pharyngula

That guy Dawkins. I put up a few posts about beer, and what does he do? Sends me this picture.

The Lexington Herald-Leader has posted a copy of the executive summary. Just in case it goes away, here is a pdf of the 18-page executive summary; it's a strangely fact-free document, relying on surveys and opinion polls to make estimates about economic impact. I'm serious: in the section that…

That loopy homeopath, John Benneth, is bragging now that he is the most widely read homeopath in the world, and that his blog has broken all previous viewership records. He's quite proud of this "accomplishment". One of the last John Benneth Journal entries for 2010, IN ONE YEAR, has broken all…

When climate change denialists give you that silly song-and-dance about scientists flip-flopping on predictions about warming, show them this video from 1989. Not only is it Isaac Asimov (yay!), but he talks about making this same argument, that we ought to worry about the greenhouse effect, for 20…

With some relief, I have finished that gift case of beer, ending with a Great White Beer. I usually don't have a beer every day — more like one every few weeks — so it was a bit more than I am used to. It was still an interesting exercise, trying them close enough in time that I could actually…

Forgive me, threadlians, but I just have to riff on this particular video. Don't be surprised, this is how all atheists tenderize their babies before the barbecue. Laugh-a while you can, Monkey Boy! In Russia, you don't go on roller coaster, you are roller coaster. Jane, Tarzan think Boy…

An Arizona Democrat, Representative Gabrielle Giffords, has been shot and possibly killed by an assassin armed with an automatic weapon. Her offices had earlier been targeted for vandalism for her support of health care reform. Isn't it amazing that health care reform has become such a polarizing…

It's Tracey Spicer, a commentator on an Australian radio show. If you do radio or TV, you must listen to her interview with Meryl Dorey, the wicked anti-vaxxer crank. There are no mealy mouthed pleasantries, there is no downplaying of the evil Dorey has promoted, Spicer simply rips into her and…

Some of the email I get is simply crackpots trying to give me information. I received a lovely example this morning, and since he wants to share, I'm willing to help him. Dear Dr. Myers, When God said He stretched out the Heavens in the Old Testament, and will fold them back again in the New…

It's a lonely night here at Chez Myers — my wife couldn't make it home through the blowing snow and occasional whiteouts, so she's holed up in a hotel down the road, while I'm left home alone with nothing but the Blue Paddle Pilsner Lager. It's not bad, but it's no substitute.

Senator Grassley launched an investigation into the finances of religious organizations, after reports of abuses — you know the sorts of things that are common, like obscene salaries to ministers, active politicizing from the pulpit, etc. The Grassley report has been released, with a dull thud.…

Earlier I had claimed that cable networks had bottomed out by conspiring with the Catholic church to make an exorcism show. I was wrong. TLC is making a reality show with Ted Haggard. I will refrain from saying that now they've hit bottom, because if I do, some cable executive somewhere will step…

David Silverman appeared on Bill O'Reilly's show this week, and brought out the stupidity in dopey ol' Bill. He gave his usual justification: "The tides go in, the tides go out. The sun goes up, the sun comes down." The clip below is notable for two things: it contains the multiple examples of O'…

Ken Ham is not happy with the Pope. If the Pope claims that his god started the Big Bang, that is an acknowledgment that the Big Bang, which is not in the Bible, actually happened, and you know what that leads to? Madness! Now, if the book of Genesis is an allegory, then sin is an allegory, the…

Jerry Coyne has a recommendation for this poll on the best webcomic: vote for Jesus and Mo. I concur. And it seems to be sweeping the poll right now. Hey, did it get Coynulated before it was Pharyngulated?

It's because it is the absolute bottom floor of any descent into crepitude. That's all I can conclude from looking at the fate of various cable television channels: they all seem to start out well with commendable goals, and pretty soon they're all selling out to the cheapest, sleaziest advertisers…

Unfortunately, it's learning the hard way, and I think it's a terminal lesson. (via Don Strong via Ted Grosholz via Galen Leeds)

The label on the Gordon Biersch Märzen says, "A smooth, auburn-colored Bavarian lager with a mildly sweet finish. It was originally brewed in March ("März" in German) and stored in caves to be drunk during warmer weather." Warmer weather? I have consumed it prematurely then.

I just got a request to advertise a conference, and here's the flyer they sent to me. O Bitter Cruelty! It's like they're taunting me with their weather! And notice…I'm not one of the invited speakers. I get to just stay here in the frozen Northland and watch the icicles grow on my mustache while…

Christopher Hitchens explains how to make a decent cup of tea. He's got it exactly right, too. Last year we learned how to make good tea using the loose leaf and a strainer, and we've been tinkering with the procedure all this time, and it's true: tea is finicky. You get huge variations in flavor…

The Pope has announced that God was the cause behind the Big Bang, which is nice…but unfortunately, he hasn't shown any data, nor has he published in any of the physics journals. Instead, we're going to have to rely on a poll. The pope says God was behind the Big Bang, which scientists believe…

I know you've been wondering about the answer to these questions: Does Poop Smell in Heaven? How about before the Fall? Now you can get answers. The answers are: Nobody poops in heaven. If you're a young earth creationist, nobody may have pooped during creation week, but if they did, it didn't…

It's been a year? Wow. Last year at this time, there was a run of silly votes for what is called the Shorty awards on Twitter — you may recall that a couple of quacks, Mike Adams and Joe Mercola, snapped and started cheating furiously to win the Health category, to no avail: their votes were mostly…

The infamous Andrew Wakefield study that claimed to find a link between autism and vaccinations is still being scrutinized, and the latest investigation has uncovered evidence of faked data. A new examination found, by comparing the reported diagnoses in the paper to hospital records, that…

One of the advantages of living in Minnesota is that in winter, the deck becomes a gigantic beer fridge for your Firestone Pale Ale. One of the disadvantages is that you can't keep your beverages outside in the summer — the mosquitoes will pierce all the bottles and drink all your beer. True story.

Look up, all you denizens of the twisty little thread, and think about…astrobiology! (Current totals: 11,637 entries with 1,234,909 comments.)

He's so angry with me, he's demanding that I be fired right now, and worse, he's drawn a picture of me. It's a stunning likeness. I should have it framed and sent to my mom.

I know the excuses already. The cowardly assassin, Mumtaz Qadri, who murdered Governor Taseer in Pakistan was an outlier, a freak, a weirdo, and we atheist bastards better not try to demean religion by associating a rogue individual with it. Can we spit in contempt on an entire culture instead?…

Among my usual flood of daily email, I frequently get tossed onto mailing lists for conservative think tanks. Why? I don't know. I suspect that it's for the same reason I also get a lot of gay porn in my email: not because I follow it or asked to be added, but because some tired d-bag with no…