Carnivalia and and open thread

Interview with an Arab atheist - Does Islam drive its youth away?

Strib author interview:
Kids don't need religion to be good, writer says

On the topic of carnivals, mind if I throw in a bump for the third Humanist Symposium?

Not at all. You know, I've got my email all set up to sort out carnival announcements for me and toss them into a tidy little folder that I open up at the end of the week, and use to put together these quick lists. Put me on your mailing list!

On mirror neurons, mind-field and Deepak Chopra.

Anyone interested in taking it on, here's the links:

http://www.intentblog.com/archives/2007/06/the_mind_outsid_3.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deepak-chopra

(Mind outside the Brain Part 1 -4)

I nearly sprained my brain over Egnor's latest, so I'm not sure I'm up for Chopra quite yet.

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/11146.html

Got that? A GOP lawmaker quietly gave a ministry some ships for secular work (medical assistance). The ministry sold the ships and made nearly a half-million dollars (on cop shows, they call this "flipping" property). The government didn't know about any of this -- under the faith-based initiative, there's no accountability, audits, or follow-through after the earmark goes through. Religious groups get all the benefits and none of the strings. The government just assumes ministries are doing good work and deserve the unchecked earmarks.

Cephalopod sex alert! Giant cuttlefish are having a big, colorful, and slightly awkward orgy off the coast of Australia right now. With video.

Breaking news: string theory is, in fact, falsifiable!

Arrrg, she's up and runnin, she is. Tangled Bank # 82, I'm speeken of, of course.