Welcome to Heather’s Homilies
America Hates its Best Citizens: Atheists
Most mornings, the first thing I do is read my favourite website: Jerry Coyne’s Why Evolution is True, named for his book of the same name. It’s still the day before in Chicago, where Professor Jerry Coyne usually writes from. So, when I wake up a there are already a...
Reza Aslan Pontificates: Atheism is an Ideology and New Atheists are Violent
Reza Aslan’s latest Salon article worries me. Not just because of the content – that’s the same as always and like Jerry Coyne at Why Evolution is True, I’m getting a bit tired of it. What worries me is that I’m starting to recognize his style. I haven't actually read...
Chris Hemsworth: Sexiest Man Alive – Evolved!
People magazine has announced it's sexiest man alive for 2014, and it's Chris Hemsworth, aka Thor. There's no doubt the bloke is gorgeous. I'm assuming this photo is retouched, but I'm sure I'd still enjoy the view in real life. Now, this double-standard I'm...
The Roman Catholic Church Loses the Plot in Kenya
Warning: There is a distressing image in this article of a newborn with tetanus. The Roman Catholic Church is responsible for the agony and death of millions of those infected with HIV/AIDS in Africa because they forbade their adherents from using condoms. As is so...
DAESH, ISIL, ISIS, IS: What’s in a Name?
DAESH, ISIL, ISIS, IS: What’s in a Name? Surely a terrorist group, by any name, would smell as rotten? (Sorry Shakespeare, but we even have roses that don’t smell at all these days!) I came to the decision a few weeks ago to use the acronym DAESH when referring to the...
The GOP Wins Big but Reince Preibus Fails
On Tuesday the US Republican party had several big wins in their country’s mid-term elections. As a result, they took control of the Senate and increased their majority in Congress. Thus the only branch of government in Democratic hands is the presidency. (Mostly,...
Election Day in the US of A
It seems the American federal government is constantly in electioneering mode. The latest one comes to an end today, with the likely result that the Republican party will retain control of Congress and gain control of the Senate. As usual in the sixth year of a US...
How Reza Aslan Damages the Discourse
One of the journalists I most admire is Christiane Amanpour. I never miss her show Amanpour on CNN International if I can help it. On 21 October though she disappointed me - she fell into the trap many liberal Americans do (and New Zealanders too, as I’ve written...
Is the GOP’s War on Women Real?
Anyone speaking English (or American!) on Twitter will have seen tweets, especially around election time, of the US Democratic Party accusing the US Republican Party of waging a War on Women. The phrase is so common it’s become capitalized. So is it a fair accusation?...
Stopping FGM in Egypt
Orla Guerin of the BBC, a reporter I admire greatly, today presented this report about FGM in Egypt. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a way to embed it into this article, but I urge you to go to the link and watch it. It's only 2:49 long. In the report Guerin...
Islamophobia-phobia in New Zealand
Islamophobia-phobia is the fear of appearing to be Islamophobic. I have to give credit to author and television personality Greg Gutfeld (Fox News’s The Five, Red Eye) for the term. The Five is a guilty pleasure of mine, and it was while watching this show that I...
It’s Not the Facts, It’s How you Present Them: The Reza Aslan Tactic
In his self-appointed role as an apologist for Islam, Reza Aslan is determined to prove that the religion is a wholly benign influence. His position is that Islam itself should not be blamed for the negative attitudes and behaviours of its adherents. This is an...