HPV Vaccine Is Credited in Fall of Teenage Girl’s Infection Rate

Great NY Times article on how this vaccine is rapidly dropping infection rates in teenage girls. 

Except of course the numbers won't look so good among girls in religiously conservative households - these parents believe the vaccine promotes sex before marriage so they won't vaccinate their girls.  I think Christopher Hitchins put it best - religion poisons everything.

Earlier today I also saw a NYT article about HIV infection rates in the deep south.  Much higher than anywhere else in the country. I'm guessing the deep south state governments and cities are not supportive of programs that would reduce infection rates.

Hitchins was right - religion poisons everything.

How to Anger Catholics

Washington Post

A Wonderful Quote

Ingersoll was asked by a reporter from Kansas City if he enjoyed lecturing. Ingersoll replied, "Of course I enjoy lecturing. It's great pleasure to drive the fiend of fear out of the hearts of men women and children. It is a positive joy to put out the fires of hell".

Robert Ingersoll

Brilliant words not written today by the new atheists but rather written in the late 1800s by the brilliant Robert Ingersoll. He really irritated the clergy.

Religion & Mississippi

A new bill in the Mississippi state legislature forbids condom demonstrations in sex-ed classes.  And this state has:

• the highest rate of teen mothers
• the highest rate of young adult HIV
• the distinction of being the most religious state in the US

But remember - religion makes the world a better place right?

Leaving Religion

Or more precisely, leaving Islam.

Kimberly Winston at Religion News Service wrote a riveting story about a young woman in America leaving, no, running away from her family because her uncle said he would "honor kill" her (again, in America) if she didn't agree to an arranged marriage.  The woman (her real identity is secret to protect her from - her family) had doubts about her religion at an early age and is now an atheist.  This is a story about bravery and guts - and I recommend it.  It's interesting to note that Christianity was guilty of similar crimes (burning people alive to "save" them) centuries ago.  Indeed, I would have been killed for writing this blog.

Marriage

The fact that you can't sell your daughter 

for three goats and a cow means

we have already redefined marriage.