Pastafarians, a Racing Jew, Some
Nice Kids & the Extinction Volunteers

It’s been one of those weeks. Time to switch gears, if only for a few minutes, and check what else is on the news. Often, behind the main, bleeding, headlines, precious morsels are quirk and instructive enough to help us all carry on. For indeed, carry on we must.
Some may pick a religion like Pastafarianism. Others may give a horse the ‘2015 Forward Jew’ award. Or send out potatoes by mail. And just so you know, children raised agnostic are more generous, a new study found, and you too can be a Human Extinction Volunteer.
Before diving in today’s selections, a last look at the aftermath of the Paris attacks show things not looking any better yet, so you’re excused for simply not taking any more of it. A predictable script is on and it doesn’t take much to see where it’s leading us to.
More than what happened after Madrid in 2004, or London the year after, just to name two big European cities, Paris is once again ground zero to a major rumor mill that’s helping feed a resurgent ‘need’ to bomb the hell of everyone. And bombing they’ve been, ceaselessly.
We won’t get too deep into this deranged rationale, but important clues, pointing to a possible circular, and ineffective, result are once again being brushed off, just as it’s been since 911. You know, terror, ISIL, er, Daesh, refugees, patriots, Those People, you get the drift.
So let’s give this 24/7 prep-news vigil, eating up our sleep, a rest, ignore a supposed ‘clatter’ some intel agency has detected, and while doubting the ‘certainty’ of a link individual freedom-extremism, and the ‘imminence’ of another nightmare, take a moment to breathe. You know, suck the air in and out.

A PASTAFARIAN & A JEWISH HORSE WALK INTO A BAR
Now, may humor snap you out of it, and trigger some real social change before you can say, wait a minute. That’s what some Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster members are aiming at, as a Massachusetts agency now allows them to wear a Pasta Strainer for their state Driver’s License photo. Say (Parmesan) cheese!
More than a joke or quirky fashion mores are involved, though, as many consider U.S. religion laws unfairly biased. Taking a page of the Messianic faiths playbook, FSM folk are determined to (more)
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Read Also:
* Helping Themselves
* Curb Your God
* Honey, We’ve Shrunk the Bees


shed a different light onto the separation of church and state debate. For that, Ramen.
No joke either is the nomination of American Pharoah, Triple Crown’s first winner in 37 years, for the 118-year-old Jewish Daily Forward‘s annual Forward 50 award. In case you’re still unsure, yes, that’s a horse, nominated because its owner is a benefactor of Jewish causes.
You will get no cheap shot here. After all, this is not the first time an animal is thrown into the loaded caldron of races as, you guessed it right, Hitler and others may come to mind too. Since awards are not our thing, why quarrel about yet another accolade to a remarkable equine indeed, name misspelled notwithstanding?

NICE CHILDREN PRAY LAST & POST A POTATO
Still on the sticky subject of other people’s faiths, a major motor grinding bodies and ideologies since the 7th century and before, thank you very much, one would think that kids raised in a nice, god-fearing home would be most charitable and compassionate, right?
One would be cursedly wrong, however. A new study found a negative link ‘between religiousness and children’s altruism,’ showing those coming from religious families as less inclined to altruism and tougher at administering punishment than those from households oblivious to the what some call ‘the word of the lord.’
That is something to write home about, since the study looked at many denominations and countries, and it seems counterintuitive, at least to members of the Wednesday Night’s Praying Group we’ve asked. By the way, if you do write home, why not send a potato in lieu of a postcard?
Don’t worry, it’s all legal. And friends and family will love it. We didn’t ask the postman, though. Apparently, it’s a decent way to make a living too. Just pick a spud, write something with a Sharpie, stamp it and voilá, there goes your message. Check the links, try it at least once.
WOULD YOU LIVE IN A WORLD WITHOUT US?
Pardon the survivalists, but living has a lot to do with what’s there to live for. Who would want to be awaken to a nuclear wasteland? Many already feel hopeless about what we, as a race and civilization, are doing to the planet in order to get there, and fast.
They shouldn’t; there are many beautiful things in life. Still, existentially, one should consider that balance between what Earth has been giving us for billions of years, and what we’ve been giving back for the past two thousands. And the thing is, not much.
Or rather, a lot of bad stuff which we won’t insult your intelligence describing it. Yes, this may be the part where what you’ve reading on the headlines is threatening to catch up with this post. A new movement (aren’t there too many already?) proposes something different.
All the Voluntary Human Extinction movement wants is to suggest ways for us to ease out of the planet, slowly, as in ceasing to procreate, for instance. No talk of mass suicide here. Just to give Earth a chance to recover, for the rationale is, with us, that won’t be happening.
ASKING OUR SPECIES TO STEP ASIDE
It is a dark underlying thought, but not nearly as dark as, well, you know what. With the upside of being something done gently. It couldn’t possibly work, you’d say, and would get no contrarian argument from most of everyone. But it’s a worthy thought.
Just picture a day when the stats about the number of people being born (into mostly poverty and malnutrition) would finally lose the race against those of the departed. Imagine the parties at the end of the world. You get the picture, people jumping around, etc.
It’s indeed a nice thought, and Gaya, no doubt, would celebrate our remarkable altruistic sense and self-sacrificing spirit. Songs would be composed, bonfires would be lit by the shores of Wall Street, a world party indeed.
But after a minute or two, we know, you would’ve already been thinking: nah.