Café Philos: an internet café

What's been going on around the net this past week? Here are my picks for some interesting posts:

Farideh at "Informed Comment" has a post up on the Iranian reaction to Washington's recent threats. His post is more comprehensive and detailed than anything I've seen in the mega-media.

Time and again, Glenn Greenwald has written knowledgeably about how out of touch the mega-media and the right wing noise machine are with the American people these days. Here, he posts a scathing article on the clear divide between what the buffoons and the people are thinking about the recent testimony of General Petraeus.

Mahendra argues "Poverty is not the root cause of terrorism" here. The commentary on his post is hugely insightful and informed -- not to mention lively.

Bora briefly reports some recent news on the FOXP2 gene here. The FOXP2 gene is sometimes called the "language gene" for the role it plays in human speech. For instance, a mutation to the gene prevents people from forming grammatically correct sentences.

Popular Mechanics recently published an article, "25 Things Every Man Should Know". Decrepit Old Fool insightfully critiques their list here and offers some wise suggestions of his own.

Susan at "Hug the Monkey" discusses a recent study that found breaking up is not as hard as one might expect. She points out some glaring weaknesses in the study here. Susan, by the way, has written a book to be published next Spring on the neurochemistry of oxytocin and it's role in relationships, trust and love. I'm looking forward to it.

Ordinary Girl thoughtfully reviews Gore Vidal's Julian here, a novel about the last Pagan emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Her review focuses on the religious issues raised in the novel, which are perennial.

Anyone interested in a good laugh at the expense of the lunatic Religious Right should read Ed's post here. The subject is the separation of church and state.

Chanson discusses the new atheist movement here. Her discussion raises the issue of the best way for today's atheists to make themselves known and respected. Should they adopt the allegedly aggressive tactics of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and others -- or should they take a more conciliatory approach?

Webs points out that "war has always been a part of our culture" and calls for a Department of Peace to balance the Department of Defense here. Whether such a department is feasible or not, his point is well made that more must be done to avoid wars.

Trinifar looks at the sources of US population growth here, and calls for publicly discussing the impact of immigration on a sustainable future.

Amuirin writes in three parts about her relationship with the extremely abusive father of her daughter beginning here. In trying to come to grips with the abuse, she combines excellent, often poetic, prose with extraordinary self-insight.

Eric discusses the evolution of menopause here, and provides compelling evidence that grandmothers, in traditional societies, have a decisive effect on the chances their grandchildren will survive to adulthood.

I am often amazed at how many people on the net possess superior photography talents and skills. Robin is one such person. On her blog she often combines an excellent photograph with a thought-provoking quote, as she does here.

Oemar has put up a very good selection of cartoons from Ajit Ninan here.

Enreal posts a very well crafted, thought-provoking and inspirational poem here.

Nita expertly analyzes the causes of malnutrition in India here.

Ass of Steel has put up a very thoughtful post on where morality comes from here.