Another reason to encrypt your email.

Don't believe movie reviews. Especially if they're written by Earl Dittman.

Keith Devlin takes a shot at saying how we should teach math.

Steven Pinker discusses The Selfish Gene 30 years later.

Very disturbing news from France.

Phyllis Chesler:

I feel called upon to explain how many feminists — who should be the first among freedom- and democracy-loving people — have instead become cowardly herd animals and grim totalitarian thinkers.

It's worth reading.

Subverting tyranny by translating into Arabic.

The "broken windows" theory of law enforcement: maybe it works, maybe it doesn't.

Cardinal Roger Mahony suggests civil disobedience; he says Catholics should ignore a proposed federal law that would make it a crime for churches to offer aid to illegal immigrants. Here in Colorado, Arthur Tafoya agrees.

This is an impressive move. In the tradition of the best civil disobedience, it forces opponents to play the role of the bad guy; it's hard to oppose charity without taking an us-vs-them attitude:

Ira Mehlman, of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said Mahony isn't considering the costs of illegal immigration on low-wage American workers, local governments, public schools and the health care system.

Though the LA Times suggests the Catholic Church doesn't have the moral authority to pull this off in the wake of sex abuse scandals, I think this kind of action earns respect. And reminds us that the Church is not a national institution.

China's approaching problem: "Too few wenches."

Building space ships for fun and, more importantly, profit.

I'd like to see these results on the "spirituality" of university faculty compared with the results for the general population.

Don't worry so much about your weight.

Samuel Alito sends a form-letter thank you to James Dobson, and Max Blumenthal and Andrew Sullivan see a pact written in blood, a solemn vow to make the United States into a theocracy.

So James Dobson isn't my favorite person. But read the letter; I've read math papers that have more warmth.

Of course Salman Rushdie supports free speech. This interesting LA Times piece also approaches the issue from a different angle.

Patriarchy is inevitable. Running out of oil isn't.

Today is Ash Wednesday.