Debunker Faces Arrest for Debunking Watery Jesus

(This story dates back to March of this year.) Debunker and member of the Indian Rationalist Association Sanal Edamaruku faces arrest for his participation in doing what skeptibunkies do. He says he explained/exposed the watery seeping Jesus in Our Lady of Velankanni Church, in Mumbai.

India has laws against insulting religions and  "...deliberately hurting religious feelings and attempting malicious acts intended to outrage the religious sentiments of any class or community,” according to the Slate article.  On the surface Edamaruku is doing what's expected of debunkers, but I suspect there is a cultural and historical context at the root of his actions. (Italics mine):

What do you fear might happen to you?
If it comes to a trial, I have nothing to fear. I would welcome the opportunity to throw some light on the role that the Catholic Church played and is still playing today here in India. The possibility of arrest is threatening, however.

The religious zealotry, dogmatism and fanaticism Edamaruku fights is ironically mirrored by his own version of same:

Do you have any regrets about intervening? Why would one not intervene when somebody gives gullible people sewage to drink? But my reason is broader. The promotion of superstition and belief in paranormal phenomena dulls people's minds and establishes dangerous misconceptions about reality in our society. Such efforts have to be countered.

Edamaruku refused to back off and in fact, got quite contentious with critics. While India has the anti-insult to religions law, it also has this, according to Stephen Law.

Clause (h) of Article 51-A of Constitution of India states that : ‘It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop the scientific temper, humanism and spirit of inquiry and reform.’

The Vatican and Freemasons | YUFOLOGY

Tina Sena shares her observation on something a conspiracy tinged TV program missed: The Vatican and Freemasons . I agree with Tina, coincidence, I think not. And why ignore such an obvious element? My own theory is that these kinds of shows are purely for the ratings and entertainment value, not informative on any deep level. Under the guise of "Oooooooooooo, conspiracy! How edgy!" they're really just fodder. And there are a lot of nerds out there who sniff at any actual belief of these things; they're interested, they're even scientific -- or play scientists on TV -- but you're never going to see the good stuff. As a Monster Quest producer said to me once, after I suggested she look into the black ops-psy-ops/military-industrial-corporate mind control/engineering etc. history surrounding Mothman in Pt. Pleasant (though I didn't put it such tin foil hat terms), with a nervous laugh: "I don't want the government or anything to come after me." Oops, I think I just went off on a rant here. Anyway, Tina Sena. Read her blog.

Gaeilo, PIzza, and the Moon

Gordon Kaswell keeps a low profile in UFO World, which is too bad because he has a special knowledge and insight into the technological aspect of UFOs that is an area we can all benefit from becoming familiar with. Here's what Gordon commented on Facebook about Domino's Pizza in regards to a previous UFO Mary post: Some Catholics still insist Galileo was wrong.

 And speaking of things Catholic, for years I've found interesting/amusing the story of Domino's Pizza. (Say, what?) Really. The reason is that Domino's was started by a guy named Tom Monaghan, who is a devout Catholic. He and his brother bought a pizza parlor then called Dominick's. Monaghan bought out his brother's share, and changed the name to Domino's. The name change is intriguing because in Latin, "domino" means "lord"! Monaghan (who is quite wealthy) has been building a town in Florida named Ave Maria, and as a planned community, it's Monaghan's intention that only Catholics live there, and follow his rules (no porn, no abortions, etc.). Civil rights groups have been fighting this, but I haven't kept track of the story, and don't know the current status on the issue. Monaghan spends a lot of his money on Catholic charities, radio and TV broadcast media, etc.

Today I came across this article about plans Domino's has for opening pizza parlors on the moon. Specifically, the Japanese division of Domino's, as reported on by Discovery Magazine:

The Japanese arm of the company has announced today that it wants to build the first pizzeria on the lunar surface: Domino's Moon Branch.

"We started thinking about this project last year, although we have not yet determined when the restaurant might open," Tomohide Matsunaga, a spokesman for Domino's, told the UK's The Daily Telegraph.

Positively crazy and irresponsible of course; it's estimated the cost would be around $23 billion dollars. But, as Ian O'Neill, writer of the above mentioned article remarks, this is very likely just a publicity stunt by Domino's -- no such plans are being made. Which is a relief, of course. But pizza in space isn't new; as O'Neill points out, Pizza Hut delivered a pizza to the International Space Station in 2001.

A few Catholics still insist Galileo was wrong - latimes.com

Not a majority and many are embarrassed by a small and vocal group of Catholics that insist the world does revolve around usA few Catholics still insist Galileo was wrong - latimes.com One Catholic who doesn't believe this is the keeper of the Vatican Observatory:

"I have no idea who these people are," said Brother Guy Consolmagno, curator of meteorites and spokesman for the Vatican Observatory. "Are they sincere, or is this a clever bit of theater?"

While it may seem quaint, harmless even, and of no account, they did manage to have a conference last year in Indiana: Galileo Was Wrong. The Church Was Right.