New Yorkers: you really don't want to miss the upcoming appearance by James Randi on 10 October. He'll be at Rockefeller University that evening, and he's always entertaining and fun.
The rest of the country will be getting a small consolation prize. If you can't make it to NY, you can all go to Springfield, Missouri instead, where Richard Carrier and PZ Myers will be rockin' the house with their godless stylings at MSU that weekend. I'll post more details on that, later.
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As promised, here are the details on my debate this week.
Debate: Are Science and Religion Compatible?
An Evening of Stimulating Intellectual Discourse
with
Loyal Rue and PZ Myers
Sponsored by
Campus Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists
Thursday, February 7, 2008
7:00pm - 10:00pm
West Bank Auditorium…
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Springfield??? No. Way. Of course, I don't live anywhere near there any more, hmpf.
(Pssst - are you sure you're not going to SMU? Or did they go and change the name again?)
[looks it up]
Huh, they changed the name. Bastards. What's wrong with a good regional-linked name, anyway?
Grrrr...
MSU, huh? They only recently took that name to steal funds from the Tigers. You ought to come to my alma mater, the University of Missouri in lovely Columbia, Missouri. We have a better football team (Go Tigers!), and we have actual biology and evolutionary psychology departments. I think MSU is big into the Creationism.
*blatant slander*
Dr. Geery, anyone?
Oh well, I'll just hope you come to your senses and visit us soon too.
Actually, the Biology Department at MSU is excellent, and perhaps coincidentally includes some friends of mine (Hi Brian! Hi Kit! Hi Tom! Hi Day!). PZ should have a good time there, as I have.
OMG OMG PZ WILL BE WITHIN DRIVING DISTANCE OF ME OMG!
Need details!
...had. As I have had. Good times. In Springfield. OK, once...one good time. I'll just...shut up.
Gasp! MSU? That's about a two-hour drive away, but totally worth it. My alma matter, at that. And Google knows that place could use some good disruption. The stud-in-the-center-of-the-buckle-of-the-bible-belt there...
Details!
Don't forget people. Missouri is a swing state this election.
Date:
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Time:
1:00pm - 4:00pm
Location:
Plaster Student Union Theater
Street:
901 S. National
City/Town:
Springfield, MO
Facebook event
http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/event.php?eid=41197800539
Hum, Mizzou Football, 0 national titles. Missouri State Handball, 10 national titles. Just had to throw that in there. Plus, we have more pirates; clearly evidenced by our massive ice storms.
Gasp! MSU? That's about 1.75 miles away, but totally worth it.
Sven, thanks for the vote of confidence in our Biology Department. With responses like that from CtheD you'd guess that state appropriations have never been disbursed among multiple institutions.
PZ, I can't wait for you to visit. Now, details?
70 miles north of me! Woo Hoo!
The bar for skepticism has just been raised. I sent my friend a link to the main page for NYC Skeptics and was surprised when he didn't seem enthused. Said he was wary of any organization that advertised itself as a place for "like minded" people, regardless of the common thread.
That's right. He was skeptical of the skeptics organization.
He was skeptical of the skeptics organization.
Hell, I've been there for since my late teens once I saw how ideology-addled many skeptics were.
Tell Randi if he rants on about spoon bending again, I'm coming over there to slap the concept of "relevancy" into him.
It's 2008! There is no spoon!
Damn. For a brief joyous moment there I thought it read Springfield, Massachusetts, instead of Missouri. That one I could get to. So, when are you coming to New England?
I have never met Richard Carrier, or heard him speak -- but I think he's amazing (with apologies to Randi.) I love his stuff. I've read his book -- twice -- and incorporated his definition of 'supernatural' into my own arguments. The two of you together is likely to be brilliant.
Dang. Carrier's on my short list of People I Need to Go Hear At Least Once, and has been there for years. But I'm busy that weekend, even if I could get there.
Someday. I will bide my time. But someday.
sigh
Wow, I guess Fresno California just doesn't rate a mention by anyone. We've been passing the word that James Randi is speaking in Fresno on Thursday night, October 2nd for almost a month.
If you live in the California San Joaquin Valley and complain that there's never any secular or skeptical activity, then you haven't seen the cvaas.org website.
/grumble
James Randi in Fresno. I am very skeptical of that. Why would he visit the god fearing, conservative backwater that is the San Joaquin Valley? I will believe it when I see him in person. I will consider the incredible improbability of it tomorrow morning while I am having breakfast.
OT
Excuse me, I'm trying to get html down.
OM
Nothing to see here, folks. (Unless it shows a link.)
R.C. Moore in #18: James Randi in Fresno. I am very skeptical of that. Why would he visit the god fearing, conservative backwater that is the San Joaquin Valley?
Hell, I drove from Berkeley some years back to see Molly Ivins in Fresno. (swoon) If there were ever anything more dazzling than Molly in print, it was Molly in person: a six-foot redhead in a silk dress and cowboy boots.
YAY! I can't wait for you to be here! WOOOO!
MSU may suck balls sometimes, but is a mostly fun place to be. If you know the right people, anyway...
Well, I'll be close on the 10th. I'll be driving to KC. Mo, but that isn't close enough to make it to the presentation. :(
But when will we see Randi & Myers in Norway??
Little let-down over here, I thought maybe you were guesting on The Simpsons...
(Is that show still on?)
#18 - RC Moore:
Tsk. You are such a skeptic. Breakfast - Voila!
RC Moore and Calladus:
Sorry I missed out on the breakfast this morning. I am, however, looking forward to dining with him at the pre-lecture reception on campus this evening!
And you failed to mention that we here in Fresno have the chance of tuning out of the dismal debate this evening and bask in something Amazing instead!!
No, I mentioned it. Post #17!
I had to share a strange website I just discovered. It's off topic, although you could say that it has to do with skepticism and debunking of the credulous, like Randi engages in, so, um, yeah that's my justification for posting it here...
Museum of Idolatry
It's a blog of tacky, ridiculous examples of Christian excess -- e.g., a hip-hop version of the Bible, a plush Jesus doll, and Bibleman: The Magazine (with a free secret decoder sword!)
But here's the wacky hook that makes this better than your average "let's point and laugh at religious tack" site: it's written by some True Believer Christian and the faults they find are all based on these things being part of "The Great Apostasy that is sweeping through today's 'Christianity'". I'm pretty sure it's not a Poe, but feel free to speculate wantonly.
Example: Remember that story PZ linked to a while back on the uproar over Gospel Today magazine putting female pastors on its cover? Here's their entire description of it:
The comments are great too, full of people deploring other's lack of "sound theology" while they themselves believe in insane bullshit.
A wonderful site that works on two levels: laugh at the stuff posted and the people posting about it.
Remember to duck if reverend Lovejoy tries throwing the book at you.