pharyngula

Jackie Trebesh and her daughter attended a Catholic church presided over by "Reverend" John Kelly. One weekend she was surprised when they were both denied communion. She was in for a further surprise: when she left the church, she was pursued by a Santa Rosa County deputy, pulled over, and given a…

Jacqulyn Levin, a high school health education teacher, had a simple lesson plan to help students understand the anatomy of the female reproductive tract. "She stood in front of the students," district spokesman Jeff Puma said. "If you can picture a body builder flexing his arms and having his…

Hang on there, reincarnating the reborn thread always gives me a sense of deja vu. I'm sure, somewhere in its past lives, it was an Egyptian Pharaoh, anyway. (Current totals: 11,690 entries with 1,244,073 comments.)

Phil and Kaja Foglio, the creators of Girl Genius, are giving away fabulous computer wallpapers for a donation this week. It's a squid attack! As much as I like Agatha Heterodyne, I still see this as a representation of her last moments, just before the bespectacled squid gulps her down.

It's good to see the old traditions kept alive. The Romans were fond of monumental marble architecture, formal public ritual, and deifying their emperors after their death, and look at the Vatican: monumental marble architecture, formal public ritual, and now the rapid beatification and expected…

I will not be at this one…I wouldn't want you to think I was verging on a state of godlike omnipresence. It should still be fun and informative, and has a good lineup: It's the Northeast Conference on Science & Skepticism, on 9-10 April in New York City. Of course, it's not set in the Pacific…

Since I just mentioned I'll be in Portland at the end of March, I should also let you know I'll be in Kamloops, BC in early May. More time in the great Pacific Northwest! I should see about doing something this summer in Seattle, too, so I can pop in and visit the family. I'm sure they'll fix my…

Back in the dim and ancient days of usenet, I used to take astrologers apart for fun. They had such goofy ideas, and they were so serious about it. But fortunately for us, astrology is unlike creationism in that it is mostly powerless and unpersuasive, and only the deeply gullible and ignorant can…

Last night, I finished reading Paul Offit's Deadly Choices(amzn/b&n/abe/pwll), his new book about the history of anti-vaccination movements. It's very good and very thorough and very convincing, and I found it informative because it also takes a broad view, looking everything from the…

A little advance warning for the Oregonians: I'll be at the Northwest Freethought Regional Conference in Portland on 25-27 March. I hope it rains the whole weekend, I really need to get some normal, healthy, earth-like weather for a change.

Here's the man on the Conan show. Fabulous!

Wow. That's all I can say, beyond little ecstatic grunts and moans.

I've been privy to some of the behind-the-scenes arguments among atheists about this episode of the Bill O'Reilly show, in which they discuss (if anything is ever discussed with O'Reilly) an aggressive billboard sponsored by American Atheists. Most of the complaining I've heard has been about…

…is an Octothrone. This belongs in my house. Unfortunately, if you have to wonder how much it costs, you can't afford it. (via Bioephemera)

Sarah Palin has put her foot in her mouth again. In a statement about the shooting of a Jewish politician, she accuses the media of victimizing her with "blood libel". Does this stupid woman even think about what she's saying? Just to add to the charm, she goes on and on insisting that the crazy…

Your problems are over: Justin Bieber is praying for you. I'm afraid us atheists lack such privileged access to cosmic powers, so any of you readers who might want to help — pitiful as any of your efforts might be in contrast to the awesome majesty Bieber has brought to bear on the flooding — you…

Those fine folks behind Skepticon are already planning ahead to the next event, and have begun fundraising so they can keep the convention cheap to attend. They are smart people. However, the way they're trying to raise a little cash now is by selling Valentine's Day cards. Don't they know that…

Whoa. Naming rights to the arena for the Sacramento Kings has been bought up by a corporation — no surprise at all there — but guess who bought it? The company that makes those cheesy and ridiculous Power Balance bracelets, those scraps of silicone with an imbedded hologram that they falsely tout…

I survived the 70s, threadkiddies, but then I discovered that vestiges of it still lurk on evangelical television. Hey, in the 70s we had the excuse that everyone making children's television was baked to the gills — what is Psalty's excuse? (Current totals: 11,674 entries with 1,241,253 comments…

He certainly has the most awful aim ever. Here's Pr Daniel Nalliah (I think the "Pr" is short for "Prat") finding a reason for the current terrible floods in Queensland, Australia: Kevin Rudd has been insufficiently zealous in his support for Israel, and Rudd is originally from Queensland, so God…

If you've been following Richard Hoppe's coverage of the John Freshwater trial on the Panda's Thumb, you know this event has been dragging along like the OJ trial, only with less media pandemonium and now, at last, a less unsatisfying outcome. Freshwater, you may recall, is the bible-thumping…

David Menton, Andrew Snelling and Georgia Purdom, three creationists working at the Creation "Museum", have written an outraged op-ed correcting some misconceptions about them. I read this far before I had to stop: For one, the guest columnist, Roger Guffey, claimed there were no "serious"…

Alright already, enough with the claims that Jared Loughner was a lefty because he read Marx. Does his voting record mean anything? My eyes are getting a little old. Does it say "SOCIALIST" for political affiliation? Of course, this does not imply that all Republicans are deranged assassins, or…

They're actually selling tickets for these events, so get in line early. On 21 May, I'll first be the centerpiece at lunch, and then that evening, I get to be the anticlimax to Jamie Kilstein. This is going to be tricky…everybody complains that I'm so mellow and mild in person, but coming up after…

I know that many people read the suicide note of Bill Zeller — it's terrible story of an intelligent young man who was racked with internal demons, and who finally ended his life. The primary causes of his torment were memories of sexual molestation, but there was also another significant factor:…

You might want to look at Ince's web page: he's touring in March and April, and in May he's gathered together Brian Cox, Ben Goldacre, and Simon Singh for a "science tour celebrating the universe and many of the wonders that lie within it". That all looks wonderful, you think, and so do I. I would…

Have you got kids? Are you tangentially related to any young people? Are you young yourself? Do you know anyone who just likes a good story and interesting science? Well, then, I'm sorry, but reading this article will cost you $12.89. Jay Hosler has a new book out (illustrated by Kevin Cannon and…

I'm seeing a lot of email complaining about my response to the Giffords shooting. Here's just a representative sampling. You saw fit to use our pain to win political points. Here is my question to you - What if the killer was not a conservative? At least one report describes him as left-wing. His…

Mary surprised me today. We're both alumni of the University of Oregon, and today the UO football team is in a competition for a national title, so she told me I must acknowledge the Ducks. OK. Go ducks.