Now the godless Australians are getting into the atheist bus sign business, and I must say, this is my favorite ad of the bunch so far, since it's got the nice sciencey touches to it. And it's a fine bunch of happy atheists promoting it, too.
Search
Profile
PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
…and this is a pharyngula stage embryo.
• a longer profile of yours truly
• my calendar
• Nature Network
• RichardDawkins Network
• facebook
• MySpace
• Twitter
• Atheist Nexus
• the Pharyngula chat room
(#pharyngula on irc.synirc.net)
I reserve the right to publicly post, with full identifying information about the source, any email sent to me that contains threats of violence.
Random Quote
By any reasonable measure of achievement, the faith of the Enlightenment thinkers in science was justified. Today the greatest divide within humanity is not between races, or religions, or even, as is widely believed, between the literate and illiterate. It is the chasm that separates scientific from prescientific cultures.
Edward O. Wilson, Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge, (First edition, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1998), p. 45.
Recent Posts
- Our illness is their profit
- Friday Cephalopod: NUMBERLESS HOSTS!
- Dear Jezebel
- There Will Be Blood?
- Zooming in on the Origin of Life Science Foundation
- Friday Cephalopod: Feasibility trial successful
- Making excuses
- More bad science in the literature
- An open letter to the Indiana legislature
- One Carnival of Evolution, coming right up
A Taste of Pharyngula
Recent Comments
- Tumara Baap on Our illness is their profit
- chriswarr on Our illness is their profit
- vibise on Zooming in on the Origin of Life Science Foundation
- mrpoxman on Our illness is their profit
- Everbleed on Friday Cephalopod: NUMBERLESS HOSTS!
- CherryBombSim on Our illness is their profit
- I'm sorry, thank you on Our illness is their profit
- https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawlg3ZrAn0yJktAa1txQLOB6bCND-AfW0pA on Our illness is their profit
- mandas on Our illness is their profit
- sue.welsh on Our illness is their profit
Archives
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
Blogroll
Other Information
« I would not want to be a judge for that award | Main | Episode XXXVI: The predictable descent »
More articles by PZ Myers can be found on Freethoughtblogs at the new Pharyngula!
Nice sign
Category: Godlessness
Posted on: March 6, 2010 11:31 AM, by PZ Myers
TrackBacks
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://scienceblogs.com/mt/pings/133125
Leave a comment
HTML commands: <i>italic</i>, <b>bold</b>, <a href="url">link</a>, <blockquote>quote</blockquote>
Comments
Posted by: MarkusH
|
March 6, 2010 11:44 AM
I like the red cooking shirt. The actual sign is very cool too, with a positive message and nice graphic touch.
Posted by: daveau
|
March 6, 2010 11:45 AM
Finally! Not anti-god, but pro-reason.
Posted by: 'Tis Himself, OM
|
March 6, 2010 11:46 AM
Do we know any of those people?
Posted by: PZ Myers
|
March 6, 2010 11:51 AM
I imagine some of us will after the conference next week.
Posted by: JD
|
March 6, 2010 11:52 AM
And to the lady with the red shirt: How would we know whether to cook on a gas or charcoal grill if it wasn't for god's objective grilling guidance?
Posted by: vanharris
|
March 6, 2010 11:54 AM
It's too bad that there's only one woman in the group.
I wonder how representative that is of the situation in Oz?
Posted by: daveau
|
March 6, 2010 11:56 AM
'Tis@3
Row 1, L-R: Richard Dawkins, George Carlin; PZ Myers
Row 2, L-R: Jerry Coyne, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Julia Sweeney
Posted by: NiChrome
|
March 6, 2010 12:03 PM
What do you think of this design I recently posted?:
http://bit.ly/9Oyu6h
Posted by: kennykjc24
|
March 6, 2010 12:06 PM
Hey, does anyone know if this is availible as a bumper sticker? This is the only atheist one I've been tempted to put on my car.
Posted by: MolBio
|
March 6, 2010 12:09 PM
We're alright here, religion is on the decline. Unfortunately some of my generation are becoming evangelicals. A few people I knew in biological sciences were YECs. I only started postgrad. Partially scares me.
Posted by: Rorschach
|
March 6, 2010 12:09 PM
Nope !
"Atheism--Celebrate Reason"
If only one would follow from the other by default !!
Posted by: ashridah
|
March 6, 2010 12:19 PM
Heh, I'm generally surprised that someone hasn't mentioned the giant storm Melbourne just got. Can't wait for some religious nutjob back in my hometown to link the two :P
Posted by: katsushirohirata
|
March 6, 2010 12:21 PM
Any idea when they'll decide to do a campaign in the Southern US? They seem to be ignoring the 'bible belt'.
Posted by: Lynna, OM
|
March 6, 2010 12:21 PM
What a lovely bus sign! And what an appealing group of people with which to barbecue babies. Strange, though, that one doesn't see a single cloven hoof nor horn amongst them.
Posted by: jenbphillips
|
March 6, 2010 12:26 PM
Lynna,
that's what photoshop is for! (the woman in the BBQjesusfish t-shirt is just asking for it!)
Posted by: John Frum
|
March 6, 2010 12:34 PM
That's a sexy group of people right there.
Posted by: blf
|
March 6, 2010 12:46 PM
Sashimi.
Posted by: SaintStephen
|
March 6, 2010 1:54 PM
Phew. That's one piece of rotten fish on her barbie.
It might have been better off served in a nondescript, blandish chowder, with large grains of salt added to hide the true flavor.
Hang on...
Posted by: llewelly
|
March 6, 2010 1:59 PM
Lynna, OM | March 6, 2010 12:21 PM:
Notice the photographer was careful to keep their feet out of the frame.
Posted by: GoatRider
|
March 6, 2010 2:01 PM
I like how it's placed immediately under the "Emergency Exit" sign.
Posted by: blf
|
March 6, 2010 2:03 PM
Those smiles make me think they've just spotted a fresh baby and as soon as this photoshot is done, will tear off down the street, possibly tearing off their clothing, grab the baby, and devour it raw.
Posted by: tbfoster
|
March 6, 2010 3:01 PM
Yay, If I'm not mistaken I actually semi-know one of them, the guy with the blond mop on his head is Jason Ball, the creator and president of the University of Melbourne Secular Society! I should probably recognise some of the others but I've only been in town a short while. I have been trying to find these buses!
Some of us will be attending a very special student-only lunch with the PZ of Myers himself during the con :) I can't wait (mostly because tickets are sold out for the con and I only just got a job...)
Posted by: Kliwon
|
March 6, 2010 3:40 PM
In Australia, you are safe wearing T-shirts like that. We are to apathetic to care enough about this sort of thing to do anything about it. Our chuch attendance rate is 10% of the population.Wish I knew which busline. I want get my own picture while they are still running the campaign.
Posted by: tbfoster
|
March 6, 2010 4:04 PM
10% too many Kliwon! I agree in part, but I get the sense there are a lot more community-religions here, e.g. people belonging to a religion because that's the community they grew up in more then anything else. So we just have to make sure one of our main efforts continues to be showing that secular communities are just as viable a source of support and connectivity as religious ones!
I should also mention that the special student-only lunch with PZ next weekend is for university students only, but it doesn't specify which university! Rego up!
Posted by: SaintStephen
|
March 6, 2010 4:34 PM
Can anybody (Down Under or otherwise) provide a link for purchasing a T-Shirt like that?
My credit card is quivering with anticipation...
Posted by: Jason Ball
|
March 6, 2010 4:51 PM
BBQ T-shirt available from http://www.thearrogantatheist.com/
Posted by: SaintStephen
|
March 6, 2010 5:05 PM
Thank you Jason!
Posted by: speedweasel
|
March 6, 2010 5:36 PM
These advertisements mainly seem to be on the 200 & 300 line buses that run from the CBD (Lonsdale Street) down the Eastern Freeway to Doncaster and Templestowe.
I catch a Templestowe bus every morning and every morning I smile at these ads.
Posted by: FossilFishy
|
March 6, 2010 7:20 PM
I'm a Canadian ex-pat now living in rural Victoria. The tiny town I live in has a large population of Catholics. I would not be comfortable wearing any of those shirts. I had one woman tell me I was stupid for opening my shop on Sundays. I suspect that it's the same here as it was back in Canada with the major population centers being more secular than the rural regions.
I also wonder about that 10% church attendance figure. My experience has been that Auzzies are reluctant to talk about their religiosity. If the study subjects were self selecting then that number is going to be made up people who are unusually open about it. Could be that the number is even lower for the general population. Here's hoping.
I'm not attending the convention unfortunately, but if any of you godless hoard is planning to do a bit of traveling feel free to stop by. My wife, 2 year old daughter and I live in a big old farm house with plenty of beds to spare. We own a bike store and would be happy to loan bikes to anyone who wants to toodle along the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail. The shop is in Myrtleford BTW. Feel free to contact me: info at myrtlefordcycle dot com.
Oh, and we live 100 meters from the local pub where they have Guinness on tap, if that makes a difference to you hedonists.
Posted by: James Bresnahan
|
March 6, 2010 7:56 PM
Excellent to see the bus campaign rolling around Melbourne, and just in time for the convention.
Posted by: frodon
|
March 6, 2010 9:00 PM
Great. Another atheist sausage fest.
Posted by: Janine, The Little Top Of Venom, OM
|
March 6, 2010 9:28 PM
Frodon, did you catch the header of this blog?
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal.
Have any complaints about the existence of this blog?
As for the sausage fest crack, did you look at the picture?
Posted by: Davo
|
March 6, 2010 9:32 PM
@FossilFishy I'm just down the road in Wangaratta ;)
Know of another atheist business person in Yarrawonga, also having a hard time with the religious locals, your not alone.
I'll pop in sometime if I get a chance and say gudday, I emailed ya so you have my contact :)
Posted by: davemcrae999
|
March 6, 2010 10:39 PM
Great stuff - it looks as if they've got past the ban by the advertisement company (monopoly) on the mainland
(just checked the AFA site - only Melbourne - the other capitals are still being obstuctionist. They had to take the Tasmanian ad agency to court to get them shown in that state.
Posted by: truebutnotuseful
|
March 6, 2010 10:45 PM
What a militant looking bunch. Positively dripping with stridency.
Posted by: FossilFishy
|
March 6, 2010 11:05 PM
Thanks for that Davo. Please do drop by, the nice thing about being king o' the business is that I can always take time to chat.
Are you going to the convention?
Posted by: Kliwon
|
March 7, 2010 12:14 AM
Qouted from 'The Religious Write' blog on 'The Age'. The theists like to qoute figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. I didn't bother to check myself.
Jason, thanks. I will go there to order one.
speedweasel, thanks. I will zap over to that part of town to see if I can get a pick. It's a bit of a trip, but it's worth the effort.
Posted by: scarygirl
|
March 7, 2010 12:47 AM
Oh my golly oh my golly oh my golly.
I so can't wait to see one of these signs.
Posted by: chuckbert
|
March 7, 2010 3:41 AM
No mention in the article or on here about the attempt to do this in Adelaide (IIRC?) last year at the time of the London ads. The advertising company refused to take them. Turns out my neighbour's brother works for that ad. co. (in Perth) and I gave him a hard time about refusing the ads. He just shrugged and said that it was a business no-brainer. Agreeing that it was a 'no-brainer' was about as far as I could go ...
Posted by: Nemo
|
March 7, 2010 5:09 AM
LOL. But surely that's Lewis Black, Hemant Mehta and Phil Plait in the back row. I just don't get why Jay Leno is with them.
Posted by: Naon Tiotami
|
March 7, 2010 5:52 AM
Who's that fiendishly attractive blonde man in the center of that image? Why, it's Jason Ball! I never! ;)
You'd best all come and say hi to him if you're coming to the convention - he nearly organised the whole thing himself. Many pats on the back are what he deserves, as well as a beer or two, I think.
Posted by: DebinOz
|
March 7, 2010 6:41 AM
That lovely lady in the red shirt is yours truly.
Posted by: Atheist Chaplain
|
March 7, 2010 7:26 AM
Well much as I would love to see those signs in person, circumstances beyond my control will forbid me that this coming weekend. Anyone want a ticket to the conference and the Saturday night dinner ?
:-(
Posted by: DLC
|
March 7, 2010 8:12 AM
There's probably no god, so try to enjoy your life.
Posted by: scooterKPFT
|
March 7, 2010 9:57 AM
DebinOz @ 42
I heve to have some of those shirts, how do we get some?
Posted by: DaveWTC
|
March 7, 2010 11:24 AM
@#1 Yeah, great shirt and you just know the response from the creationists will be the same shirt where the fish has feet. They are so innovative and, er, well, creative.
Posted by: tbfoster
|
March 7, 2010 12:32 PM
@ scooterKPFT
Jason (blondie) posted this link for the bbq fish tshirt and others earlier:
http://www.thearrogantatheist.com/ Enjoy!
It's very tempting Atheist Chaplain! I think they'd still be out of my price range though (and it's probably too late to change the dinner ticket to my diet anyways). If only I knew someone rich who was willing to fork over the dosh...
Posted by: thehuntbox
|
March 8, 2010 5:23 AM
Great. Another atheist sausage fest.
But who will be on the top, down under.
Posted by: Mariano
|
March 8, 2010 11:19 AM
Nice sign indeed but what is the message?
They pretend to celebrate reason while the atheists whom they booked for the conference, such as Dawkins and Myers himself, adbsond from the debates to which they have been challenged whilst traveling down under in order to pretend to be the utmost in erudition.
Posted by: PZ Myers
|
March 8, 2010 1:08 PM
Speaking of pretending to erudition...that's a fine piece of pomposity with an ugly bit of uninterpretable gristle in the middle.
We have decided we'd rather not debate morons, which I think is the wise course. Unfortunately, no non-morons have challenged us.