Hey, I'm in Minneapolis this afternoon

I'll be speaking … on how religion is always wrong.

Always? I think a certain FSM will be coming by to heave a pasta at you.

Or is that have a pasta with you… can't read the writing, somebody used cheese instead of ink again.

Dinner at four? Good lord. I don't think even the old folks down here in Florida go to dinner that early. :)

Dinner at four?

Well, PZ is probably driving back to Morris after dinner.

Are you seriously going to talk about how religion is always wrong at a PUBLIC library, or am I missing some sarcasm? 'cause talking officially about religion being wrong at a public institution seems to me to be just as wrong as doing likewise with a pro-religion stance.

4am sounds like proper dinner time to me. Most of the pubs have closed by then, so having completed the drinkinglecturing, what else is there to do?

Are you seriously going to talk about how religion is always wrong at a PUBLIC library, or am I missing some sarcasm? 'cause talking officially about religion being wrong at a public institution seems to me to be just as wrong as doing likewise with a pro-religion stance.

This is sarcasm, right?

If not,

I'll be speaking at the Southdale Public Library in Edina at 2:00 on how religion is always wrong.

Is not

I'll be speaking for the Southdale Public Library in Edina at 2:00 on how religion is always wrong.

Well, shit.

We just came in from a hot dirty day of gardening (gotta get those peppers and tomatoes in), and we're too dirty (and busy) to go to Q Cumber's (one of my favorite eateries).

Next time, perhaps.

Very intriguing talk! I was hoping you'd be a bit more bombastic though :)

Dammit! Just seeing this now (6:30pm). I live in Eden Prairie.

What an enjoyable afternoon listening to PZ's talk. It had so many threads that wove together to help me understand the creationist point of view. A bit of history related to current thoughts with the best part saved for last. A very fun talk.

PZ began with a short explanation of the contribution of Herschel, the astronomer and telescope inventor whose discovery of planet Uranus altered the world view of his society dramatically. Yet 18th Christians made a good effort to accommodate science into their mythology, unlike today's rigid right Christians, PZ explained.

It seems that people in all eras have difficulty with deep space and deep time. PZ said that the idea of "millions of years" of evolution infuriates creationists. I've encountered deep time confusion when I explain the migration out of Africa about 50,000 to 80,000 years ago as part of the story in my art and I'm asked... "what about the dinosaurs?"

The best part of the lecture was the last 15 minutes when PZ gave a very thorough and very clear explanation of Savante Paabo and colleagues' data from the Neanderthal genome. (their paper recently published in "Science". Take a look at this special feature http://www.sciencemag.org/special/neandertal/feature/index.html).

This is very new information and may not hold up over the next months, but analysis shows that when anatomical humans that left Africa about 80,000 years ago, residing in the Fertile Crescent, exchanged genes with our distant cousins.

They were making whoopee! So population groups like Northern Europeans (that's PZ's Hap Group H) and Asians are 1% to 4% Neanderthal.

Aligning the chimp, human and Neander genomes scientists asked, what's changed? PZ showed a short list of the genes they have so far that showed variation — most for cognitive functions. One gene may allow for expansion of the skull for a big brain and adjustment of the shoulders to keep it in place.

I love human origins stuff and it's only going to get more fascinating, complex and just plain thrilling over the next years.

Which was one of PZ's main points. Creationists describe a small, unchanging and very uninteresting world. Science is revealing such beautiful panoramas of diversity and complexity. The real thing is so incredible, isn't it?

Meanwhile, on religion ... Herr Ratzinger's latest inane defense tactic on the pedophile scandal?

Those priests don't work for me, they're independent contractors!

http://socraticgadfly.blogspot.com/2010/05/pope-those-priests-dont-work…

Hey, I'm in Minneapolis this afternoon

I was out on Long Island Sound most of the day.

Original Post said: "I'll be speaking ... on how religion is always wrong."

Didn't you watch your own posted video? The correct term nowadays is: "Religion is bullshit".

Do try to keep up, old man.

I like the "Always". It shows one of my favorite things about PZ: He never wavers, he never waffles, he never tries to accommodate. He knows how fucked up this shit is, and he's going to PUNCH IT WITH LOGIC until it stops ruining lives.

So thanks, PZ. Maybe with people like you and Dawkins around, I might get to see a world where people can't use Space Fairies to break down society before I die.

I'm so glad we finally made it to the Minnesota Atheists meeting. And how nice that you were there. What a fun talk. We all knew it was true, but it sure is nice to hear it from someone who knows the science and can back it up.

Hey PZ get your free speech defence cape on. Here's an instance os real suppression of free speech.

American academic not allowed to speak

Super PZ to the rescue!

I was hoping you'd be a bit more bombastic though

Are you saying he's not Mr. Bombastic?

Carlie,

I watched that video twice. What is the point of it?

Nothing. It's just unfortunately the only thing that ever comes into my head now when I see the word "bombastic". Carry on.