Dispatches from the Creation Wars
Archives for June, 2004
Upcoming Anniversary
Posted by Ed Brayton on June 14, 2004 An interesting anniversary is coming up. July 11, 2004 will be the bicentennial of the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. A fascinating event in American history, especially considering the fact that Aaron Burr was the sitting vice president at the time of the duel. Burr blamed Hamilton for his loss in a race…
Adventures in Creationism
Posted by Ed Brayton on June 12, 2004 I’ve spent some 15 years involved in the evolution vs creationism dispute, as any reader of this blog knows by now. Contrary to what some of my fellow evolution defenders say, all creationists are not “created” equal. They fall into quite a wide range of competency, intelligence and honesty. At the top of the credibility…
Oh What Tangled Webs They Weave…
Posted by Ed Brayton on June 11, 2004 There are few things quite as amusing as watching ID advocates pretend that ID is not about promoting a particular religious view. It’s just fun to see them wiggle and dance when they get caught up in this web of pretend objectivity. A perfect example of this is Casey Luskin, of the IDEA club, a…
A New Evolution Blog
Posted by Ed Brayton on June 11, 2004 John Wilkins, fellow contributor to the Panda’s Thumb, has begun his own blog, Evolving Thoughts. John is a brilliant guy, with a PhD in history and philosophy of science. And like virtually every Aussie I’ve ever known, he’s extraordinarily funny. His blog should be both fun and informative, so check it out.
Ray Charles, R.I.P.
Posted by Ed Brayton on June 10, 2004 Ray Charles has died at the age of 73. While Reagan’s death will obviously gain more attention, and rightfully so, Ray’s death has far more emotional impact on me. He was a music legend who recorded classic songs in a number of genres – gospel, blues, soul, jazz, even country. Van Morrison, another of my…
The Phrase “Get A Life” Comes to Mind
Posted by Ed Brayton on June 10, 2004 ABC has pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s show off the air for a day because he commented on his show, in a joking manner, that if Detroit wins the NBA championship, the fans in Detroit will burn the city down. Jesus Christ, someone needs a humor transplant. He’s right, the people in Detroit (and most other cities…
Misleading Political Campaigns
Posted by Ed Brayton on June 10, 2004 I just went to my local grocery store to pick up a few things for home and there were 2 women outside the store canvassing for signatures on a petition. As I walked out of the store, one of them asked me if I would sign their petition to “restore voting rights to the people…
Poker Report
Posted by Ed Brayton on June 10, 2004 Good game this week, I won $85. That’s a bit below my average in this game, but a win is a win. And most of the winnings came on 3 big hands. I had the nut flush twice, slow played it both times, got bet into both times, and had my large check-raise called both…
Around the Blogosphere
Posted by Ed Brayton on June 9, 2004 One of the hallmarks of my business is that I spend an enormous amount of time waiting. As I sit in my office all day long, I don’t really do all that much work, but the work I do is in five minute increments here and there. I print up docs and fax them off,…
The Demarcation Problem
Posted by Ed Brayton on June 8, 2004 One of the issues involved in the evolution/creationism battle is the question of demarcation – what separates science from non-science? One of the most popular and, in my view, compelling arguments against Intelligent Design Creationism (IDC) is that it is not a genuine scientific theory at all because it has none of the hallmarks of…