Pharyngula
Archives for May, 2009
New Hampshire is wimping out
Posted by PZ Myers on May 30, 2009 New Hampshire is working on legalizing gay marriage, and has a bill pending…unfortunately, it is being compromised. The new version, which is expected to come up for a vote Wednesday, adds a sentence specifying that all religious organizations, associations or societies have exclusive control over their religious doctrines, policies, teachings and beliefs on marriage. It…
Mesmerizing
Posted by PZ Myers on May 30, 2009 Let’s hear it for those awesome diploblasts! Drifters of the deep from Eugenia Loli-Queru on Vimeo.
Truth in labeling
Posted by PZ Myers on May 30, 2009 So you want to be a better person. You’re in Chandler, Arizona, and you enter the Barnes & Noble bookstore there, and you head off to the Self Improvement section. What is prominently recommended? What did you expect, some tripe Oprah liked? (Thanks to Max & Felipe)
Sounds too familiar
Posted by PZ Myers on May 30, 2009 OK, who’s the wise guy who gave one of our creationists a writing gig at The Onion?
Pinky Swear!
Posted by PZ Myers on May 30, 2009 You too can pinky swear to abide by secular principles. It looks mostly harmless, although the 7th principle isn’t entirely right. 7. In all of my actions, and without threat of divine retribution, I will strive to respect the dignity of all people. I deal with too many creationists, and those are people without much dignity…
A novel creationist argument
Posted by PZ Myers on May 30, 2009 Wow. Creationists can surprise you with a rare flash of imagination — like this argument that because you don’t drool, god exists. Ok, I have an Evolution Challenge for you. Make your mouth produce a bunch of spit, let it dribble down your face and time how long it is before you simply have to…
Save the submersibles!
Posted by PZ Myers on May 29, 2009 Go sign this petition to maintain the tools for sea exploration at Florida Atlantic University. They’re trying to get a thousand signatures…we can do that in no time at all. The Johnson-Sea-Link I & II submersibles are owned and operated by Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Fort Pierce, Florida.…
Alvin Plantinga gives philosophy a bad name
Posted by PZ Myers on May 29, 2009 The more sophisticated creationists like to toss the name “Alvin Plantinga” into arguments — he’s a well-regarded philosopher/theologian who favors Intelligent Design creationism, or more accurately, Christian creationism. I’ve read some of his work, but not much; it’s very bizarre stuff, and every time I get going on one of his papers I hit some…
Thunderf00t vs. Casey Luskin
Posted by PZ Myers on May 29, 2009 Ouch. It’s like Bambi vs. Godzilla, where Luskin is the frolicking innocent baby deer and Thunderf00t is the giant rampaging reptile. Luskin tries to claim that ID is distinct from creationism, and he gets squashed.
Friday Cephalopod: Fractal
Posted by PZ Myers on May 29, 2009 Sepia bandensis Figure from Cephalopods: A World Guide (amzn/b&n/abe/pwll), by Mark Norman.