…and this is a 
In which American superiority manifests itself!
Category: Creationism
Posted on: May 31, 2007 3:22 PM, by PZ Myers
Ha ha, pathetic Canadians.
They've put up their own creation "museum"—just look at it. It's feeble. It's like someone took a cheap suburban ranch-style home and put a sign on it and started charging admission to come take a look at their knick-knack shelf. Ha!
We're #1! Our brand new American creation "museum" is a hundred times larger, a hundred times more expensive, shinier, fancier, a thousand times … the attendance, … even … more … stupidity, with …
…
Awww, crap. The Canadians outdid us again.
Comments
Reminds me of the "university" where Hovind graduated ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Bible_University ). Whenever I feel little blue, I take a look at the building and have a good laugh. Thank you, Kent.
Posted by: forsen | May 31, 2007 3:27 PM
Wow, where can I get one of those Creation Camp shirts...
=|
Posted by: BlueIndependent | May 31, 2007 3:29 PM
So that's how we roll in the 21st century now, huh? The greatness of our countries is measured in the smallness of our stupidity. Yeah, sounds about right.
Posted by: Oh, fishy, fishy, fishy, fish! | May 31, 2007 3:30 PM
Jesus H. Christ on a popsicle stick. This is almost in my backyard. Not far from the Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontolgy, which is a heck of a good non-creationist nonsense museum smack in the middle of one of the richest dinosaur deposits there is. Makes a bit of sense since Alberta is the red-neck province and produced Stockwell 'Doris' Day, YEC politician. A good thing for him and everybody else concerned that it's considered bad form for politicians to talk about their religion in this country. Must be the snow. It freezes the stupids out of us. Well, for the most part...
Posted by: Randy | May 31, 2007 3:40 PM
I just noticed it will be opening in July. Too bad it didn't open last June. 6/6/6 is much more appropriate than 7/7/7.
Posted by: Randy | May 31, 2007 3:44 PM
They call that a Creation museum? Ha! I'll bet they don't even have a one-eyed kitten like the Lost World Museum.
Posted by: ivy privy | May 31, 2007 3:46 PM
I had a recent sad piece of news in regards to "creation science"...one of my formerly favorite MMA fighters, Rich Franklin, proudly posted a photo album of his trip to the ribbon-cutting ceremony....
http://richfranklin.com/news.asp?item=65
since I hadn't visited his website I didn't realize he had a bible verse posted prominently in the header, and that he was suffering, in addition to being throroughly drubbed in losing his belt, from that peculiar mental deficiency of christianity. Too bad, he's a skilled fighter, but I'll be rooting against him from now on. I'm sure he'll lose sleep over it. There's a few pictures of the "museum" in there too, if you can stand to look.
Posted by: garth | May 31, 2007 3:55 PM
Wow. I hadn't seen the Patriot Bible University campus. I was only previously familiar with their classic 1979 original. At that rate of expansion I calculate they will begin to approach the lower levels of respectable around....ohhh. What's the projected heat death of the universe again?
Can I make another plug for the Royal Tyrell? I have not hit the big ones (London Natural, New York Museum of, Smithsonian) in many years, but I was very impressed by Royal Tyrell during my visit three years ago. Perhaps the others have improved over the years, but based just on my own memories, Royal Tyrell has the best facilities I have ever seen.
*shudder* Made me think of a visit to Dinosaur National Monument which actually had a couple signs mentioning the 'controversy'. Did you know not all scientists think the dinosaurs lived millions of years ago?
Posted by: Sean | May 31, 2007 3:58 PM
Eh, Good Day hoser. They may not have true Flintstonian relics, but I bet they have the Sacred Jesus and Mary in Back Bacon, and a seperate wing for all the Holy Hockey Pucks.
And what is up with the sign? I saw that Canadian Bacon movie, and aren't all signs in Candada also supposed to be in French too?
Posted by: J-Dog | May 31, 2007 3:58 PM
I'm only rooting for Anarchist fighters from now on:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Monson
Posted by: garth | May 31, 2007 3:59 PM
@J-Dog:
French signs in Alberta? Ha!Ha!Ha!Ha!Ha! Around here, the only thing in French is poutine at the local New York Fries...
Posted by: Randy | May 31, 2007 4:01 PM
Remember the Science Advisor of Civilization II? Remember what he says if you finance science enough?
"You'r [ine-stine], sirr, I mean, you'r the E to the m c squarrrred! Like a double clock-speed micro-chip, sirr! We'r numbr one in SCIYENCE!!!!"
Posted by: David Marjanović | May 31, 2007 4:01 PM
Hmm... IIRC the last black holes are scheduled to evaporate in 10^100 years. Is that enough?
THE DINOSAUR FUCKING NATIONAL FUCKING MONUMENT!?!
Posted by: David Marjanović | May 31, 2007 4:06 PM
I know. I know.
My visit was back in 1999 even. PreBush.
Unfortunately it was also predigital camera so I have no shots. There was one particularly egregious sign down a hall within spitting distance of that marvelous wall face of bones.
Anyone been there recently and gotten shots? Are the alternative views signs still there?
Posted by: Sean | May 31, 2007 4:17 PM
But there is a restaurant out back.
Posted by: John Danley | May 31, 2007 4:25 PM
You think thats bad you should se the British one.
http://www.csm.org.uk/expo.php
Posted by: Chris Hyland | May 31, 2007 4:45 PM
This thing has the bacony stench of Canada all over it
Posted by: Sarcastro | May 31, 2007 4:49 PM
French signs in Alberta?
Although many places in Canada have signs in French, many don't. Alberta has, though, my favorite -- in the mountains: "Mouflon sur la route".
Posted by: QrazyQat | May 31, 2007 4:56 PM
Their DNA doesn't have a major or minor groove. That proves it must have been made by God.
http://bvcsm.com/photos/ian.jpg
Posted by: Mike Fox | May 31, 2007 5:02 PM
@QrazyQat
I was excluding GoC signs, of course...
Posted by: Randy | May 31, 2007 5:03 PM
There is one nice piece of information I got out of this: In Canada, you can't apply for tax-exempt status if you're advocating?
Wow, what an excellent law. One of the things that I've recognized is that a truly charitable organization would go to Africa (or wherever) and help the people there... Help with water projects, help with housing projects, help with medical projects, and so forth, and the help would stop there.
But the thing that has stopped me from contributing is that too many (and I don't mean "all" or even "most") then spend 40% of their budgets making sure the folks they're "helping" are also being saved. That's a big turn-off for me.
So, if I'm to understand this entry correctly, if a Canadian charitable organization is advocating, there goes their tax-exempt status? That's a law we ought to consider.
Would someone tell me if I'm misinterpreting this?
Posted by: MikeM | May 31, 2007 5:03 PM
Sigh....the nose down which I am sometimes able to look at U.S. culture grows ever shorter....we have kooks of our own....but at least they're not as well funded.
This does further my theory that Alberta = Texas North. From what I've heard, that province is about as "red" as any province we have up here. However, that's mostly second hand....
Posted by: Protobiochemist | May 31, 2007 5:12 PM
Whenever I feel little blue, I take a look at the building and have a good laugh. Thank you, Kent.
LOL, thank you! What is that, a mobile home? Dooz dey makez arkz with dah play-dohz? I sure hope they don't getz no tornaydohs!
Don't worry, PZ. Our creationist sideshow will Big Crunch the all-American way - with some huge bills not being paid, directors high-tailing it to other nations and money disappearing (they're doing a good job of that right now), and who knows, maybe a sex scandal or two - Hammie is as icky as Haggard is, after all (where do these guys rate the hunks?).
Can we say Public Auction? Those dinosaurs with saddles will make a great merry-go-round.
Posted by: Kristine | May 31, 2007 5:18 PM
As a former Alberta resident and Canadian expat I am dismayed. Can't say I was surprised though, during my years there a very vocal part of the populace advocated joining the US in the unlikely event that Quebec was going to split. Now how screwed up can you be, eh ? There was also a famous holocaust denier who conveniently worked as a school teacher before the federales dragged him into court for hate mongering.
So Alberta has its fair share of, hmm shall we politely say, oddballs ?. No, we shan't. Fuckups. yep, that's more like it.
Posted by: Umilik | May 31, 2007 5:26 PM
A friend just came back from a visit to the Royal Tyrrell Museum and she says it is great. I was there in 2001 but they have added exhibits since then. And there's a tour to the badlands to look at fossils and wind-eroded "hoodoos".
Alberta is our most American province--most outgoing, most noisy, most obviously conservative...
You're right about the legal status of charities, MikeM. Charitable organizations have to be very careful not to slip over into advocating political action. In practice, that sometimes means you have two organizations: a purely educational one that has charitable status, like the Childbirth by Choice Trust; and a rabble-rousing one run on a shoestring from a church basement, like the Pro-Choice Action Network.
Posted by: Monado | May 31, 2007 5:28 PM
For once I'm ashamed to be Canadian.
Posted by: Louis | May 31, 2007 5:32 PM
Woah, manufactured housing no less! And I am sure this manufactured building actually "meets or beats local code!" It's too bad that this perfectly good building is going to waste! Seriously, I can think of a lot of families in Canada and elsewhere who could use a real home, whether it be manufactured housing or not. Kind of reminds me of the huge, monolithic-waste-of-space churches, monasteries, synagogues, mosques, etc. They are still housing useless lies and junk while the masses live on the street. Shame on them!
Posted by: LeeLeeOne | May 31, 2007 6:19 PM
And the town of Canmore, Alberta, has a publicly funded fuanmentalist Xtian primary school, where creationism is taught in science class.
Posted by: Richard | May 31, 2007 6:23 PM
Seems like North America is being infested with fantasy theme parks! Consider the Harry Potter park set to open at Universal Orlando; consider, as well, Billy Graham's "library", which cost about the same as the Cretin Museum.
Posted by: Warren | May 31, 2007 6:25 PM
PZ: The original 'single-wide' mobile home approach to creationist 'museums' can be found outside Dinosaur Valley State Park in Texas, courtesy of 'Dr' Carl Baugh. Accept no substitutes!
Posted by: Scott Hatfield, OM | May 31, 2007 6:35 PM
Their website gives a link to help the reader to find where the museum is. Curiously, they use MapQuest. I'd have thought they'd suggest you pray for guidance.
Posted by: Gork | May 31, 2007 7:05 PM
I can an envision a scenario which I hope (& would pray if I believed in an omnipotent, rational being) never materializes: in which the scientific viewpoint loses monetary backing & then in which we would be relegated to such cheap displays.
If that would ever happen, Thor forbid, I hope we'll at least have the dignity to NOT sell our message with pink amusement park wall-paintings and guys in crimson cardigans. This is the aesthetical anti-thesis of framing - to make your message appalling by wrapping it in a package of extremely low-brow, tacky taste (which, in this case, suits the message perfect). Can people of science, regardless of budget, really have this abysmal taste? I dunno.
Posted by: forsen | May 31, 2007 8:34 PM
oops, wrong thread.
Posted by: forsen | May 31, 2007 8:40 PM
Aww... man, do I ever get sick of my province's name being dragged through the mud. Sadly, this is the most likely place for a creationist institution to spring up, outside of maybe Saskatchewan, where they'd do it just to have something to do. (I kid, Saskatchewanians! I kid.)
I get out to the Tyrrell once every few years, just to see what's new. I can't wait for if they ever decide to highlight the bird/theropod connection, and their Burgess Shale exhibit with the scaled-up diorama is fascinating.
Posted by: Phy | May 31, 2007 10:09 PM
And the town of Canmore, Alberta, has a publicly funded fuanmentalist Xtian primary school, where creationism is taught in science class.
Canmore?
Canmore?
Oh please say it ain't so1
Posted by: T. Bruce McNeely | May 31, 2007 11:22 PM
Posted by: sparc | June 1, 2007 12:09 AM
"And the town of Canmore, Alberta, has a publicly funded fuanmentalist Xtian primary school, where creationism is taught in science class."
Who teaches it, Mike or Norm?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike,_from_Canmore
Posted by: Bob Smith | June 1, 2007 12:44 AM
It's some kind of karmic joke that this springs up in the backyard of one of the biggest fossil deposits too.
Posted by: False Prophet | June 1, 2007 2:04 AM