Links and Minifeatures 07 07 Saturday

One of the giants of the twentieth century would have been 100 today - July 7, 1907 Robert Heinlein was born.



You are missed, sir.

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Why do terrorists attack Britain time and again?



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Pope eases use of Latin Mass



I've never heard it and doubt I ever will, but I do want to comment on one small detail:

Criticism also came from Jewish leaders, unhappy with the restoration of a prayer for their conversion, said during Easter Week. The Anti-Defamation League called the move a "body blow to Catholic Jewish relations."

As opposed to the Muslim prayers in mosques worldwide for the slaughtering of Jews? Okay, this is something the Pope probably should have fixed*, but let's keep our sense of priorities here. How many religions don't want to convert those who don't follow them? Not many. So long as it's a prayer for the conversion of the "heathen" among those who have chosen to be there, I see no significant sin. "Those horrible awful Catholics are praying for people to convert!" Roll your eyes and move on.



*: he's the pope, and I'm not catholic or any other christian sect. Long as they don't start any religious persecutions, it's more than a little ridiculous for anyone outside of a religion to expect to have an effect upon the practice of that religion. They can sit in church and pray for their idea of god to put crosses on all the hilltops, for all I care. The idea behind not being catholic is that you think your thoughts are likely a truer picture, right? So I might start paying attention if suddenly one morning all the Jews did become Catholics in accordance with that prayer, but until that happens, I'm sort of doubtful, to say the least. This was used for centuries without any apparent effect upon the non-Catholics of the world.



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Iran sees "creeping coup" in the press: report



Better explanation?

Activists and Western diplomats say the authorities have become increasingly intolerant of dissent, turning the screws on pro-reform students, campaigners on women's issues and labor movement figures.