On the iTunes Music Store (Australia) the top eight contains one interesting diversion from the usual favourites like John Butler Trio, Elton John, Thirsty Merc and Ministry of Sound albums and that is Hillsong United - All of the Above.

Yes the same crazy fellows that believe in divine healing and delving into the occasional tongues speaking buy a crap tonne of music from iTunes. Though there 0.4 million account for nearly 2 percent of Australians they seem pretty net savvy, then again is buying music you can only share on 5 devices smart?

Apparently not since EMI has become the first of the big four to offer DRM-free music (albeit at 30c U.S. more expensive). April 2nd the day the music breathed again....

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In less than a week David Hicks will face a military commission (of course the full trail for his charge of "providing material support for terrorism won't take place until around July) after spending the last 5 years of his life in a shoe box, let out for the occasional recreation or waterboarding, he is finally getting some support from his government.

Well if you count one rogue senator supporting a failed Democrats motion as support. (Source: ABC News)

Nothing like being sold to the US military for $1000 after being captured by a Northern Alliance warlord and sent to Cuba for processing (that's right he was never actually seen taking arms against the US just handed over for a bounty).

Perhaps David might have more effectively spent his time doing drug runs to Bali, at least he'd be in line for some more sympathy and a speed trial.

"Panorama" of Amnesty International replica Guantánamo cell

Hick's Cell

"A solitary life...David Hicks's cell, where he is confined for 23 hours a day, his lawyer says and inset, the reading room, with no books."

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Source: motherjones.com

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Not my thing but this is nice...

Taylor Mali on what teachers make

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Katrina, the New Orleans phonebook.

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Persons who have a naturalistic worldview should not be culturally stifled or civically marginalized due to society’s extensive supernaturalism. Rather, they ought to be accepted as fellow citizens and full participants in the cultural and political landscape.

I'm now a Bright, Join me and others like Richard Dawkins, Nobel Laureate Eric Roberts and so-so magicians Penn and Teller and express a naturalistic world view free from supernatural delusion.

Click the banner to find out more.

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According to Associated Press writers Cheryl Wittenauer, Jim Suhr and Jim Salter, the LA Times' Nicholas Riccardi, ABC News, MSNBC and numerous other news outlets (including others here in Australia that pretty much cover overseas news word for word) Shawn Hornbeck may now be an ATHEIST.

That's right after while being held captive for four years, before his subsequent salvation last week, Shawn Hornbeck of Kirkwood, Mo. had posted on several social networking websites. The most alarming profile found was on mindviz.com which listed Shawn as an atheist. While references to other website profiles can be found throughout the numerous articles on Shawn's disappearance/return, there is only one that is consistent, Shawn's, perhaps coerced, conversion to disbelief by his unholy captor. In fact while it seems that Shawn posting on his own parents website asking "how long" they will keep looking for their son is occasionally of no concern to reporters, his ungodliness is universally disturbing.

This of course is no surprise for three reasons,
News outlets worldwide will of course carry word for word almost any article by the AP to cut down on costs at risk of losing all integrity;
American christians (like all good Christians) in the words of Martin Luther  "...should tear the eyes out of reason" and therefore fear anyone who seeks it;
And its no wonder at all the Shawn Hornbeck/Devlin became an atheist after being pronounced dead by two psychics. After the obvious sham of one supernatural act he merely took it one step further.

In short, good reporting has lead to the outing of another atheist, don't forget to keep with you the words of the reformist Martin Luther. "Reason should be destroyed in all Christians".

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Just some links to websites that I find interesting...

2Prong is the only no-click disposable email system. By simply visiting this site the above address has already been saved to your clipboard. Paste(Ctrl-V) it in any form on a website that requires email verification and when the email is received it will pop up instantly in this box. 2Prong also changes the domain every week in order to prevent the addresses from being banned.

Geni is a website that allows families to collaboratively build their family tree. Family members can then use the tree to learn more about each other, share knowledge about common ancestors and relatives, and stay in touch with each other.

Books are such a powerful medium.  Sometimes with all of the technology that has come in the last century it is easy to forget how revolutionary the printing press was.  Books are not going away and Shelfari is here to make your experience with books even better!!

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I love both Vox and Shelfari, unfortunately the fantastic Add to Blog Feature at Shelfari is not compatible with the anti-HTML Vox.

At least Vox has it's own books section, but it's not as pretty as Shelfari.

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Good Search is a search engine that no only gets you where you are going on the internets, but by the time you got there you would have donated to a charity or school.

In the same way the Google Search earns a gazillion dollars a day, Good Search is taking advertising money raised via search queries and helping. More than 23,000 charities & schools are signed up. Might be worth switching over to a new search engine and still getting what you need.

You can also install Good Search in your Firefox search bar.

Disclaimer: By using Good Search you maybe helping religious groups and perpetuating the use of religious iconography to imply goodness.

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