to address this proactively and will closely monitor city and county meetings in the future to counter any future assaults on the First Amendment.
Montana FFRF member Ian Cameron is founder and administrator of Flathead Area Secular Humanist Association (flatheadsecular.com/).
Teacher, students enlighten public about atheism - Diane Cormican
As a 30-year veteran public school teacher, I often read horrific stories in Freethought Today about church/state violations in our schools. People at freethought meetings and conventions are always citing school proselytizing as a huge problem, and the public schools absorb the blame for everything that is wrong with our society.
In all my years teaching in three states and three different countries, I have seen little of this type of thing from the inside. In defense of the schools, and more importantly, the students, I want to share some good news about what I have experienced.
Part of the middle school enrichment program that I run involves an annual mock trial contest called Law Adventure, sponsored by the New Jersey Bar Foundation. Each year, students are given the choice of two topics and are asked to create and submit a case brief. Winners are invited to perform their cases in front of a judge and jury in the spring.
In the 2012 contest, one of the topics was First Amendment rights violations. One of my seventh-grade teams was intent on making a case involving religious rights in the schools. I swear on The God Delusion that I did not influence them! Much discussion was held about different religions, current cases in the news and how the school community might respond. The students agreed to move forward.
The case, Singh v. Fair Side School, involved Melodie Singh, a high school honors choir soloist, and her very religious choir teacher. When the choir was invited to compete at a national event, the director chose an overtly religious spiritual for them to perform. Melodie, who was to sing the soloist parts, felt that the teacher knew she was an atheist and thus would opt to sit out for a song that contained words such as "I have surrendered my life to Christ."
In an interesting twist, the students had the director, Jay Tempo, show favoritism for students who attended his church. The full case brief can be found at njsbf.org/educators-and-students/programs/7-8-lawadventure.html under "2012 Law Adventure Mock Trial Exercises."
After we were notified that our case had won an honorable mention, we prepared to take it to the next level. This is where we turned it into a script, choosing parts and performing it for the school and community. Students, staff and parents were impressed with our case, the acting and the impressive award.
Many of them had no idea what an atheist was, but knew that Melodie had clearly been wronged. The student jury decided she'd been discriminated against and found in Melodie's favor. I do acknowledge that many church/state violations occur in schools, and I am appalled that my own union came to the defense of the teacher in the case of Matthew LaClair.
Matthew was a high school junior who was harassed in 2006 after secretly recording his history teacher, who was also a Baptist youth pastor, making over-the-top comments, including warning students that by rejecting God, "you belong in hell." The compelling story is detailed in a documentary titled "In God We Teach."
I like to believe that these situations are less common, and I'm grateful that FFRF and other organizations are involved in this litigation. In my experience, most students, teachers and parents are careful and respectful when discussing religious topics and ideas.
Diane Cormican is a middle school enrichment teacher, FFRF member and president of the Lehigh Valley [Pa.] Humanists.
[Editor's note: Diane's other mock trial team placed first in the competition in a product liability case.]
Religion and hospice: A cautionary experience - Susan Fallon McCann
In 1939, Vernon L. "Bill" Bowman (left) joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and for the next two years flew fighter missions with the RCAF and the British Royal Air Force. After America's declaration of war, he transferred to the U.S. Army Air Force and was shot down Aug. 23, 1944, then spent nine months in Stalag Luft 1 prison camp in Barth, Germany.
He's pictured late in life with his son, Vice Admiral Michael Bowman, USN, (center), and grandson, Cmdr. Geoffrey Bowman, USN. The photo when published originally was titled "Three Generations of Fly Boys."
"Can you believe they believe this crap?" whispered my beloved, freethinking father. Unfortunately, my father's "whisper" was in fact a deeply resonant voice that rippled through rows of the Methodist church we were attending with my mother, an immensely sweet and deeply religious woman. Worse still, we were in the second row, my mother's favored position.
The minister had just read a particularly ridiculous bible verse that offended my hearing-impaired but whip-smart dad. The minister looked momentarily startled. My mother looked dismayed. I was both amused and proud of my father, who though in his late 80s, sported a clear, highly intelligent mind.
I happily plunked down the modest amount to become a Lifetime Member of FFRF before this year's convention in Portland began, and felt privileged to shake the hand of Annie Laurie Gaylor as I did so. I also thought, "My father would be proud."
Here's why. In 2005, my dad died of lung cancer that metastasized to the spine, and suffered in needless pain due to the "protocol" of the religiously backed hospice we had unwittingly become involved with during the final six weeks of his life. His experience has become my passion.
Hospice is a caring and compassionate approach to death. But beware, freethinkers, not all hospices are created equal. We were automatically "linked" to this particular hospice at the advice of my father's physician, a kind man and a family friend. Connected to the Missouri hospital where my father resided briefly, it seemed sensible to simply enroll with the recommended hospice when the end was near.
The problems began almost immediately. When the hospice case manager showed up at our home to enroll my father, she said, "Our chaplain will be happy to meet with you," to which he responded, "No preachers." The case manager persisted, "We ask only that he visit one time." My dad's response? "I don't believe you heard me correctly — no preachers or no hospice."
The woman was clearly taken aback, but duly marked the form "no spiritual support requested."
Unfortunately, we found that the hospice workers assigned to my father's case simply could not park their religion at the door. His pain was severe; he was 89 years old and quite pragmatically and emotionally ready to leave this particular veil of tears.
Nonetheless, when he asked, "I know you may not be able to answer this question, but based on my vital signs and the progression of my disease, can you give me a sense of how long I have?" the response was, "When the sweet Lord calls you home."
My father was dismayed. I was furious. I met with the case manager outside our home and said, "If you do not observe my father's wishes, we will find a different hospice."
'I'm not Dr. Kevorkian'
This hospice refused to give my father anything other than liquid morphine to control his pain, when a PCA (patient controlled analgesia) pump was clearly required. Their emphasis was on "keeping the patient conscious so that he can interact with loved ones." I finally insisted that he be admitted to the hospital, where pain doctors immediately installed a pump.
But that's not the end to this sad tale. In the last week of his life, when he had been transferred to a skilled nursing facility where PCA pumps were not allowed, my father asked to be placed in a deep state of unconsciousness, as much as permissible within the law. During overnight vigils, it was clear to me that the hospice organization, still in charge of his care, was not adequately controlling his pain.
I confronted the hospice doctor, who actually said to me, "This is not Oregon and I am not Dr. Kevorkian." My reply? "Unless you follow my father's written and signed wishes, my next call will be to an attorney."
That comment suddenly spurred action that allowed my dad to die pain-free.
After his death, I was on a mission. I contacted the state licensing board in charge of hospice organizations throughout Missouri. I sent a detailed list of the occurrences — ways in which this facility had violated the concepts of the national hospice organization. Their response was swift. They flew a team of auditors to St. Joseph from Jefferson City and carried out an unannounced audit.
They pulled files of three patients (in an attempt to protect the anonymity of the complainant, though I'm sure said complainant was obvious.) The result? The hospice organization was cited on multiple counts and given three months to clean up its act or be closed. (It is still in operation and apparently in accord with national hospice concepts, which I am glad to know.)
One other vital point: I conferred with a doctor of mine who was on the board of Stanford Medical Center in California before taking action. He said to me, "Susan, it is vital that you pursue this case. The Religious Right are having an increasing impact on pain control of dying patients in this country."
My mission now is to warn all who are considering hospice care themselves or on behalf of a loved one to carefully vet all hospice organizations in your area. You must ensure that their approach is medically sound, that they are sufficiently staffed, and, most important, that they are willing to conform to those of us who wish to die without God and also without pain.
My allegiance and respect are absolute for FFRF and its work to keep church and state separate. My decision to join as a Lifetime Member is a great privilege. I hope my experience can help inform and assist other members.
Susan Fallon McCann lives in Fountain Hills, Ariz., where she is a business management and communications professional.


text:
Reports: Aaron Hernandez now being investigated for possible role in 2012 double murder in Boston
Aaron Hernandez, charged Wednesday for the murder of Odin Lloyd on June 17, is also being investigated in connection with a 2012 double murder in Boston, reports said.
The additional Hernandez investigation was first reported by the Fox affiliate in Boston. The Boston Globe, citing two unnamed law enforcement officials, confirmed that Hernandez is being investigated for possible involvement with the unsolved double murder. ABC confirmed that as well.
The Boston Globe said Lloyd may have had information on that double murder, which happened last July 16 when Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado were ambushed in their car at a stop light, shot and killed.
A judge on Thursday denied Hernandez's appeal for bail. He will continue to be held without bail as he awaits trial.
The Globe quoted a law official who said that the motive for killing Lloyd might have been that he had information on Hernandez's involvement in the double murder from last July.
The Globe said investigators believe a fight broke out the night of the double murder between Abreu and Furtado and a group that included Hernandez.
Abreu, Furtado and three others left the club, and were stopped at a light when a "silver or gray SUV with Rhode Island license plates" pulled alongside them, according to the Globe. Abreu and Furtado were shot and killed but the other three men survived.
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|Romance . Drama . Sport
Lucas blows his first Varsity game and decides to quit the team. The wedge between Nathan and Peyton continues to grow after Peyton tires of Nathan's jabs at Lucas. Meanwhile, Keith forces Karen to deal with her feelings for Dan after she refuses to step foot in the high school gym to support her son.
|Episode Title:
|The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most
|2003-09-30 at 08:00 pm
A welcome surprise - an unabashed melodrama that doesn't wink at the audience but doesn't take itself too seriously, either. Every choice it makes, from pacing to photography to music, seems just about right, and the casting is inspired. (I appreciate that it filled its lead roles with two young men who are somewhat credible on the court.) [23 Sept 2003, p.43]Newark Star-Ledger Full Review
The show feels lived-in, making it all the more inviting to dwell there ourselves. [23 Sept 2003, p.B23]Newsday Full Review
A very likable and melancholy drama about high school basketball and patrimony.The New York Times Full Review
This compelling storyline could make the tale of battling basketball brothers a keeper for the WB. [23 Sept 2003, p.E11]Los Angeles Times Full Review
A little overheated, too obvious and too cliche-ridden. But it's still an entertaining yarn. [23 Sept 2003, p.B-1]Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Full Review
A mildly gripping pilot involving half-brothers raised on different sides of the tracks in the same small town. I'm not remotely the target demo here - even the parents in this show, who include Moira Kelly, are younger than I - but I kind of liked it. Especially when it made fun of "Dawson's Creek." [23 Sept 2003, p.38]Philadelphia Daily News Full Review
Weep no more for Dawson's Creek, Felicity or Beverly Hills, 90210. That achy yearning in your soul for a mawkish, trashy, over-the-top, slightly dumb but kinda fun teen soap is about to be filled with One Tree Hill. [23 Sept 2003, p.4E]Miami Herald Full Review
There's nothing inherently bad about contrived plots and interchangeable kissing partners ... The problem is 'One Tree Hill' doesn't always find the line between silly fun and total inanity.Entertainment Weekly Full Review
As trite as it sounds, the series plays it all earnestly enough for its target audience, and the show is beautifully shot in North Carolina, the basketball mecca where the fictional town is set. Even the sports scenes are well staged (in the pilot, anyway) and less schlocky than "The White Shadow" norm, with Lafferty, at least, looking like he's actually got game. [23 Sept 2003, p.13]Variety Full Review
The opening hour is too loaded down with cliched angst to stimulate much more than the libido of its target teen audience. [22 Sept 2003]The Hollywood Reporter Full Review
The most dominating cast member of this attractive show is Corbin -- the delightfully rigid Maurice Minnifield on "Northern Exposure." But coming down court fast for a slam-dunk is Sheffer, who makes an outstanding impression as the only male role model who gives Lucas the love and support he needs in the tough game of life. Daddy Dan is an expletive deleted. [23 Sept 2003, p.E-6]San Diego Union-Tribune Full Review
Quick - which is the one to root for, the one you want to make the basketball team and get the girl? If you don't know, One Tree Hill holds all kinds of possibilities for you. Me, I run from jerks. [23 Sept 2003, p.1]Houston Chronicle Full Review
It's not quite up to the level of "The OC." Not yet anyway. [23 Sept 2003, p.41]Chicago Sun-Times Full Review
Hill is terribly hokey. Half-brother basketball wizards compete for hoops and girls, as their alienated parents battle. The West Wing's Moira Kelly, as mom to the poor boy, is the only actor who shows any scope on the show. [22 Sept 2003, p.C09]Philadelphia Inquirer Full Review
The connection results in many brooding stares, nasty arguments and expert shots. The WB's scheduling the show after Gilmore Girls suggests that programmers believe that girls just want to have fun while boys want a good cry. They won't get it from One Tree Hill. [23 Sept 2003, p.E1]Orlando Sentinel Full Review
Impressive photography and a good-looking cast add up to a drama that is at least pretty to look at. But it doesn't have quite the sizzle of Fox's new teen drama "The O.C.", the new series young viewers seem to be in love with this fall...Maybe, if you're 14, this is epic enough. [23 Sept 2003, p.1E]Baltimore Sun Full Review
Murray is more interesting here than in last season's laughable The Lone Ranger, but the writing... is junior-varsity stuff.People Weekly Full Review
One Tree Hill isn't the worst show you'll see this season, but it may be the most depressingly superfluous. As too often happens with WB shows, Hill reminds you of every other WB show you've ever seen. It's as if the network has done away with original programming and gone straight to scheduling reruns. [23 Sept 2003, p.4D]USA Today Full Review
The young audience for which One Tree Hill is aimed may swallow all this unflinchingly. Yet if they learned anything from "Dawson's Creek," a much better and smarter show, they're more likely to gag. [23 Sept 2003, p.83]New York Daily News Full Review
One Tree Hill needs a lot of work. The characters are painfully one-dimensional, as they fall on either the good or the bad side of the fence. Their actions are predictable based on whether they've been designated as angels or devils. The writers need to humanize them - especially the brothers - by giving them mixed feelings and unexpected lines. Also, some humor please. [23 Sept 2003, p.D14]Boston Globe Full Review
The title of this attempt at teen high drama is one of only several unintentionally comical elements in a series that gets some of the big notes right, but squawks out all of the little ones.[23 Sept 2003, p.C7]Chicago Tribune Full Review
One Tree Hill is more like "One Ill-Conceived Idea" or "One Note Hill." It just sits there, like desperate mush, a recipe for success that is bland and unsatisfying. It's like they came up with the concoction -- teen angst and pouting and brooding and raw emotions and shirtlessness -- then mixed it all together with lumpen writing and overarching themes.San Francisco Chronicle Full Review
In some way or another, this show is trying to be "Everwood," "Dawson's Creek," "Eight Mile" and "Hoosiers" all rolled into one. It would be a whole lot more accessible if it would just try to be One Tree Hill, whatever that is. [23 Sept 2003, p.79]New York Post Full Review
A standard-issue WB teen soap opera about love and basketball that promises to get better because it can't really get much worse...It has no distinguishable stars and worse, for all its dramatic story lines, no real passion. [23 Sept 2003, p.E1]Kansas City Star Full Review
The show is pure hooey. [21 Sept 2003, p.N01]Washington Post Full Review
This behavior might make for a juicy melodrama if the rest of the characters weren't so predictably earnest. In the pilot, the stakes in a one-on-one showdown turn out to be meaningless, making any emotional investment in the outcome worthless. [23 Sept 2003, p.10E]Dallas Morning News Full Review
Say what you want about WB's late teen soap "Dawson's Creek," but even the worst episode was infinitely better than the network's dreadful One Tree Hill. [23 Sept 2003, p.46]Boston Herald Full Review


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The Financial Services Institute kicked off its annual OneVoice conference in San Diego on Monday by touting both its successes in Washington and its more-than-healthy membership growth.
For those traveling to seemingly-always-beautiful San Diego from the cold and snowy northeast and Midwest, just basking in the sun with colleagues and competitors might be enough. Not so for the FSI brain trust. President and CEO Dale Brown and 2013 chairman Larry Roth used their welcome speeches, delivered to a standing-room-only crowd at the Marriott Marquis on Monday afternoon, to encourage more membership support from the attending broker-dealer executives and to warn of the dangers to the BD industry should FSI's advocacy efforts falter.
Brown said the group has made good progress in both membership and advocacy as part of a five-year plan adopted by FSI in 2010. In a clever video presented at the opening session, FSI positioned itself as having had success in forestalling a "Washington money grab" and similar efforts by some key states, such as California, by defending the independent contractor status of IBD reps and keeping 12b-1 fees intact.
Roth claimed 2012 as the "biggest year FSI has ever had" in both its advocacy efforts and membership growth: there are now 100 broker-dealer corporate members and 35,000 individual advisor members of FSI.
Brown called on the attending BD executives to continue to sponsor more advisor members, and asked for their support in FSI's first-ever financial advisor conference, to be held Sept. 9-11 in Washington.
The final registration number for OneVoice 2013 was a record 753 (up from 624 last year), and while some registrants had flight delays or cancellations, you only had to wander through the exhibit hall on the opening night, with its panoply of presidents and CEOs, to see the caliber of the attendees.
OneVoice is not a conference where the executive gods only occasionally come down from Mount Olympus to mingle with the hoi polloi: the hoi polloi at this conference are the decision makers at independent broker-dealers large and small. Not surprisingly, those who already partner with IBDs or would like to cozy up to the IBD community are a major presence as well. As one longtime industry observer mentioned to me in passing on Monday night: "This is the way FSI conferences go: there's a Pershing dinner, and a Fidelity dinner."
Check out complete conference coverage at AdvisorOne's FSI OneVoice 2013 enhanced landing page.


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Circa 1940
An antique flushmounted eight-light aged brass chandelier with frosted hurricane glass shades. The column and the arms are detailed with delicate scrolls. Signed by the New York maker E. F. Caldwell.
Current height: 29-1/2"
Overall: 30" diameter
Can be UL listed for use in dry environments
8 candelabra sockets, maximum 60 watts per socket
1 fixture total available.
On display at our 28th Street showroom.


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The original version of this article and a video interview with Kyle Roberts appears on Look at OKC
Oklahoma City filmmaker Kyle Roberts is proof that when you work hard at what you love, you'll get noticed.
Roberts, 28, owner of Reckless Abandonment Pictures, was selected to participate in the new reality competition series "Viral Video Showdown."
His team's appearance on the show is scheduled to air during a marathon beginning at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday on Syfy. The specific episode featuring Roberts' team will broadcast at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday.
"One of the producers just contacted me. They found my work through different stop motions and music videos and stuff," said Roberts, who is also a NewsOK videographer. "They said, 'We love your work. We'd like you to send an audition tape,' so I had to still go through a process. They didn't just say, 'Come out to L.A.'"
Each episode of "Viral Video Showdown" centers on two viral video creators being given a limited budget and a handful of days to complete a video featuring the same theme. The winner receives $5,000.
Although Roberts is a Missouri native, he has lived in Oklahoma since earning a double major in broadcast journalism and corporate media at Oklahoma Christian University.
His team for "Viral Video Showdown" is named after his production company and includes about 18 crew members, all from Oklahoma. Three of his fellow crew members – editor Hal Gatewood, production assistant Jason Oser, and writer/actor Lucas Ross – also are OC alumni.
"It was a big challenge, but I think we did a good job," Roberts said. "The fact that we had five days to do this … we incorporated live action and stop motion and fights and not superhero stuff, but video game stuff ... and it was (an) all-Oklahoma based crew. It was awesome. I think everyone's going to enjoy it."
Roberts' specialties are stop-motion animation and music videos, including an approximate one-minute re-creation of the 1987 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" cartoon introduction, complete with action figures that took three months to film. Stop-motion animation is a film technique where a series of still photos are taken that when combined make static objects appear as if they were moving.
He has just started directing the independent movie "Posthuman," which is expected to be released online next spring as a web series in eight to 12 segments.
"Posthuman," written by The Oklahoman's Features Editor Matt Price and DC Comics writer Sterling Gates, is a mix of the styles of two of Roberts' favorite filmmakers – John Hughes and J.J. Abrams.
Oklahomans have shown support for Roberts' filmmaking in the state.
"The biggest pro is just that everyone gets so excited, which is awesome," Roberts said. "And they should be. We're doing cool stuff. But that's probably the biggest pro of pro-Oklahoma filmmaking is you tell someone you're doing a movie of any kind, and then you tell them you're doing a teen superhero movie or whatever, and they get so passionate about it.
"Things that could cost two or three thousand dollars for a space rental for that night is either free or like maybe 500 bucks tops," he added.
As far as professional goals go, doing what he's passionate about is at the top.
"I've just been kind of making videos and doing what I love, and then I started getting a bunch of attention and quickly realized it's not just my friends watching this; it's people all over the world. And, it's like, 'OK, maybe we've got something here.'
"I don't do statistics on my personal YouTube account and figure out 'OK, this is trending, I got to do that.' I just do what I really want to do."
For more information, go to www.ra-pictures.com and www.syfy.com/viralvideoshowdown.
By Melissa Hayer
Copyright 2012, The Oklahoman


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libjmmcg is a basic, low-level library with pretensions to implementing features above and beyond (but not necessarily better than!) those implemented within the Standard C++ Library and the Boost Library. It features a library for multi-core or multi-chip SMP parallelism, a suite of hashing algorithms, functions for raising numbers to integer powers, a generic factory wrapper and a generic, multi-threaded, read-only cache (which uses PPD), arguably the world's worst sorting technique, trace output, exceptions that have the file, line, revision, function, and argument details, string utilities, logging, simple command line processing, and much more.
Galera wsrep provider is a dlopenable generic replication library which implements the wsrep provider API. It provides very efficient synchronous replication, and multi-master and "parallel applying" capabilities for opaque data buffers. Its primary focus is data consistency. A transaction is either committed on every node, or not at all. It works anywhere TCP works, including on WAN, and can utilize UDP multicast where available. It is used by the MySQL-wsrep patch project to create true multi-master MySQL/InnoDB clusters.
ReplicaNet is an object oriented C++ library for developers of applications that require a stable and low maintenance middleware solution to networking. Any project that is designed to use a network of machines, such as multiplayer computer games, need to very carefully consider how to approach the design problems associated with networking. It includes support for binary difference patch creation and delivery, backend availability and TitleID verification, Internet CD/license key verification, NAT detection, advertising and querying of sessions, user accounts, friends lists, game invites, chat rooms, persistent data storage, and statistics and ranking.
ZXTune is a set of portable cross-platform applications (GUI/CLI) intended to play chiptunes. It features advanced ripping possibilities that let you search for music in big data sets. Supported ZX Spectrum chiptunes formats include AY, AS0/ASC, FTC, GTR, PSC, PSG, PSM, PT1, PT2, PT3, SQT, ST1, ST3, STC, STP, TXT, TurboSound, VTX, YM, CHI, DMM, DST, PDT, SQD, STR, TF0/TFE, TFC, TFD, and COP. The Commodore64 SID format is supported. Supported PC chiptunes formats include 669, AMF, DMF, FAR, FNK, GDM, IMF, IT, LIQ, PSM, MDL, MTM, PTM, RTM, S3M, STIM, STM, STX, ULT, XM. Supported Amiga chiptune formats include DBM, EMOD, MOD, MTN, IMS, MED, OKT, PT36, SFX. Supported Atari chiptune formats include DTM, GTK, TCB. The Acorn chiptune format DTT is supported. Supported compressed formats include CHARPRES, CC3, CC4, CC4PLUS, DSQ, ESV, GAM, GAMPLUS, HRUM, HRUST1, HRUST2, LZH1, LZH2, LZS, MSP, PACK2, PCD61, PCD62, TLZ, TLZP, TRUSH. Supported archived/container formats include FDI, HOBETA, HRIP, LHA, RAW, SCL, TD0, TRD, ZXZIP, ZIP, RAR, SNA128, and Z80.
Crack is a programming language that aims to provide the ease of development of a scripting language with the performance of a compiled language. The "crack" program is a "script executor" that compiles source to machine code on the fly, though it will cache the code to intermediate formats as appropriate. The crack language itself derives concepts from C++, Java, and Python, incorporating object-oriented programming, operator overloading, and strong typing.
nedtries is a portable in-place bitwise binary Fredkin trie algorithm that allows for near constant time insertions, deletions, finds, closest fit finds, and iteration. It is approximately 50-100% faster than red-black trees and up to 20% faster than O(1) hash tables. It provides implementations as C macros, C++ templates, and as a C++ STL compatible associative container.


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As a principal in an advisory firm, I can't underscore the importance of striking the right balance between stability and continued growth, especially in a market where the times are always changing. While your business model must adapt with the sea-change, what should never change is your disciplined focus on hiring the right people for your team. True success— the rock-solid kind that is sustainable over the long-term—is anchored by having a team of efficient self-starters who holistically share your vision of success and of the firm's future.
Finding and hiring the right people is step one. Once they're on board, it's critical that you help foster and promote a culture of open communication and empowerment that rewards them to take the initiative and generate ideas. A timeless principle, this next step should extend beyond your inner circle, management team and even advisors. Everyone from client service reps to office managers and executive assistants contribute to the firm's health, and they should be encouraged to participate in exercises that help develop key leadership characteristics that benefit both the individual and the firm.
You may be the captain of the ship, but you don't have to navigate the seas alone. Here are a few strategies that I've used in my practice that have proven to be highly effective in building a stronger team:
Strategy 1: Build an Internal Mentoring Program
Pair up senior advisors with junior advisors, and team leads or veteran employees with newer members. Give the program some structure—quarterly check-ins, shadowing exercises, goal planning—and make mentoring part of your employees' personal growth plans. One plus one will yield three in this scenario.
Strategy 2: Start a Leadership Book Club
Create a 6-month program where every 30 days, a rotating team lead or senior advisor facilitates the discussion of a different book on building leadership. In my firm I chose the books personally and the discussion topics included how the book related to our firm, the takeaways that could be applied to the business, and asking what participants would personally implement. Everyone should be encouraged to attend these sessions.
Strategy 3: Encourage Volunteer Opportunities
Profit paired with purpose that extends outside the self is a powerful combination. Volunteering to help your community is also a great team-building exercise, but don't forget to recognize individual efforts. A firm-wide event that our entire company participated in included packing groceries for a local charity. We appointed a small steering committee (which is another leadership training opportunity) to manage everything from planning to finances to materials. The effect on the entire team was a rewarding one, and it displayed the skills of some very capable team members.
Strategy 4: Schedule an Offsite Company Retreat
While an offsite retreat may involve a larger amount of time and resources to manage, the rewards are immeasurable. In my firm, we hold both a New Year kickoff event in January as well as a mid-year event in July. An offsite location allows everyone to "unplug" from the day-to-day and think strategically about the firm's future plans. We typically bring in a facilitator to help the team discuss what we want to accomplish in the short term and share ideas about the long term. This event is a great opportunity to unite the team, help them better understand each other and exchange ideas in a constructive environment.
Fostering leadership skills is rooted in practicing the fundamentals of leadership. You'll find that these practical exercises, however big or small you choose to make them, will help build a culture of open communication, collegialit, and inclusion that keeps employees motivated and the firm running smoothly.
As I have often said, culture trumps strategy every time.


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ThunderBayDirect.info franchise notice in Thunder Bay, Ontario
Franchise Notice
ThunderBayDirect.info Franchise Notice
This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a "franchise" or "business opportunity". It is for information purposes only. There are approximately 15 states in the USA and 14 countries that regulate the offer and sale of franchises. The states are California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. The following countries, have laws or regulations governing the offer or sale of franchises, including Australia, Brazil, Canada (provinces of Alberta and Ontario), China, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain and the United States of America (USA) (federal law). In all states in the USA, federal law requires pre-sale disclosure of franchises. If you are a resident of one of these states or countries, are receiving this message in the USA or the other countries listed above, or intend to operate a franchise or business opportunity in the USA or these countries, we will not offer you a franchise or business opportunity unless and until we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and/or disclosure requirements in the applicable jurisdiction.
This advertisement is not an offering of a franchise. In New York (USA), an offering of a franchise can only be made by a prospectus that has been previously filed and registered with the department of law of the State of New York. The application for registration of an offering prospectus or the acceptance and filing thereof by the department of law as required by the New York law does not constitute approval of the offering or the sale of such franchise by the department of law or the attorney general of New York. No offer of a franchise by us to you will be binding on us, and no franchise will be granted by us to you, until both: (a) all conditions precedent to its offer and acceptance have been fully satisfied by you and us; and (b) we have delivered to you a fully executed ThunderBayDirect.info franchise agreement signed by a company executive. Any action you take, or expenditures you make prior to your receipt of a fully executed franchise agreement (and our notification to you that all conditions precedent to its execution have been met), are at your own risk. All other products and company names are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks an/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.


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* Gourmet natural food for all marine (flakes and pellets for marine) and freshwater tropical fish (flakes only for freshwater)
* Significantly improves coloration and vitality
* Boosts the immune system and aids in disease resistance
From the makers of the world's best frozen foods, this fresh seafood and algae mix is a gourmet natural food for all freshwater and marine tropical fish. Developed by aquaculture biologists, Formula Flake & Pellet Foods boost coloration and vitality in fish PLUS immune system health for disease resistance. Formula One Flakes are an excellent choice for Clownfish and most other marine and freshwater tropical fish. Formula One Small Pellets are ideal for feeding smaller marine fish from one inch long and Medium Pellets for feeding fish four inches long or more.
(manufacturer's description)


text:
Carbon Neutral
Free Shipping
No minimum purchase. First time buyers only. Click here to activate.
Proper digestion of food has a huge impact on every aspect of an animal's health. Probiotics play an important role in supporting digestive health by supplying the "good" bacteria, also known as microflora, that keep the digestive system running smoothly by aiding digestion and processing waste. An imbalanced or inappropriate diet or prolonged use of antibiotics can damage the balance of healthy microflora in the digestive tract leading to chronic health problems such as the overgrowth of potential pathogens, including Candida albicans (also called yeast). This can lead to inflammation, impaired tissue function and a variety of systemic effects.
Probiotic Pearls with patented True Delivery Technology protect the Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum from stomach acids, and guarantee delivery into the intestine, where they are released intact to increase healthy intestinal flora. Unlike other enteric-coated products which offer no on-shelf protection (and only minimal protection against stomach acids), patented True Delivery Technology protects the microflora in Probiotic Pearls from shelf conditions like air and light. Studies show patented Probiotic Pearls deliver up to 900% more intact microflora to the intestine in relation to label claim than 4 leading competitors, including those with enteric coatings.
Available in 30 Capsules
Review Rating: 4.5
Country of Origin: USA
Manufacturer: Integrative Therapeutics
Shipping Weight: 0.04
IngredientsProprietary Probiotic Blend - 1 billion CFU
Other Ingredients - vegetable oil (palm and coconut), gelatin, vegetable glycerin, soy lecithin, and pectin
This product contains ingredients of animal origin; color variations are normal.
Please Note: This is a human supplement, not one designed specifically for pets; however, it is completely safe and effective for use on your pet. Our holistic veterinarian has reviewed and recommended the following usage instructions:
Dosage Instructions
Dogs above 50 pounds - one pearl daily. May be given with or without food. Do not crush.
Please Note - Probiotic Pearls are best for dogs 50 pounds and over. For cats and smaller dogs please see Integrative Therapeutics Spectra Probiotic with Cofactors.
The reviews below are presented for informational purposes only and are not intended as an endorsement of any product. The information is not intended to be a substitute for visits to your local veterinarian. Instead, these testimonials offer the reader information and opinions written by pet owners and/or veterinarians concerning animal health and products that they have used.
(based on 6 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
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Highly Recommend
By Laurie
from Phoenix, AZ
About Me Long-time Pet Owner
Comments about Integrative Therapeutics Probiotic Pearls:
My 10 1/2 yr. old GSD was diagnosed with colitis at an early age. His stomach would make loud, weird noises and he has always had very soft stools. In the short time using the probiotic pearls I have already noticed a positive change in his stomach issues. Previously I have him on 4 large capsules daily - which he did not tolerate well. These tiny pearls, once a day have been an answer to my prayers!
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
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(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)
Easy to use.
By Stray cat
from Florida
My older dog has a cystic mass near spleen and liver. She seemed to have a lot of loose stools. The vet gave her a probiotic and when that ran out I got these pearls and they seem to help her along with a carefully planned diet. She and my other dog weigh around 50 lbs.so the pearls are perfect for them.
(2 of 3 customers found this review helpful)
I would buy this product again and again
By Lil Bit
from Virginia
About Me New Pet Owner
I have been in and out of the vet since I got my dog about a year and a half ago and spend thousands on treatments that were not effective for bathroom problems. I started using Probiotic Pearls and it has changed the well being of my dog (no bathroom problems). I give it to my dog daily wrap in a small piece of cheese and we are all much happier.
Probotic Pearls
By Momma to Koi
from Orange County, CA
I have a Siberian Huskey that has a sensitive stomach which in turns makes for loose stools. He does get into all sorts of natural evironmental objects outside ie: sticks,plants, trees and if not careful swallowing the smaller puppies rawhide in full as he is a chewer. I find that since giving this to him he has fewer irritations,formed stools and less likely to turn his away from his food. Good product. This product is intended dogs of a specific weight only as noted on the box.
(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)
Most valuable Pearls I have ever bought
By Mumma
from Anytown, USA
In 2007 I watched my Alaskan Malamute go from 120# of energy to a 64# depressed dog. Turns out he has EPI, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Even with the proper enzyme medication there are still bouts of very bad diarrhea. This caused bleeding in the intestines from the bad bacteria. Our vet suggested Organic, Unpasturized yogurt (try to find that.) Since starting Probiotic Pearls we have not had another incidence of bloody stool.
This appears to be the answer.
Dante, my Malamute/Husky was diagnosed with EPI in January. Basically his pancreas no longer works. He is on enzyme therapy to treat this condition. But, a side effect is the overgrowth of BAD intestinal bacteria. After antibiotics did not work the Vet suggested natural, organic yogurt. This was okay but did not produce the results I was looking for. So far the Probiotic Pearls are doing the trick.
Only Natural Pet LLC - All Rights Reserved


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Contact dermatitis is a physiological reaction that occurs after skin comes in contact with certain substances. Irritants to the skin cause the vast majority of these reactions. The remaining reactions are caused by allergens, which trigger an allergic response.
Adults are most commonly affected by allergic contact dermatitis, but it can affect persons of all ages.
The most common causes of irritants to children include the following:
Plants, as well as metals, cosmetics, and medications may also cause contact dermatitis:
The following are some of the other symptoms associated with contact dermatitis. However, each child may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
The most severe reaction is at the contact site. The symptoms of contact dermatitis may resemble other skin conditions. Always consult your child's doctor for a diagnosis.
Specific treatment for contact dermatitis will be determined by your child's doctor based on:
The best treatment is to identify and avoid the substances that may have caused the allergic contact dermatitis. The following is recommended by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology for mild to moderate reactions:
Click here to view the
Online Resources of Pediatrics


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The Nike Lunarglide+ 5 Running Shoes are most appreciated for their unmatched perfect-fitting upper. These shoes have been built so that foot comfort and feel are number one on the tops of feet and throughout, resulting in an easier and smoother stride.
The evolved Flywire technology is what makes the top of the feet feel like they have a frictionless fit, while also remaining lightweight. The heel clip also provides foothold by giving that area of the foot support every time the heel hits the ground.
The Lunarlon cushioning system and Dynamic Support platform also provide for a better stride by creating a springy response that is provided by the plush foam, which is 30% lighter than traditional Phylon foam. This innovative shoe will provide for a comfortable stride, supported feet, and works to reduce painful trigger points. Enjoy a smooth run.