News – What Power of Prayer?

General

The biggest study into the effectiveness of prayer show that it doesn’t help people. Those who were knowingly prayed for by others tended to get more complications and those who were unknowingly prayed for showed no better recovery and also got more major complications than those who were not prayed for. So, if I ever grow ill, you need not pray for me. I’ll be fine.

Of course, now that the results are showing such abysmal numbers, the conductors of the study are doing their best to sweep it under the ring. But of course, such valuable information could hardly be kept from the people. The study “cannot address a large number of religious questions, such as whether God exists, whether God answers intercessory prayers, or whether prayers from one religious group work in the same way as prayers from other groups,” the authors shrug.

I agree with the writer of the article. Bull. He even lists some reasons why the numbers are so sucky. Some of them are interesting, others amusing.

If you live in an area with bird flu, keep your kitty indoors. They’re susceptible to the virus.

The Blogs look at Saddam’s second set of charges, the attempt at universal medial care in Massachusetts and Katie Couric’s move to CBS.

Middle East

Israeli security forces have detained a member of the new Hamas-led government. One Khaled Abu Arafa, who is minister of state for Jerusalem Affairs. Apparently, he was detained at a checkpoint because he’s a resident of Arab East Jerusalem and as such is not allowed to enter areas of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority. Just.. words do not express the lunacy of this whole situation, as both sides continue to blithely dig themselves deeper and deeper into a pit that may well end up being their collective graves at this rate.

Attallah Abu al-Sibbah, the new minister of Culture for Palestine seems to want to show that Hamas is not the Taliban. I encourage him to do his best, we could use less Taliban impersonators.

Iraq is, in many ways, disintegrating according to some reports, and there seems little anyone can or will do to stop it.

Europe

Italy boasts of defeating a terror attack against their country. Though the spokesman isn’t sure which of two targets they were trying to hit.. does that sound not quite right to anyone but me?

North America

The House votes to crack down on political advocacy groups. Personally, I think they need to do much more to clean up the electoral process. It is my belief that the money should be removed from the process entirely. Give every candidate who meets the criteria a select web presence, a select amount of TV and radio time and let them pimp their merits on an even field, without the corrupt pall of monetary war chests to prop up weak platforms with stacks of green and hours of wasted TV time.

The argument that we don’t need an immigration reform bill.

Condi defends the US/India nuclear deal as a positive thing, but admits that the deal turns thiry years of US policy on its ear. It might do good in the short term, but screwing our own treaties and deals could come back to bite us in the future.

A report on how the drug industry does all it can to keep you from getting lower prices on meds.

Come have a look at this year’s pork. Then go call Bush to ask him where his fiscal conservatism is.

BP is getting criminally investigated over its management of the pipelines in Alaska’s North Slope.

Who should we be scared of next? Islamic militants in Europe, apparently.

Now that the green market is becoming more mainstream, automakers are starting to work on pimping out hybrids to make them more agreeable to customers. Just goes to show how much the automakers can do once they realize there’s a market for something besides the same old.

Is Bush’s approval rating an economic indicator? Oddly, stocks seem to do better when he’s foundering in the polls.

Amusements

Neurotically Yours: Kosher Crackers

Mark Fiore: Migraphobia

Three teenage goths with Satanic symbols painted on their face run into a church service and start yelling profanities at the congregation. What could possibly go wrong?

Police ask man to please not do his laundry naked, particularly if the washing machine is outside

Gold teef not stupid-looking enough for you? Bling industry to the rescue

South African politician admits he had lots of sex with HIV-positive women, but he’s okay because he always took a shower right away to wash off the AIDS

Sixteen-year-old accompanies her 22-year-old boyfriend to his probation hearing — while carrying pot and cocaine

While driving drunk, Joseph got lost. So he decides to ask two police officers for directions. Hilarity erupts

FCC releases some Super Bowl complaints from this year. Basically any adfeaturing attractive women got panned by the “concerned families” that complained

Okay: CNN posts mugshot of DHS pervert. Bad: The mugshot was lifted from political blog TPMmuckraker without attribution. Fark: The picture on CNN’s page includes the blog’s logo

This week’s art mistaken as garbage brought to you from Columbia South Carolina (pic)

12:38 p.m. A man at the 3100 block of West Fifth Avenue said someone had come into his house on Saturday and shaved his dog

U.S. Navy ship returns to port with 61,000 pounds of cocaine

State legislature considering bill cutting property taxes for Bible theme parks. Disney rushes to place cross on top of Cinderella’s Castle

Fark Photoshop Challenge: “American Inventor” rejected inventions.

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Theme: The war between cats and dogs gets out of hand

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop what you would do with your very own New Orleans school bus