I'm a graduate student studying the molecular and biochemical evolution of HIV within patients and within populations. I also study epigenetic control of ERVs.
Via PZ, a quote from Walt Ruloff, producer of EXPELLED:
The first version of Expelled leaned heavily on computer-generated images of cells, illustrating how their development relied on more than random mutation.HA!But alas, Ruloff said, "When we first watched that movie it was verrrrry boring."
So, with the help of Abbotsford screenwriter Kevin Miller, they made a more controversial film -- by splicing provocative black-and-white images in between Stein's punchy interviews with various scientists.
The final version of Expelled includes chilling reels of the Berlin Wall, of soldiers, of machine-guns, of scolding school principals and of extermination camps where "inferior" people, the disabled and Jews, were slaughtered.
HA!
Okay, ignoring the fact the animations were 'reduced' due to the fact they were STOLEN, not because they were 'boring'-- lets pretend Ruloff isnt a lying piece of shit that had no problems stealing from Mr. Rogers. Lets pretend comparing scientists to NAZIS isnt an ancient Creationist tradition, and wasnt EXPELLEDs original intent. Lets pretend he really did alter EXPELLED drastically 'because science is verrrrry boring'.
WHAT???
ROFL!!!
Spoken like a true D-student, Ruloff!! 'Its not my fault I flunked biology! The teacher was an ATHEIST! And biology is boring anyway!' LOOOOOL!!!!
LOOOSER!
LOOOOOOOOOSER!!!
HAHAHA!
This isnt an intelligence thing-- As I hope ScienceBlogs is showing, you dont have to be a super genius to understand cutting-edge science. Science isnt just for egg-head nerds. Its cool! Its fun! Its exciting!
Unless you are an intellectually lazy bastard named Walt Ruloff.
What a fucking loser.
Comments
OMG! "erv gets angry" is one of the first blog posts of yours that I read! Too funny! :-)
"Losers" is right.
Posted by: Stacy S. | January 5, 2009 1:01 PM
Guess what? I got a fever! And the only prescription.. is MOAR NAZIS!!1!
Posted by: Dr Benway | January 5, 2009 1:52 PM
It depends on the amount of math the cutting-edge science involves. With basic "watch carbon compounds that crawl" work, however, the cutting edge usually stays more in the "spiffy!" than the "WTF?" region. When you start talking about the Conway-Kochen "Free Will Theorem" in mathematical physics, even understanding the result can give people headaches.
Posted by: abb3w | January 5, 2009 2:08 PM
Dr. Benway - Jeez, like I hate to correct a colleague, but I believe the correct prescription for that fever is...
MORE DUMB-BELLS...
And ID can deliver them.
Posted by: Dr. Ben Dover | January 5, 2009 2:26 PM
I've been a science geek since seeing John Glenn's launch in first grade.
I find it utterly inconceivable that anyone can find science boring.
Posted by: Mobius | January 5, 2009 3:38 PM
Unless you are an intellectually lazy bastard named Walt Ruloff.
Or Wally, or FTK.
Posted by: Eric Saveau | January 5, 2009 3:48 PM
The final version of expelled also contains black and white footage of Planet of the Apes, and many other old films where someone happened to say a similar word to someone in the film!
And I find it hard to believe their original film was more boring than the final one. It has taken me 3 sittings to get almost the whole way through.
Posted by: Gobaskof | January 5, 2009 5:45 PM
Its cool! Its fun! Its exciting!... fuckin' A
Posted by: mikeg | January 5, 2009 11:37 PM
The level of cognitive dissonance that must be necessary for this guy to lie that much for Jesus and still call himself a Christian is astounding.
Psst, Walt, if you have to lie and suppress education to make people believe it, THEN IT JUST MIGHT NOT BE TRUE!!!
Posted by: embertine | January 6, 2009 5:45 AM
Glad you called it, Abbie, 'cuz I was gonna say there were a lot of signs that this whole thing was meant to be the "From Darwin to Hitler" movie adaptation from the start.
Posted by: rrt | January 6, 2009 9:58 AM
A human paraquat!
Posted by: Lycosid | January 6, 2009 10:11 AM
I love you :-)
Posted by: mo | January 6, 2009 11:14 AM
Don't forget what was posted at the Expelled web site:
"Many scenes are centered around the Berlin Wall, and Ben Stein being Jewish actually visits many death camps and death showers. In fact, Nazi Germany is the thread that ties everything in the movie together. Evolution leads to atheism leads to eugenics leads to Holocaust and Nazi Germany."
Posted by: James F | January 6, 2009 3:37 PM
ERV rules! What a terrific post Abbie and you're right about scienceblogs. Thanks for that and thanks for helping this non-scientist understand the real world.
Posted by: Joe M. | January 6, 2009 4:45 PM
I love that the creotards have Godwined their own movie.
Posted by: Ty | January 6, 2009 5:31 PM