News of the Weird: These atheists find comfort in going to church

An atheist ?church? in Lake Charles, La., run by lapsed Pentecostal Jerry DeWitt, conducts periodic services with many of the trappings expected by the pious ? except for the need to believe in a supreme being. Such so-called churches (reported the New York Times and Washington Post in coincidental stories the same day in June) can help soothe the ?biological? needs for survival and avoidance of loneliness by congregational rituals, such as celebrating a sabbath, and finding meaning ?in something other than? the self. For example, atheist Sigfried Gold praised a ?rigorous prayer routine,? beseeching a ?vivid goddess he created,? in overcoming his weight problem.

Latest status symbol

The business website Quartz reported in June that a popular consumer item in North Korea?s perhaps-improving economy is the refrigerator, made in China and increasingly available as a reward to stellar performers among civil servants and other elites. The appliances, however, can?t reliably store food because the country?s electric grid is so frequently offline. They mostly serve as status symbols. One item Quartz says often gets displayed in the refrigerator: books.

Officer impersonating an officer?

Robert Dugan, 47, a full-time patrolman for the Delaware County (Pa.) Park Police, was charged in June with illegally impersonating a police officer. According to authorities in Brookhaven, Pa., Dugan had accosted a woman double-parked outside her home to pressure her into moving the car, but she refused. Dugan allegedly claimed he was an Upland Borough police officer with authority to write parking citations and make arrests, which he did not actually have.

Compelling explanation?

The low-price air carrier GoAir of New Delhi announced in June that in the future it would hire only females for the cabin crew ? because they weigh less than men. The airline expects eventually to save the equivalent of $4 million annually in fuel based on average weights.

Not well-thought-out

Source: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/217139031.html

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