A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do something really cool: record an audiobook for I Sold My Soul on eBay. I know: it’s five years after the fact… but whatever 🙂 I went to a sound studio on two separate occasions to recite the whole thing from start to finish. It marked the first time since before the book came out in 2007 that I actually read through the whole thing. It was a weird experience…. Read more
Mark Oppenheimer of the New York Times has the story of a psychic who is finally admitting that he was faking it all along. The subject, Mark Edward (no relation to John Edward), has written a new book — with a foreword by James Randi — titled Psychic Blues: Confessions of a Conflicted Medium. In his messy yet fascinating new book… Mr. Edward, 61, comes clean about the tricks that he has used to dupe people since he began working… Read more
A billboard featuring President Obama and a Biblical reference is getting investigated by the Secret Service: Milton Neitsch, Jr. of Victoria, Texas put up a billboard (in accusatory “Arabic”-y font) saying “Pray for Obama” and “Psalms 109:8” because the verse in question says this: Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Neitsch must have been thinking: Let’s make Obama a one-term president! (Also, he’s a secret Muslim!) What Neitsch didn’t pick up on was how the… Read more
In the Los Angeles Review of Books, Laurie Winer has an incredible #longread piece documenting both the history of the Mormon Church and Mitt Romney’s reluctance to talk about it at all. No doubt, Republicans will want to denounce this piece as some sort of attack on his faith. It’s not. It’s an honest telling of the story of Joseph Smith that’s easy to read; it’s hard to believe how anyone could take it seriously. If you’re offended by what… Read more
Today, there’s a new face on Patheos, a firebrand to oppose the friendly, an angry atheist who terrifies everyone in sight. What I’m saying is, today JT Eberhard joined Patheos. You might know him for his karaoke skills. Or perhaps you know of him from his snazzy website. Maybe you’ve seen him on a bumper sticker? Or perhaps you’ve heard of his blog, WWJTD? JT, who, until recently, worked as the High School Coordinator for the Secular Student Alliance, left… Read more
Over the last couple of weeks, we have found The Line that even conservative conservatives won’t cross. When Todd Akin tried to explain Female Anatomy for Psychopaths, a fair chunk of his own party was all “Dude… cool it!” There are some things that you really just shouldn’t try to defend or justify. Another one of those Lines that you shouldn’t cross? Raping kids. You really shouldn’t try to spin that. Apparently Bill Donohue (head of the Catholic League) did not get… Read more
Robby Bensinger offers a few helpful suggestions for the Atheism+ crowd, as it grows out of its infancy, because he wants to see it succeed. A brief glimpse into his suggestions are below but I’d encourage you to read his full post here. 1. Define Yourselves. It isn’t always crazy to let a term’s usage evolve naturally out of people’s amorphous intuitions. But in an already acrimonious environment, it’s asking for trouble. People listen most to those they agree with;… Read more
