…and this is a 
The mild nausea I mentioned earlier? Gone now, it seems to have vanished as soon as I disposed of the wretched rag Answers in Genesis sent me. It's a good thing, too, because I have a frantic weekend ahead of me.
Today and tomorrow, I'm pounding the keyboard to prepare a couple of talks. At least one I can borrow liberally from the book-in-progress (yeah, I'm still working on that, too).
On Thursday, I'll be giving a public lecture at Purdue University. I'm cutting it close on this one; my plane gets into Indianapolis a mere 2 hours before the talk, so if I'm late, feel free to leave scurrilous slanders on the blackboard for me. The talk is at 6:00 in the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall Room 224. It should be fun. My trip in is tricky in timing, but afterwards, my time is unrestrained, and I think we're getting together to shoot the breeze that evening. If you're somewhere near West Lafayette, Indiana, stop on by.
On Friday, I'll be at this evo-devo meeting:
This is not a public event, but a serious science conference with registration fees and all that. It should be fabulous, even if it does have some nattering nobody for a keynote speaker. Expect heavy real-time science blogging all day Saturday and Sunday morning. I might get out for a wild night in Bloomington on Saturday, though, we'll see.
Finally, on Monday, I'm lowering myself from the glories of real science to a debate with a flaming creationist on the St Paul campus at 7:30pm. Show up! I'm sure the creationists will be trundling in their bible-clutching faithful to boo, even though the subject is nothing about god or religion — it's simply "Should intelligent design creationism be taught in the schools?" The answer is "no," if you're at all confused.
Tuesday I'm sleeping in late. Don't bother me.
Comments
Posted by: JTR | November 10, 2009 12:21 PM
"Finally, on Monday, I'm lowering myself from the glories of real science to a debate with a flaming creationist on the St Paul campus at 7:30pm. Show up! "
The real question is:
Have you arranged for someone to tape it?
Posted by: Natalie | November 10, 2009 12:22 PM
Ooo, St. Paul. That's close enough to me that I could actually go! How exciting.
Posted by: JTR | November 10, 2009 12:23 PM
meh, should have checked that sentence, rephrase:
Do you know if it'll be taped?
Posted by: Acronym Jim | November 10, 2009 12:27 PM
Indiana U named a lecture hall after you too?!!!
Prof, I am impressed.
Posted by: Morgan | November 10, 2009 12:27 PM
Think I know the name of a good video guy if you need it....
;-)
Posted by: Glen Davidson | November 10, 2009 12:30 PM
He he. And you still say there's no god punishing you for your "wicked ways"?
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/mxaa3p
Posted by: David Marjanović, OM | November 10, 2009 12:32 PM
You mean your father smelt of elderberries???
Posted by: James Sweet | November 10, 2009 12:39 PM
Woah... Bergman teache biology at a community college near Chicago? WTF? How does that work?
Posted by: middlekk | November 10, 2009 12:54 PM
Um...I thought that "intelligent design" was not the same as "creationism".
That's what Casey Luskin of the Discovery Institute says. Over and over and over and over again. And over and over and over and over.
Should be a short debate...The US Supreme Court said "no" to creationism in Edwards v Aguillard. And the US District Court's ruled in Kitzmiller v Dover that ID was just so much lipstick on the creationism pig.
So. The US Supreme Court and an unchallenged US District Court decision say "no".
End of discussion. Moving on to real issues.
Posted by: Michael D. LoPrete
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November 10, 2009 12:56 PM
Well crap, I live in Bloomington and the first time in a while you've been close enough it's not open to the public and I'm out of town.
If you're looking for a wild time Saturday (or a venue for a discussion group), there's a nice-sized coffeehouse downtown run by a Christian mission group; a big discussion about godlessness there is sure to break some irony meters.
If you're looking for a more, shall we say, intoxicating experience, I heartily recommend Nick's--just make sure you tell them you want to play "Sink the Biz".
Posted by: Uncle Stabby | November 10, 2009 12:56 PM
Fear not, that poster simply screams "Hard Science Event, Laypersons Begone!" Here's the deal, graphic designers won't try to do awesome experiments and explain ileals, cladistics, telemeres and evo-devo to people if scientists won't try to make posters in MS Word. Ouch.
Posted by: Dylan | November 10, 2009 1:02 PM
pharyngula.org? How retro!
Posted by: Dawn | November 10, 2009 1:40 PM
Off topic:
@ Michael D. LoPrete - just because the name is not really common...are you an ex-Royal Oak, MI person?
Posted by: Shaggy Maniac
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November 10, 2009 1:43 PM
The symposium looks like it will be great; nice to see plant people/projects among the list of speakers. I'll look forward to your live blogging of the same!
Posted by: scooter | November 10, 2009 1:53 PM
PZ, I'd love to attend, we didn't get to hang out at AAI at all.
However, my geographical geography map shows that Indiana is right next to Illinois, which is too close to Chicago, and I don't want the cops to kick the shit out of me for using a cell phyone, and then get dragged off to Julliard Prison and forced to learn cello.
Fuck that, you atheists are to crazy for me.
Posted by: Michael D. LoPrete
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November 10, 2009 2:03 PM
@Dawn: No, that's not me, but for as utterly uncommon as my name is (there's less than 200 LoPrete's in the US by my last check), I know of at least two other Michael D.'s--all of us attorneys, oddly.
Posted by: Eric | November 10, 2009 2:20 PM
I hope to make it on Monday to the "debate"! I'm looking forward to someone finally explaining what the heck the definition of "Intelligent Design" is and what an "ID-infused" high school lesson plan looks like.
I recently listened this "ID Seminar" [1] featuring Bill Dumbski and he can't go three sentences without mentioning Jesus and Christianity. I thought this quote from him summed up the ID movement pretty well...
"Yeah there is a payoff for Christianity, but there is also something just to be said for knowing the truth about Creation and also something to be said about a materialistic ideology that is hostile to God which is suppressing the truth about God and Creation. So part of what motivates me, I don't know if I hate to say, is anger and wanting to see this idol destroyed. There is a certain grim delight I take in the prospect of seeing Darwinism biting the dust." ::: audience applauds :::
This is the supposed science we want taught in public classrooms?
[1] http://apologetics315.blogspot.com/2008/10/intelligent-design-mp3-audio-by-william.html at roughly 1 hour 25 minutes
Posted by: wackadoodle | November 10, 2009 3:48 PM
Your going to Purdue University? While your there could you ask the librarian why he's such a bigoted prick?
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2009/11/06/16403#comments
Posted by: Wes | November 10, 2009 3:57 PM
I live in B-town and go to IU. Hope to see you soon. :)
Posted by: Paul Kuliniewicz | November 10, 2009 4:58 PM
Two hours to get from IND to Purdue? Having made that trip more times than I care to count, that is cutting things extremely close.
Posted by: Greg Peterson | November 10, 2009 5:39 PM
From the Minnesota Atheists Meet-Up it looks like about 50 or so atheists will be at the "debate" Monday...so we should be all right.
Posted by: Jennifurret | November 10, 2009 6:56 PM
Yes, we will be providing a video of PZ's talk, though I still encourage people in the area to stop by!
And as the person picking him up from the airport...the drive to Purdue will be very interesting, possibly worth a blog post itself (though hopefully not).
Posted by: mythusmage
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November 10, 2009 7:02 PM
David, #7
It's his mother who smelt of elderberries, his father was a hamster (which last, now that I think about it, explains so much about PZ's appearance).
PZ
Are you really famous enough to be so humble?
Posted by: ohioobserver | November 10, 2009 7:59 PM
A "wild night" in Bloomington, Indiana? You kiddin'? I'm from indiana and there ain't no wild nights there. Well, watching corn grow. Or soybeans. (But those shows close in October). Maybe you can see a couple of pigs mating ...oh. wait, they don't let 'em do that anymore....
Now here in Ohio...setting couches on fire after a football game is what WE call a wild night.
Posted by: Andrew Wilkens | November 10, 2009 8:43 PM
Alas, I won't be at the talk this weekend (biologists don't tell us lowly chemistry grads about their conferences). Hope to see you out on Saturday.
Posted by: Sean
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November 10, 2009 9:11 PM
I like that there is a picture of Zaprionus indianus. Finally the geneticists have moved on to some pretty fruit flies!
Posted by: Annie | November 10, 2009 11:22 PM
Whoawhoawhoa. Hold on a second. You mean to tell me that first Richard Dawkins visits my hometown (Bloomington) when I'm away at school, then Bob Dylan, and now YOU?!?
Clearly there is no god.
I agree with Michael D. LoPrete, you need to play 'Sink the Biz' at Nick's. If President Obama can drink there so can you! Alternatively, The Irish Lion is a good pub for getting together with large groups of people and they serve MASSIVE lagers.
Posted by: Joe | November 11, 2009 9:22 AM
Brings back memories. I went to school both places.
My favorite undergrad profs were Al Chiscon and Martha Chiscon at Purdue; they taught a basic biology course and inspired generations of undergrads.
My favorite medical school teacher was in Bloomington: Tony Pizzo, a really smart pathologist and a political activist.
Have a good time.
Joe
Posted by: Michael D. LoPrete
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November 11, 2009 9:23 AM
@Annie #27: Good call on the Irish Lion. They have a giant upstairs space for large, boisterous groups; but screw the lagers, it's all about the half-yards of Guinness!
Posted by: ButchKitties | November 11, 2009 9:35 AM
It figures! Dawkins visited IU, and I was too sick to go. Now PZ is going to Purdue, and I can't make it because I have class that night. Stupid flu. Stupid German language.
Posted by: ivo | November 11, 2009 10:27 AM
Ach, nein! Deutsch ist wunderschön!
Posted by: Jason Fox | November 11, 2009 4:10 PM
I also live in Bloomington, so if you go out on Saturday let us know, and I can join you!
Posted by: Michael D. LoPrete
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November 12, 2009 12:18 PM
@Jason Fox, ButchKitties:
Are either of you part of any B-town (rather than IU) secularist/atheist groups? All I'm familiar with are the student groups, and I'd be curious to know if any community-wide groups were active.
Oh, and PZ, if you happen to be paying any attention to this thread anymore: besides the great places for food and drink, also make sure you check out the buses with the dueling signs on either side. "You can be good without god" on one side, "you can be good without god but you can't be saved without jesus" on the other.