Why do people laugh at creationists? (part 7).
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lørdag, januar 30, 2010
Historical Lessons From Spartacus: Blood And Sand
You might have assumed the Starz channel's new series Spartacus: Blood And Sand was a mix between the slow-motion green-screened bare-chested violence of 300, the incredibly fake cgi blood from the 2008 installment of Rambo and the, well, everything else of HBO's Rome minus the good writing and acting and historical accuracy.
If so, you were wrong. This is a serious show that tackles some lofty subjects while treating the past with all due reverence. I know this because just before the gore and surgically augmented breasts come on the screen, a disclaimer pops up informing us that:
"Spartacus is a historical depiction of ancient Rome's society and culture."
Not knowing a whole lot about the society and culture of ancient Rome, this seems like a great opportunity to expand my horizons. Let's see what lessons are waiting to be gleaned from this historical work.
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fredag, januar 29, 2010
torsdag, januar 28, 2010
Teacher With Bible Divides Ohio Town
Most people in this quiet all-American town describe themselves as devoutly Christian, but even here they are deeply divided over what should happen to John Freshwater.
Mr. Freshwater, an eighth-grade public school science teacher, is accused of burning a cross onto the arms of at least two students and teaching creationism, charges he says have been fabricated because he refused an order by his principal to remove a Bible from his desk.
After an investigation, school officials notified Mr. Freshwater in June 2008 of their intent to fire him, but he asked for a pre-termination hearing, which has lasted more than a year and cost the school board more than a half-million dollars.
The hearing is finally scheduled to end Friday, and a verdict on Mr. Freshwater’s fate is expected some months later. But the town — home to about 15,000 people, more than 30 churches and an evangelical university — remains split.
To some, Mr. Freshwater is a hero unfairly punished for standing up for his Christian beliefs. To others, he is a zealot who pushed those beliefs onto students.
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onsdag, januar 27, 2010
HD PREMIERE! The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon by Richard Gale
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tirsdag, januar 26, 2010
Single Iraqi Checkpoint Seeks Bomb for Not Exploding and Maybe More
The ADE-651 is a hand held device that looks a bit like a paint sprayer with the nozzle replaced with the chrome stub of a car antenna. Like most everything in life, the ADE-651 absolutely cannot detect an unexploded bomb.
Unfortunately, that's the one thing the ADE-651 is supposed to do.
Bombs are very easy to detect as they are exploding and after they have exploded. This phase in the bomb life cycle is not a helpful time to spot the bomb unless you are part of a bomb-watching group. Police and militaries expend a great deal of effort to find bombs before they reach this stage. They also spend a great deal of money.
The government of Iraq spent 85 million dollars worth of money on the ADE-651 ($8,000 per unit) in a no-bid contract to its manufacturer, UK firm ATSC. The company belongs to Jim McCormick, the man who developed the ADE-651 by, presumably, jamming the chrome stub of a car antenna into a paint sprayer. Friday, January 22nd, McCormick was arrested for failure to sell a device that detects bombs before they explode, a charge known in the complex British legal system as "fraud."
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For Good Reason
For Good Reason is the interview program hosted by D.J. Grothe, promoting critical thinking and skepticism about the central beliefs of society. Interviews often focus on the paranormal, pseudoscience and the supernatural. Each episode of For Good Reason also features an audio essay by Jamy Ian Swiss, The Honest Liar. The show is produced in association with the James Randi Educational Foundation.
D.J. Grothe is President of the James Randi Educational Foundation, the international educational non-profit founded by celebrated social critic and activist James Randi. Grothe has lectured widely on topics at the intersection of education, science and belief at universities such as Stanford, Harvard, Yale, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and dozens of others. Formerly a professional magician, he has special interests in the psychology of belief and processes of deception and self-deception.
Jamy Ian Swiss is a magician, author, and public speaker with more than twenty years of skeptical activism experience. He has appeared internationally for presenters ranging from Fortune 500 companies to the Smithsonian Institution. His U.S. television appearances include CBS 48 Hours, Comedy Central, PBS Nova and the PBS documentary The Art of Magic, and repeat appearances on The Today Show. He is the author of books including a collection of essays entitled Shattering Illusions, and The Art of Magic. He has produced and written for television, including Penn & Teller’s Sin City Spectacular, and created the Discovery Channel special, Cracking the Con Games. He is producer of New York’s longest-running Off-Broadway magic show, Monday Night Magic, now in its 12th consecutive year. Jamy is a founder of the National Capital Area Skeptics; a founder of the New York City Skeptics; has spoken and performed across the U.S. on behalf of the Center for Inquiry; has been a contributor to Skeptic magazine; and he has presented or performed annually at James Randi's "The Amaz!ng Meeting" since its inception.
Thomas Donnelly produces For Good Reason. A 2004 graduate in media study from the State University of New York at Buffalo, he is interested in how the media treats topics such as religion and nonbelief, science, and skepticism and the paranormal. He is currently a law student in St. Louis, Missouri.
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mandag, januar 25, 2010
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