(ADDS MORE DETAILS, HAMAS REACTION)Israel is halting its military operations for three hours a day beginning Wednesday, January 7, for three hours each day, to allow humanitarian aid to enter into Gaza, Israeli officials said.

At least 40 people were killed and over 50 injured when the Israeli Air Force struck a United Nations-run school in the Gaza Strip in what it said was a response to repeated mortar and rocket attacks from militants of the Hamas group.

Scientists were watching the United States' famous Yellowstone National Park, Tuesday, January 6, after hundreds of earthquakes there late December and last week -- prompting fears they are the prelude to the world's most powerful volcanic eruption.

Amid tight security, the United States embassy in Iraq's capital Baghdad was open for business Tuesday, January 6, after a dedication ceremony to open what is the largest embassy compound in the world.

As Israel continued to fight Hamas in Gaza City, Tuesday, January 6, Israeli soldiers faced the inconvenient truth that weapons used by the militant group were indirectly supplied by Israel itself, the United States, Egypt and other countries.

As Israel's offensive against militants of the Hamas group in the Gaza Strip continued Tuesday, January 6, around the world Arabic leaders, Palestinians and their supporters continued to pressure the Jewish state to end the operation.

Iran says tens of thousands of students are preparing themselves for suicide attacks against Israel, in revenge for the Israeli offensive against militants of the Hamas group in the Gaza Strip.

Japan has asked several companies to help it develop more geothermal power plants linked to its 108 active volcanoes, about 10 percent of the worlds total.

The United States Treasury Department says it has supplied another $15 billion to seven banks through its Capital Purchase Program to help them overcome the worst economic crisis in a generation.

Villagers of the mainly Christian Karen minority in Burma on Monday, January 5, were mourning the death of a seven-year old girl who was raped and murdered by at least one government soldier, the latest in a series of sexual abuses of minorities in the country, investigators said.

Eric Lane, head of the local San Antonio chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, makes bold and bogus assertions in the San Antonio Express about the current debate over how to teach evolution, and what he imagines might be the reasons behind it. Not surprisingly, Lane apparently didnt bother to do a shred of research, instead seeming quite satisfied to let his imagination come up with all sorts ridiculous things. It isnt as if you cant read what Discoverys views are on science education, or even specifically what my own views are (they're all...

In his book Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for Americas Soul, author Edwards Humes makes many inaccurate claims about science education policy. Humes partisanship comes through clearly in these discussions, as he contends that those who would not teach evolution in a one-sided pro-Darwin-only fashion are engaged in a concerted attack on the teaching of evolution and other bedrock principles of modern science. (pg. 25.) Humes' repetition of common Darwinist rhetoric is only the beginning of the problem, for he makes many......

R.R. Reno, features editor at First Things, has a fine essay on the mind-brain problem that addresses many of the issues that Steven Novella and I have been debating over the past year or so. The substance of my arguments against Dr. Novellas dogmatic materialism and his astonishing hubris regarding the application of neuroscience to the mind brain problem ("Every single prediction of materialism has been proven") has been twofold. First, I assert that the materialistic understanding of the mind isnt even logically coherent. The salient characteristics of the mind, such as intentionality, qualia, free will, restricted access, continuity of...

To give a feel for the partisan nature of Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for Americas Soul, Edward Humes website for his book has boasted glowing endorsements from reviewers like Eugenie Scott, P.Z. Myers, Michael Shermer, and conspicuously, no ID -proponents. One of the major themes of Humes book is to promote the view that evolution is compatible with religion. As discussed below, Humes even goes so far as to claim (wrongly) that Darwin did not come to doubt God and religion due to his scientific studies. Humes' push for the compatibility between evolution and religion is...

In a recent post, I pointed out the obvious that traditional allopathic medical practice is capable of causing considerable harm to patients, and I appealed to some of the particularly nasty critics of alternative medicine to back off with the venom directed against practitioners and ordinary people who have experienced benefit from alternative medicine or who are concerned about the risks associated with vaccinations. We doctors have our hands full protecting patients from our own mistakes, without spending our time excoriating accupuncturists. A little perspective is in order. So why are these particular bloggers so obsessed with hatred for...

by Jeff ZweerinkMy recent venture into home construction convinced me of the importance of using the proper tools. While an electric breaker works great for busting up existing concrete, a tico nailer is the tool of choice for putting plywood on the roof and walls. Using the right tools helps make my new addition livable [...]

Kenneth Richard SamplesSome people think that because Christendom has some sharp differences when it comes to certain doctrinal matters this is a sign that Christianity cannot be true. It’s just too divided.Yet the truth of the matter is that while historic Christians of various theological stripes have important differences, they also share significant common doctrinal [...]

A rats fifteen minutes of fame, what we believe, web of ages, crazy talk, and more in this weeks News to Note.

Should we Just be good for goodness sake? Are atheists building a worldview on Christian principles, and is it even possible?

Problem teens get dramatically cured by wilderness adventures, researchers at the University of Essex found. Science Daily reported that young offenders came back from their hikes and sailing trips with increased self-confidence, teamwork, trust, a sense of belonging, and a desire to cooperate and take responsibility for their future. Youths described initially as disruptive, disrespectful and undisciplined came back from their wilderness adventures with improved attitudes and less antisocial behavior. A key element, the article said, was getting the young people in touch with nature and away from negative influences typical of urban environments. The difference in behaviour was amazing! one researcher said after the trips.

The origin of homochirality is extremely important in origin of life research, since non-optically pure mixtures of amino acids or sugars cannot be used to make RNA, DNA, and proteins, the building blocks of all living organisms. There is no terrestrial or extraterrestrial explanation that describes how homochirality could have arisen through naturalistic processes.