pharyngula

I thought this was pretty funny. But then I realized that this was the answer to the whole problem of the political assault on women by Republicans. If they don't give a damn about women's rights in the first place, we just have to reframe the whole question: Rick Perry and the whole lot of…

I missed the classiest part of Kirk Cameron's remarks about Stephen Hawking — the source I cited apparently edited out the over-the-top preliminaries as words that should not be witnessed. We don't exhibit such decorum here, so I'm willing to repeat what Cameron said. To say anything negative about…

It's a big image, so I put it below the fold, but it's worth it. Click through to see my point illustrated.

It's true, and it has been empirically evaluated: Guinness really does taste better in Ireland. The results of the Guinness-tasting t-test were clear. Pints consumed in Ireland had a mean GOES score of 74, compared with a score of 57 in pubs outside Ireland. While Ireland may not necessarily keep…

I'm beginning to feel like I'm a bit organized for my visit to the Ireland and the UK next week. Here's when and where. 3-5 June: DUBLIN. I'll be attending the World Atheist Convention, and speaking at noon on 4 June. 6 June: GLASGOW. I'll be speaking to the Glasgow Skeptics at 7:00 in the Crystal…

No. I can't watch any of them. I was sent a link to The 13 Creepiest Christian Education Videos for Kids, and … hideous clowns and rapping puppets … and OBEY … oh, jebus, the children. Think of the children.

Father Riccardo Seppia is a priest under one of the advisors Pope Ratzi appointed to oversee church reforms in the wake of the pedophilia scandals. You know exactly where this is going, don't you? Investigators examining tapped cellphone conversations between a Moroccan drug dealer and 51-year-old…

I don't understand how this could happen. You can buy the new Lady Gaga album for 99 cents? I am in shock. I also have it on my iPod now.

Hasn't Sean Carroll learned from Stephen Hawking's experience? Nothing stirs up the public like a physicist explaining how silly their cherished myths are. Now Carroll gives the physicists' perspective on life after death. Very roughly speaking, when most people think about an immaterial soul that…

These people do exist. I am a fellow atheist from Germany. I have to say I enjoy reading your blog Pharyngula. I study molecular biology and strongly believe in evolution. I am, however, rather conservative in my views. That's what troubles me with atheism lately, it seems that atheists are…

It's an annoyance that the History Channel is part of the basic cable package I get — I haven't watched the acceleratingly awful channel in years, but they still get by on their slice of the cable pie. Now they have announced that they will be turning the Bible into a "five-part, 10-hour scripted…

As a young man, I often walked the streets of Seattle — it's a great city, and wonderful to explore. But then, I never walked the streets while brown. That experience would be completely different. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? This country is well on the way to becoming a petty tyranny, run by…

After saying that the atheist movement ought to be politically progressive and inclusive, I got a letter saying I left some people out. I'll rectify that by simply posting the letter! I'm a long-time reader and admirer of Pharyngula, and I've been especially impressed with your call for atheists…

I'll be on Minnesota Public Radio on 31 May, on a program called Bright Ideas, in front of a live studio audience, which will probably pepper me with obnoxious questions. Or fun questions. We'll find out. This event may have already been 'sold' out (tickets are free) — but you locals can try to get…

Last week, the news was full of stories about this report that supposedly explained the Catholic church's history of pedophilia: the major surprising conclusion that was reported is that the problem wasn't gay priests, it was all those dirty rotten hippies who were miseducated in the free-love…

Ken Ham is currently hawking his new book, Already Compromised, in which he whines about the way universities — even many bible colleges — don't take the Old Testament absolutely literally. This leads, of course, to students actually examining evidence and arguments outside the Bible, which…

It's Towel Day. I've got mine right here next to the computer. Incredibly useful things, towels. Just in case you are unaware of the importance of your towel, take it away, Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an…

…let's not forget that other gigantic issue, racism. The secular movement ought to be clearly on the side of the angels on that one, too, and we need to listen more to people of color. I know well the phenomenon of speaking at secular events and looking out to see that sea of paleness — I swear, I…

Kansas representative Pete DeGraaf is fighting for a bill that would exclude abortion coverage in cases of rape. He thinks the state should stay out of that problem, and it should just be something that women "plan ahead for": Bollier asked him, "And so women need to plan ahead for issues that they…

(via National Geographic)

Rebecca Watson is stirring up trouble again. She points out the dire situation for women in this country. In the first quarter of this year, 49 state legislatures introduced 916 bills that restricted reproductive rights. Here are a few that have passed, like in Texas, where women must have an…

Larry Moran has a copy of the hideous Mr Wells' new creationist book on junk DNA, and he's going to be taking it apart chapter by chapter. Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 are already up — it looks like it's a rather lightweight and superficial book, so I expect the Moran buzzsaw to shred it up fast. The…

But only sometimes! Don't think I'm getting soft in my dotage! Anyway, for some reason, I found this mildly depressing, mildly optimistic analysis of of America's economic state by Brad DeLong surprisingly informative. Even though I'd still rather read some biology.

Tara Smith is off at a science conference, and she tried to buy some souvenirs from a Retail Sales Guy. [RSG]: But you can't be a scientist! [Me]: I can't? [RSG]: No, you don't look like a microbiologist. [Me]: Um, what exactly does a microbiologist look like, then? [RSG]: Uh... [Me]: Because I'm…

The world didn't end last Saturday (obviously), but Harold Camping and his predictions are just a smokescreen, and everyone is missing the heart of the problem. Camping has now spoken. He now claims that Jesus did arrive 'spiritually' on the 21st, and that in his generous mercy, God has decided to…

This just isn't right. Jen reports that women atheists are being described as "pretty" at conferences. This has got to stop. It's discriminatory and rude. I am really annoyed that we guys are being left out. Jen even says that she wouldn't "stoop to suggesting we need to recruit hot guys to lure in…

In addition to being a Republican, a creationist, a bad economist, and a tiresome one-note character actor, he's also a rape apologist. I thought he'd hit bottom with Expelled, but I think he does have a real talent for finding a way to spiral ever downwards.

I guess Josh couldn't get that post-Rapture interview with Harold Camping, so he settled for the next best thing: me.

I leave the state for a weekend, and what happens? The Rethuglican brats passed a vote to have a referendum to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage in Minnesota. We're about to go through a nasty long election cycle in which the sanctimonious assholes who want to dictate how you run…